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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Notes vs Notion

Notes 4.8★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
Notion 4.8★ · Free + IAP 68

Notes is better for basic, quick note-taking due to its simplicity, while Notion is superior for complex organization and project management despite its performance issues and AI integration.

Full reviews: Notes · Notion

Notes offers a straightforward, free experience for quick thoughts and lists, but struggles with advanced features and performance on larger notes. Notion provides extensive organizational tools and AI capabilities, making it ideal for complex projects, though users report significant bugs and performance lag.

Head to head

Features & Functionality edge: NotionR1R3R5R6
Notes Notes is praised for its immediate availability and usefulness for quick lists and reminders R5R17. However, users desire more customization, such as a wider color palette R1 and the ability to auto-calculate math data in tables R6. There are also requests for version history R3 and improved formatting options .
Notion Notion is lauded as a 'game changer' for planning, project building, and organizing various aspects of life, with incredible flexibility and sharing capabilities R68R83. Its AI tool is seen as a productive assistant for creating lists and pages . However, many users are frustrated by the prominent and often buggy AI features, which they feel are 'shoved down their throat' and slow down the app R63R66R72. Users also wish for features like password protection for pages and mind map integration R68.
Ease of Use edge: NotesR2R11R28R31
Notes Notes is generally considered user-friendly and intuitive for basic tasks, with users appreciating its simplicity for jotting down thoughts R11R44. However, some users find it difficult to organize notes R2 and struggle with new formats or changes to the interface . There are complaints about automatic links with numbers being intrusive and issues with transferring notes to other platforms R28R31.
Notion Notion has a steeper learning curve, with some users admitting they 'still don’t know what I’m doing' but love it anyway . It's praised for its flexibility but some find it confusing and hard to track where items are saved . Mobile usability is a significant issue, with complaints about the screen auto-adjusting while typing and pages being reorganized to fit the phone screen, making them unusable .
Reliability & Performance tieR3R4R9R10
Notes Notes faces significant criticism for performance issues, especially with longer handwritten notes, leading to overheating, battery drain, lag, and delayed responses R9R15R18. Many users report critical bugs, including notes disappearing R3R4R10R16, crashing , and issues with tables . The search function is also reported as wonky R18.
Notion Notion users frequently report the app being 'SLOOWWWW' and laggy R66. Crashes are a common complaint, often requiring users to close and reopen the app . Specific bugs include the web clipper being broken , share sheet not working , AI chatbot being buggy and slow , and voice-to-text issues . Long documents are particularly problematic on mobile, with pages blacking out and resetting . Many users feel the app is 'full of bugs' and 'not usable' .
Price & Value edge: NotesR15R17R24R44
Notes Notes is a free, pre-installed app R15R24, which is a major advantage for many users. Its value comes from its immediate availability and seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem R17R44.
Notion Notion offers a free tier but also has In-App Purchases (IAP). Some users appreciate the value of the education plan and consider it 'one of the best investments' for business . However, there are complaints about unexpected subscription price increases and the app's performance issues making it feel not worth the cost, especially for paying users .
Support & Updates tieR3R4R10R33
Notes Notes users express frustration over persistent glitches and lack of resolution, with some feeling that Apple is not addressing critical issues like disappearing notes or performance problems R3R4R10. There are also complaints about forced AI data harvesting R33 and unwanted automatic features .
Notion Notion users complain about frequent, sometimes unnecessary updates that often introduce new bugs instead of fixing old ones . There are reports of difficulty contacting customer service regarding billing issues and a general sentiment that developers are not addressing core app functionality problems, especially on mobile . The forced integration of AI features is a major point of contention R63.
Pick Notes if

you need a free, simple, and immediately accessible note-taking app for quick lists, reminders, and basic text notes within the Apple ecosystem R5R11R17R44.

Pick Notion if

you require a powerful, flexible platform for complex organization, project management, and detailed planning, and are willing to navigate its learning curve and current performance issues R68R83.

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of recent negative reviews focusing on performance issues and bugs, which contrasts with their high lifetime ratings. For Notes, many negative reviews highlight data loss and performance degradation on newer devices. For Notion, the frequent complaints about AI integration and mobile app instability are prominent. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is relevant for Notion, as some negativity stems from issues encountered by paying users, suggesting higher expectations.

Frequently asked

Do Notes and Notion have good mobile performance?
Both Notes and Notion struggle with mobile performance, particularly with larger documents or handwritten content, leading to lag, overheating, and crashes (R9, R15, R18, R36, , for Notes; R66, , , , for Notion).
Can I use Notes or Notion for complex organization?
Notion is designed for complex organization, project management, and detailed planning, offering structured flexibility and sharing capabilities R68R83. Notes is more suited for simple lists and quick thoughts, with users desiring better organization features and subfolder options R2R52.
Do these apps have issues with data loss or glitches?
Both apps have reported issues with data loss and glitches; Notes users frequently mention notes disappearing or being moved to deleted folders R3R4R10R16, while Notion users report frequent crashes, unsaved work, and broken features like the web clipper or share sheet .
Is AI integration a prominent feature in either app?
AI integration is a prominent and often criticized feature in Notion, with many users feeling it is 'shoved down their throat,' slows down the app, and is buggy R63R66R72. Notes does not have explicit AI features mentioned in reviews, though one user expressed concern about 'AI data harvesting' R33.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Notes 1/5 · US Only 5 colors?: I wish you had more colors that you can make the words when you type, because you have more colors on the photos app
  2. [R3] Notes 3/5 · US Missing scanned attachments: As much I like Apple. I truly dislike not having a version history option within the app. I’m literally scanning and taking notes only to find out days laters it’s gone. I cannot fathom doing over again. It’s not in recently deleted and no matter how long I kept pressing the undo button has anything changed. I’m truly tired of these glitches. Please fix it. I should ha
  3. [R5] Notes 5/5 · US Organization: Keeps my shopping list and thoughts flowing and on target. Thank you
  4. [R6] Notes 3/5 · US App needs improvements: App needs ability to have auto calculation of math data within a table this way as I make a change or add something or remove something it updates those math totals in real time.
  5. [R2] Notes 5/5 · US Notes not easy to organize: I need to learn all the options for accessing the notes with ease. I will say, much of my difficulty is not being given enough instruction.
  6. [R11] Notes 5/5 · US Genuinely life saving: It’s user friendly but living with ADD i find notes the go to place to store stuff and all the above… can share certain ones too… it brilliant! My kids use it one is 12 the other 20 so it’s def for everyone!!
  7. [R28] Notes 2/5 · US Can’t transfer notes to Windows laptop: I initially liked this App, but cannot copy or move any of my notes to my Windows laptop. Nor will Apple let me email them to myself, requiring a different email address. Huge FAIL.
  8. [R31] Notes 1/5 · US Export option nonexistant: Want to import my notes into obsidian and can't
  9. [R4] Notes 1/5 · US Notes is great but…: The only way to make sure that you don't get a note put in your deleted folder and disappear in 30 days which happens a lot it's a bug or a glitch the only way to prevent that is to Lock the new but nowadays you can't lock a note if it includes a PDF a picture of video and a few other things and if you're trying to retrieve your data from Apple to pack your stuff up or if you'
  10. [R9] Notes 3/5 · US Good for typed notes, serious performance issues for handwritten notes.: It pretty much does what it says on the tin, and is great for taking down quick notes, lists and reminders from your phone. However for longer notes I prefer to hand write them, and this app causes massive overheating and battery drain on my M4 ipad air. Putting lines on a page should not be this taxing on my tablet, and it s
  11. [R10] Notes 1/5 · US horrible: all of noted over the last few years with important information just disappeared with no way to get them back???? thanks apple!
  12. [R15] Notes 3/5 · US 2 steps away from being the perfect note taking app: So as a student i wanted to try out the notes app for note taking with the Apple Pencil. Its honestly great, i love the layout, the tools, the syncing with iCloud,and, most importantly for me, its free. MY ISSUE: When the note is large enough, the ipad a16 i am using atm starts to struggle for no reason. It heats up and the latency for writing
  13. [R17] Notes 5/5 · US Notes with me: Like having my notes with me. If I’m out & about if I see something I need I can just put it on my list and not worry about losing my scratch piece of paper at home or accidentally throwing my paper away from my purse.
  14. [R24] Notes 3/5 · US Available in AppStore?: If it’s downloadable, why is it always pre installed on every iPhone? I thought this was a different type of application
  15. [R44] Notes 5/5 · US Immediately Available: Very convenient!
  16. [R33] Notes 3/5 · US Have used this app for years: I'm disappointed by extreme levels that you have forced this app into AI data harvesting. I'm looking for new options. I have used this app for years. Loved that I could create an account and that I wouldn’t lose my notes if my device changed. You've lost me. Not interested in this. I refuse to feed the beast....even if that means abandoning something I have used fo
  17. [R18] Notes 3/5 · US Slow, laggy and search not working: I’ve been using Apple Notes for as long as I can remember and for some reason that app just seems to keep getting worse and worse. It has become so slow and laggy that I can barely use it. By the time it allows me to start typing, I’ve nearly forgotten what I was going to type. Additionally, the search function has become so wonky. If I search a word the notes a
  18. [R36] Notes 3/5 · GB Needs Optimisation: Longer notes seem to take up a lot of processing power and become laggy on my iPad Air M3, even leading to overheating. I’m using Notes to study for an exam where there is a lot of revision material, and it seems like my very powerful iPad is struggling to process all of my handwritten notes and is slowing down. Functionality and features of the app are okay, though nothing spe
  19. [R52] Notes 1/5 · US Needs constant improvements and updates, especially the categories, including subfiles.: The Apple app is usable, but there is a categorization issue when it is limited to 5 subfolders while trying to organize my notes by creating categories and folders. If it is the most-used note-taking app, please continually improve and update it. Therefore, Apple Notes should also offer multiple settings opti
  20. [R68] Notion 5/5 · US my notion is amazing: this is the best platform for planning and building your projects that you will ever use. it can be so structured but also has incredible flexibility, and sharing workspaces with others is fast and easy. I have been using this tool for years and will continue to do so. the only thing I wish there was is a mind map feature within pages to allow users a visual representation fo
  21. [R83] Notion 5/5 · US It’s my second brain: I could not live without Notion. It’s like my second brain for my business, mindset, health. Everything. The app is so fast and easy to use. Well done team
  22. [R16] Notes 1/5 · US Can’t update it and deleted all my notes: Deletes all my information then tells me to update and is not possible to update.
  23. [R63] Notion 3/5 · US I Miss the Old Notion: The button for AI is large and centered on the bottom of your screen instead of a search bar like it used to be. There was also a way to turn it off prior and now there isn't. Like yes, it's an inevitable future but can the interface be less inconvenient.
  24. [R66] Notion 3/5 · US SLOOWWWW: Please fix the app, it lags about and the writing is bad, we dont need AI so relax with it because its slowing up the app, please dont ruin the appppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  25. [R72] Notion 3/5 · US I love Notion, Not AI…: I use Notion everyday to help me stick to a schedule and plan my life. I despise AI, and the fact it’s even in the title name is repulsive. It’s painful to love this app due to them feeding into this.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store