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

Weekly Planner vs Notes

Weekly Planner 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Weekly Planner
Notes 4.8★ · Free to download 55

Weekly Planner is better for users seeking a straightforward, visually appealing weekly planning experience, while Notes is more suitable for general note-taking, despite its recent performance issues and data loss complaints.

Full reviews: Weekly Planner · Notes

Weekly Planner offers a simple, paper-like interface for scheduling and notes, though recent updates have locked many features behind a paywall and caused data loss for some users. Notes is a versatile, free note-taking app, but it struggles with performance on larger notes, data syncing, and has experienced significant bugs and data loss for users.

Head to head

Features edge: Weekly PlannerR1R2R5R6
Weekly Planner Weekly Planner users appreciate its simple, paper-like calendar interface, ability to track hours, and customization options like emojis and colors R5. Recent updates added bi-weekly repeat events and bullet lists with check marks . However, many core features, such as planning beyond one week, viewing past entries, or editing, have been moved to a premium subscription R1R6R9R34. Users also desire features like reordering recurring events, custom recurring intervals (e.g., quarterly), and better monthly planning views R2R11.
Notes Notes is praised for its immediate availability, usefulness for lists, and ability to jot down thoughts and reminders . It also has features like scanning documents to PDF . However, users report missing basic functions like undo/redo buttons , and the app lacks advanced features such as version history , auto-calculation in tables , and better formatting options like markdown or backlinks . Some users also complain about automatic links for numbers and limited subfolder categories .
Ease of Use edge: Weekly PlannerR5R14R20R21
Weekly Planner Weekly Planner is generally considered easy and practical to use, with a straightforward layout that many find helpful for organization R5R14R20. The full week view is a highlight for many users . However, recent updates have made it more difficult to plan ahead due to paywalls , and some users report basic functions like copy and paste no longer working R21.
Notes Notes is valued for its immediate availability and simplicity for quick notes and lists . However, recent updates have made the app less straightforward, with users reporting difficulty saving notes or changes to formatting . Some users also dislike the new format, finding it hard to read .
Reliability tieR4R11R12R15
Weekly Planner Weekly Planner has significant reliability issues, particularly after recent updates. Users report losing all their data, including notes and events, after updates R4R12. Syncing across devices (iPhone and iPad) is a persistent problem, with entries not transferring or requiring manual input R11R15R27. Some users also experience issues with widgets not working , events not appearing in timed order , and deleted entries still showing in the monthly calendar .
Notes Notes also suffers from major reliability problems. Numerous users report losing all their notes, sometimes after updates, moving notes, or sharing notes . The app frequently crashes on both iPhone and iPad . Performance issues are common, with the app becoming very slow, laggy, and delayed, especially with a large number of notes or handwritten entries R69R75. Search functions are reported to be wonky or malfunctioning , and tables have bugs .
Price/Value edge: NotesR1R6R9R10
Weekly Planner Weekly Planner has recently shifted from a mostly free model to a premium subscription, which has caused significant user dissatisfaction. Many long-time users are upset that basic functions like planning beyond one week, viewing past entries, or editing are now paywalled R1R6R9R10. Some users who paid for a lifetime subscription before updates were forced to pay again . There are also complaints about not knowing the cost of upgrades upfront .
Notes Notes is a free, pre-installed app for Apple users, which is a major advantage for many R75. Its free nature makes it a popular choice for quick note-taking. However, some users express frustration over the inability to export notes to non-Apple devices or other apps, which limits its value for cross-platform use .
Support tieR7R13R15R21
Weekly Planner Weekly Planner users report extremely poor or non-existent customer support. Multiple users state they have emailed the developers multiple times about issues like syncing problems, lost data, or payment issues, but received no response R7R13R15R21. This lack of communication is a significant point of frustration for both free and premium users.
Notes Notes, being an Apple-developed app, does not have direct user reviews about dedicated customer support in the same way a third-party app would. However, the prevalence of unaddressed bugs, data loss, and performance issues suggests that user feedback is not being effectively translated into fixes or improvements .
Pick Weekly Planner if

Pick Weekly Planner if you prioritize a simple, visually appealing weekly calendar format and are willing to pay for a premium subscription to access full planning capabilities and recurring event features R5. It's also a good fit if you need to track hours or prefer a digital planner that mimics a paper one .

Pick Notes if

Pick Notes if you need a free, immediately available app for quick, general note-taking, lists, and reminders on Apple devices . It's also suitable if you use features like document scanning and don't require extensive advanced features or cross-platform compatibility R75.

Evidence note: Weekly Planner's recent negative reviews heavily skew its perception due to a shift from a largely free model to a paid one, locking previously free features. Many positive reviews predate this change. Notes, as a default Apple app, has a vast user base, and its negative reviews highlight persistent performance and data integrity issues that are not being resolved.

Frequently asked

Is Weekly Planner still free to use?
No, Weekly Planner has recently become largely paid, with many basic functions like planning beyond one week or viewing past entries now requiring a premium subscription R1R6R9R34.
Do either of these apps have problems with data loss or syncing?
Both apps have significant reported issues with data loss and syncing. Weekly Planner users report losing data after updates and difficulties syncing between iPhone and iPad R4R12R15R27. Notes users frequently report losing all their notes, especially after updates, moving notes, or sharing notes, and experience slow or inconsistent syncing .
Which app is better for handwritten notes?
While Notes supports handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, many users report significant performance issues, including lag, overheating, and battery drain, especially with longer handwritten notes on iPads R69R75R96. Weekly Planner reviews do not extensively discuss handwritten note capabilities.

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] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US It became paid: I used it for several years, the basic functions were quite enough. Suddenly it became paid; now you can't plan something even a week in advance without premium. Deleting it, looking for a new daily planner. · translated
  2. [R2] Weekly Planner 4/5 · US updated suggestions 7/7/26: i have been using this app for a while now. it’s good. but i still would like to see a way to reorder recurring events permanently and an option to make recurring events happen “every x weeks/months” so that if i want to do something quarterly, i can do every 3 months. adding options like“the second monday” rather than forcing monthly events to always be on the same dat
  3. [R5] Weekly Planner 5/5 · US Love this app!: The Weekly Planner - Diary, Notes app has been a godsend for me. Paper calendars take up a lot of space, and the fancy technical calendar apps were too complicated for me. This app is perfect for me. It looks like a paper calendar to start, and I can type in everything I need without a fancy computer pen. It lets me use emojis, too, so I can pretty it up. Highly recommend! 🙂
  4. [R6] Weekly Planner 3/5 · US I love this planner, but I don't want to get premium: I've used this app for many years because it's the most convenient I've seen. A premium subscription for some features is normal, but when you have to pay just to make plans more than a week ahead in a planning app, that's too much. People who download planners don't just plan one week at a time, but... · translated
  5. [R14] Weekly Planner 5/5 · US Organización personal: Fácil y práctica de usar me mantiene organizado y lo mejor es que tomes tu historial y no pierdes detalles
  6. [R20] Weekly Planner 5/5 · US Love it!: this app is exactly what I was looking for. It’s not complicated and keeps my schedule perfectly. highly recommend it!!!
  7. [R21] Weekly Planner 3/5 · GB Used to love it...: This was the best planner ever, until the latest update where simple tasks like copy and paste no longer work. I contacted the developer but had no response, so not sure why they've disabled copy and paste. It's useless as plans change all the time and was so easy to move things around the diary, but not anymore!!
  8. [R4] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US All my data was erased on the last update!: All my data was erased on the last update… I was just getting to like it! I don’t like it now and will delete the app.
  9. [R11] Weekly Planner 5/5 · US Great app: I've been using it for about a year, and overall I'm happy with everything. However, it would be VERY great to add a few updates: Automatic synchronization between devices (it's inconvenient to press a bunch of buttons after every little thing); create a monthly planning section, not just a calendar or notes; fix bugs when a keyboard is connected to an iPad in the "today" tab. Thank you! The last update... · translated
  10. [R12] Weekly Planner 3/5 · US Was 5 stars, now after update 3 stars.: I started using this about 2 months ago, was working every well for me and I had a good system down. I even paid for the pro version cuz it worked so well! I used the notes page extensively, made subcategories & it worked very well. Last night there was an unexpected update to the app, and now my entire notes page is gone, along with most of the additions an
  11. [R15] Weekly Planner 3/5 · US Cute planner, but…: I bought the pro version of this planner for my iPad and added the planner to my iPhone. It’s immediately noticed that when I added events to one calendar, it did not synch with the other. I sent that question to the developer. I never got a response. I sent to again, thinking, oh it was a user error and I did something wrong. Again, no response at all. So while the calen
  12. [R9] Weekly Planner 3/5 · US Loved this app but now features locked unless you pay: I love the easy of seeing my tasks for the week at a glance. Unfortunately, just last week I no longer have the ability to edit anything on two weeks, even though I already have tasks out farther. Asking me to pay $11.99 mo for something I’ve been using for years. Not cool
  13. [R10] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US Are you out of your mind?!: The app isn't bad. But first they cut all the functions, and now you can't even fill out the planner a week in advance! What free functions are left? 1 week? Are you serious?! I'm looking for another app. · translated
  14. [R7] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US Need to contact the developer: I've been waiting for a response to my email for a week, please reply to me! · translated
  15. [R13] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US No subscription after payment: On 22.02.2026 at 21:47, a one-time premium subscription payment was made. After payment, the subscription did not appear. Support is silent, the money is gone, the problem is not resolved. · translated
  16. [R34] Weekly Planner 1/5 · US Not free: This planner doesn’t let you go back an edit. I forces you to pay for “the premium” version which also a simple features as editing an entry….which essentially renders this app useless. Also they blur out your entries from past weeks which also renders this app useless. Basically forcing you to spend money.
  17. [R27] Weekly Planner 3/5 · GB Sync across devices???: Been using for over a year but still don’t understand why entries won’t download on my iPad from my iPhone which I really need to sync?? Does anyone know? Getting absolutely no solutions from developers so frustrating
  18. [R69] 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
  19. [R75] 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
  20. [R96] 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

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