Apple Notes — The free note-taking app built into iPhone, iPad, and Mac, for anyone already inside the Apple ecosystem.
By Noahlast updated
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Apple Notes in 20 seconds
Best for: Apple users who want a free, preinstalled note app that syncs automatically across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Pricing: Apple Notes itself is free; extra iCloud storage for syncing attachments starts at $0.99/month for 50GB via iCloud+.
- Apple Notes is preinstalled at no extra cost on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac running iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
- Notes can be individually locked with a password or Face ID/Touch ID.
- Apple Notes has no native Windows or Android app; cross-platform access is limited to the iCloud.com web interface.
- Free iCloud storage is capped at 5GB, shared across Notes, Photos, Mail, and device backups.
- iCloud+ paid storage plans start at $0.99/month for 50GB if a user's notes and attachments exceed the free allotment.
Limitations: No native Windows or Android app, only a limited web view at iCloud.com; No public API or plugin ecosystem for extending functionality; Free iCloud storage is shared across all Apple services, so attachments and scans fill it quickly; Lacks the backlinking, databases, and cross-note structuring found in dedicated PKM tools
Top alternatives: Notion, Evernote, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote, Bear — full list
What is Apple Notes?
Apple Notes is a note-taking and quick-capture app made by Apple and bundled at no extra cost with iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It lets users write formatted notes, make checklists, scan and mark up documents, sketch with Apple Pencil, and organize notes into folders and tags, all synced across a user's own Apple devices through iCloud.
Apple Notes is the note-taking application preinstalled on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, syncing across a user's Apple devices via iCloud. It supports rich text, checklists, tables, sketches, document scanning, and Apple Pencil handwriting, with password- or Face ID-locked notes for sensitive content. It has no separate purchase price and no standalone desktop app for Windows or Android, though a limited web version exists at iCloud.com.
Standout feature: Deep OS integration: Quick Note from Control Center or Safari, Live Text search inside scanned or handwritten pages, and document scanning with automatic perspective correction, all built in without installing anything extra.
Biggest weakness: There is no native Windows or Android app. Cross-platform users are limited to the stripped-down iCloud.com web notes interface, and syncing photos or scanned documents quickly eats into the free 5GB iCloud storage shared across Mail, Photos, and backups, pushing users toward a paid iCloud+ plan.
Pros
- Free and already installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac, no signup beyond an existing Apple Account
- Notes can be locked individually with a password or Face ID/Touch ID
- Built-in document scanning, Apple Pencil handwriting recognition, and Live Text search across scanned and handwritten content
- Real-time collaboration and sharing with other Apple Account holders via iCloud
Cons
- No native Windows or Android client, only a limited iCloud.com web view
- No public API or plugin ecosystem, unlike Notion or Obsidian
- Weak backlinking and database features compared to dedicated PKM tools
- Free iCloud storage (5GB total, shared with Photos and backups) fills up fast once notes include images or scans
Apple Notes pricing
Free tier · paid from $0.99/mo
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notes app | Free | Included with every iPhone, iPad, and Mac; no separate purchase or subscription for the app itself |
| iCloud+ (for storage beyond the free 5GB) | $0.99/mo | Needed only once note attachments and photos push total iCloud usage past the free 5GB tier shared across all Apple apps |
What reviewers say
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