Apple Notes vs Notion
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's a near tie: both score 9.0, with Apple Notes ahead by a hair, so the right pick depends on what you need. Apple Notes wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Notion on 2.
iPhone, iPad and Mac owners who want a fast, free place for everyday notes
Teams who want docs, wikis and task boards in one place
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Apple Notes | Notion |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #5 of 17 | #7 of 17 |
| Developer | Apple | Notion Labs, Inc. |
| Pricing | Free | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Apple Notes better than Notion?
It's a near tie: both score 9.0, with Apple Notes ahead by a hair, so the right pick depends on what you need. Apple Notes wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Notion on 2.
Which is cheaper, Apple Notes or Notion?
Apple Notes: Free; syncs with 5 GB of free iCloud storage, and iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month. Notion: Free plan; Plus $10 and Business $20 per member/month, billed yearly. On value for money, Apple Notes scores higher.
Do Apple Notes and Notion work on the same devices?
Only Notion runs on Android, Windows.
Which is more private, Apple Notes or Notion?
Apple Notes scores higher on privacy (9.0/10). App Store label: no tracking. Your note content and an ID are linked to you; usage data is not. Turn on Advanced Data Protection and your iCloud notes are end-to-end encrypted.
Strengths and weaknesses
Apple Notes
- Free and built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Handwriting, scans, tables and transcripts in one app
- No tracking, according to the App Store label
- No Android or Windows app, only iCloud.com in a browser
- Free iCloud storage is just 5 GB
- Not end-to-end encrypted unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection
Apple Notes is free, already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a lot better than most people think. You get checklists, tables, document scanning, handwriting, Math Notes and audio recordings with written transcripts. Share notes with family, lock private ones and export to Markdown. Everything syncs through iCloud. The catch is that it lives in Apple's world, with only a web version for Windows and Android.
Full Apple Notes review
Notion
- Flexible enough to replace several separate apps
- Excellent for shared team docs and wikis
- Huge template gallery to get started fast
- Large pages and databases can feel slow
- Full Notion AI needs the Business plan or higher
- No end-to-end encryption for your notes
Notion lets you build almost anything from blocks: notes, wikis, task boards and project trackers, all tied together by flexible databases. Notion AI can write, search across connected apps and run agents that work through tasks for you, though full AI needs a Business plan. It is excellent for teams. Offline mode now exists, but large workspaces can still feel sluggish and nothing is end-to-end encrypted.
Full Notion review
