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Scratchpad vs Apple Notes

Scratchpad does what Apple Notes does and then keeps going. It works the same on Windows and Android, shares with anyone by link, publishes a note as a web page, keeps every version, sets reminders in a sentence, and has an assistant that has read the note. Apple Notes is free, and hard to beat if you only ever use Apple devices.

Facts checked Sources All comparisons

Apple Notes is a good app, and if you have an iPhone you already have it. Scratchpad is for when you want more from your notes than one company's devices allow: the same app on a Windows PC and an Android phone, a link anyone can open, last Tuesday's version of a paragraph, and an assistant that can work with what you've written.

The short answer

Choose Scratchpad if

  • You use Windows or Android for anything, or want the same app in any browser
  • You share notes with people who don't have an Apple Account, or want to publish one as a web page
  • You want every earlier version of a note kept, not just deleted notes for 30 days
  • You want reminders written into your notes, voice memos turned into text on any device, and an assistant that reads the note you're in
  • You want your notes reachable from Claude, ChatGPT, Shortcuts, or your own scripts

Choose Apple Notes if

  • You only use iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and so does everyone you share with
  • You want it free and already there
  • You handwrite with an Apple Pencil or scan a lot of paper

At a glance

Scratchpad Apple Notes
Price a month US$12, or US$8 with your own AI key Free, with 5 GB of iCloud. More storage from US$0.99
Price a year US$120, or US$80 with your own AI key Free
Free plan With a 30-day money-back guarantee
Windows Installs like an app No app. iCloud.com in a browser
Android Installs like an app No app
iPhone, iPad, and Mac An app for Mac, and installs like an app on iPhone and iPad Native
Web clipper For Safari, Chrome, and Firefox Safari's Share menu saves a link
Works offline Keeps going when the connection drops, and syncs after On Apple devices
Share with anyone by link No account needed Everyone needs an Apple Account
Share links with a password or expiry Not among Apple's sharing options
Publish a note as a web page In one click
Version history Up to 200 versions per note Deleted notes are kept for 30 days
Reminders inside a note By email and notification Hands off to the Reminders app on a Mac
Voice memos to text 20 hours a month, on any device On iPhone 12 or later and Apple silicon Macs
Assistant that reads the note 500 messages a month or no limit with your own key Writing Tools on recent Apple devices
Search inside PDFs and documents PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Inside attachments, one note at a time
Search text in photos and scans Printed text in English and French
Search handwriting
Tabs, callouts, code, maths, footnotes Monostyled text and block quotes
Links between notes With backlinks
Locked notes Whatever is in them Not notes with PDFs, audio, or video
Export Markdown, text, or JSON, one note or everything PDF or Markdown, a note at a time
API and AI connectors Plus an MCP server Shortcuts on Apple devices

Where Scratchpad is better

Scratchpad on a computer: folders on the left, a list of notes, and a note called Lisbon in October with a checklist and a day-by-day plan in a table.

The same app on every device

Apple Notes has no Android app and no Windows app, and Apple doesn't list Android browsers as supported for iCloud.com. Scratchpad has apps for Mac and Linux, runs in any modern browser, and installs like an app on iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows, with everything working the same on each.

Anyone can open what you share

Everyone in a shared Apple note needs an Apple Account and iCloud. A Scratchpad share link opens in any browser with no account, lets the other person read or edit alongside you, and can carry a password or stop working after a day, a week, or a month. Share a whole folder the same way.

Every version of every note

Apple Notes brings back deleted notes for 30 days, but has no history for a note that still exists: change a paragraph, sync, and the old one is gone. Scratchpad keeps up to 200 earlier versions of each note, compares any two side by side, and restores the one you want. Its trash keeps a deleted note until you empty it.

Reminders in the note, in plain words

Type /remind call the vet Friday at 9am and you'll get an email and a notification, and the reminder stays with the note it's about. Apple Notes hands dates off to the Reminders app.

Publishing a note as a web page

Apple Notes can't put a note on the web. In Scratchpad one tab turns a note into a clean public page with its own address, and the same tab takes it down.

An assistant that has read the note

Scratchpad's assistant works from the whole note in front of you: compare the three quotes in it, turn a brain dump into a plan, tidy up meeting notes. Its edits arrive as a change you approve. It works on any device, with 500 messages a month included, or no limit with your own Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini key. Apple's Writing Tools proofread and rewrite text, on recent Apple devices.

Voice memos anywhere, and search that reads your files

Record into a note on any device and Scratchpad turns it into text you can edit and search. Search reads the words inside attached PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files across all your notes, as you type.

Notes that can hold more

Tabs, collapsible panels, callouts, code with highlighting, LaTeX maths, footnotes, and sticky notes, plus a PDF reader with a pen, highlighter, shapes, and form filling. Apple Notes keeps to text, lists, tables, and sketches.

Your notes, reachable from other apps

Scratchpad has an API with scoped tokens and an MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, a shortcut, or a script can read and add to your notes from anywhere. Apple Notes has Shortcuts on Apple devices and no API.

And everything else Scratchpad does.

  • Reminders in a sentence

    Type /remind call the vet Friday at 9am, and get an email and a notification.

  • Voice memos, transcribed

    Record into a note and get the words back as text you can search. 20 hours a month.

  • Write on PDFs

    Pen, highlighter, shapes, sticky notes, and forms, and a copy to download with your marks on it.

  • Every version, kept

    Up to 200 versions of each note, compared side by side and brought back in a click.

  • Search inside your files

    The words in your PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, your pictures and scans, and your transcripts, as you type.

  • Tabs, panels, and callouts

    Split a long note into tabs, fold a section away, or set a tip apart in a callout.

  • Code, maths, and footnotes

    Highlighting for about 35 languages, LaTeX that renders as you type, and footnotes that number themselves.

  • Locked notes

    Encrypted with a password of their own, and opened with Face ID or Touch ID once you set that up.

  • Share links you control

    Read or edit, with a password or an expiry date, and nobody needs an account. On paid plans.

  • Publish in one click

    Turn a note into a clean web page, and take it down just as fast. On paid plans.

  • An assistant that asks first

    It reads the note you are in, and its edits arrive as a change you approve.

  • Works with Claude and ChatGPT

    Any app that speaks MCP can search, read, and add to your notes. On paid plans.

  • Two-step sign-in and passkeys

    An authenticator code or an emailed one, backup codes, and passkeys for Touch ID and Face ID.

  • Folders, tags, and backlinks

    Three levels of folders, each with its own colour and icon, #tags as you type, and backlinks.

  • Bring your notes in

    Markdown, Word, HTML, RTF, or a whole zip, with its folders.

  • Markdown in and out

    Export a note, a folder, or everything as Markdown, plain text, or JSON.

Where Apple Notes is better

It's free, and already on your iPhone

Apple Notes costs nothing beyond iCloud storage, and it's built into the Lock Screen, Control Centre, Siri, and the Share sheet. Scratchpad is US$12 a month, or US$8 with your own AI key.

Native, and fully offline

Apple Notes is a real app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and works offline because your notes are on the device. Scratchpad has an app for Mac and installs like an app on iPhone and iPad, but it's built to be online most of the time.

Pencil, scanning, and photos you can search

Handwriting and sketching with an Apple Pencil, scanning paper with the camera, and search that reads handwriting and even objects in photos. Scratchpad reads the printed words in pictures and scans, but has none of the rest.

Encryption for everything, if you turn it on

With Advanced Data Protection on, all your Apple notes are end-to-end encrypted. Scratchpad encrypts the notes you lock, not the rest, which is what lets search, sharing, and the assistant work on them.

Moving from Apple Notes to Scratchpad

On a Mac with macOS 26 or later, Apple Notes can export a note as Markdown (File → Export as → Markdown). Bring those files into Scratchpad from Settings → Your data → Bring notes in, or zip a folder of them to bring them in at once. What to expect:

  • Headings, lists, checklists, tables, and links arrive formatted.
  • Apple's guide describes exporting one note at a time, so a big library takes a while.
  • Check that pictures and attachments came across, and drag in any that didn't.
  • Handwriting and sketches don't carry over as text.

See Bringing your old notes in.

Good questions.

Can I use Apple Notes on Android or Windows?

Not as an app. Apple Notes is native only on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. On Windows you can use it in a browser at iCloud.com. There's no Android app, and Apple doesn't list Android browsers as supported for iCloud.com. Scratchpad runs in any browser and installs like an app on Android and Windows.

Does Apple Notes have version history?

No. Deleted notes stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days, but there's no way to bring back an earlier version of a note that still exists. Scratchpad keeps up to 200 versions of each note.

Can I share an Apple note with someone who doesn't have an iPhone?

Only if they have an Apple Account, which they can use at iCloud.com. Everyone in a shared Apple note must be signed in to iCloud. A Scratchpad share link opens in any browser, with no account.

Is Apple Notes end-to-end encrypted?

Locked notes are. Everything else is end-to-end encrypted only if you turn on Advanced Data Protection. Scratchpad isn't end-to-end encrypted. Its locked notes are stored encrypted with a key made from their password, so what Scratchpad keeps can't be read without it.

Is Scratchpad worth paying for if Apple Notes is free?

If you only use Apple devices and Apple Notes does everything you need, maybe not. Scratchpad is worth it if you need Windows or Android, share with people outside Apple's world, want version history, reminders, and publishing, or want an assistant that works from the note in front of you.

Sources

Checked on 24 September 2026, from Apple's own pages:

And for Scratchpad, the documentation and pricing.

The best way to decide is with your own notes.

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US$12 a month, or US$8 with your own AI key. 30-day money-back guarantee.