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Scratchpad vs Google Keep

Scratchpad is for notes that outgrow sticky notes. It has folders, tables, headings, PDFs and files, locked notes, real version history, reminders in the note, sharing with anyone, publishing, and an assistant. Google Keep is free and quick for short lists on Android.

Facts checked Sources All comparisons

Google Keep is great for a grocery list. Once your notes get longer than a sticky note, it runs out quickly: no folders, no tables, no PDFs, 50 labels at most, and 20,000 characters per note. Scratchpad is just as quick to start a note in, and then has room for everything a real notebook needs.

The short answer

Choose Scratchpad if

  • Your notes are longer, with headings, tables, code, or maths
  • You want folders, links between notes, and as many tags as you like
  • You keep PDFs, documents, and recordings with your notes
  • You want some notes locked with a password, and every version of a note kept
  • You want reminders that stay in the note, sharing with anyone, and an assistant

Choose Google Keep if

  • Your notes are mostly short lists and quick thoughts
  • You want it free, and you already live in Google's apps

At a glance

Scratchpad Google Keep
Price a month US$12, or US$8 with your own AI key Free, within your Google account's 15 GB
Price a year US$120, or US$80 with your own AI key Free
Free plan With a 30-day money-back guarantee
Folders Three levels deep Up to 50 labels
Tables
Formatting Headings, tables, callouts, tabs, code, maths, footnotes Two heading sizes, bold, italic, and underline. None on iPhone
Note length Long notes are fine 20,000 characters
Links between notes With backlinks
PDFs and documents PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, audio, and video, 10 GB Pictures only
Search inside files PDFs, Office documents, and the text in photos and scans Text in photos
Locked notes Encrypted with their own password
Version history Up to 200 versions per note Earlier text only, downloaded as a text file
Trash Kept until you empty it 7 days
Reminders in the note By email and notification Moved to Google Tasks
Share with anyone by link With a password or expiry Google accounts only
Publishing to the web In one click
Voice to text 20 hours a month Voice notes on the phone apps
Built-in AI Assistant that reads and edits the note Gemini features, mostly on paid Google AI plans
API Plus an MCP server Business accounts only
Platforms Apps for Mac and Linux, plus any browser, installable on iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Android, iPhone, the web, and Wear OS
Web clipper For Safari, Chrome, and Firefox Chrome only. Saves a link or selected text

Where Scratchpad is better

A Kitchen renovation note with three contractor quotes in a table, and the assistant panel beside it recommending one of them and explaining why.

Notes that can be long, and look like something

Keep has two heading sizes, bold, italic, and underline, doesn't show formatting on iPhone, has no tables, and stops each note at 20,000 characters. Scratchpad has headings, tables, callouts, tabs, collapsible panels, code with highlighting, maths, and footnotes, and formats Markdown as you type.

Files and PDFs, not just pictures

Keep holds pictures and nothing else. Scratchpad takes pictures, PDFs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, audio, and video, searches the text inside the documents, and has a PDF reader with a pen, highlighter, sticky notes, and form filling.

A lock for private notes

Keep has no way to lock a note. A locked Scratchpad note is stored encrypted with a key made from its own password, so what we keep can't be read without it, and opens with Face ID or Touch ID once you set that up.

History, and a trash that waits

Keep's version history covers text only, as a file you download, and its trash empties after seven days. Scratchpad keeps up to 200 versions of each note that you can compare and restore, and a deleted note stays in the trash until you empty it.

Real organisation

Keep has up to 50 labels, with no nesting, no folders, and no links between notes. Scratchpad has folders three levels deep, as many tags as you like (#work/invoices works), links between notes, and backlinks that show what points where.

Reminders that stay with the note

Keep's reminders moved to Google Tasks in 2025 and 2026, and location reminders went away. In Scratchpad, /remind call the vet Friday at 9am sets a reminder in the note, which arrives by email and as a notification, and can repeat.

Share with anyone, or publish

Keep shares with other Google accounts. A Scratchpad share link opens in any browser with no account, can read or edit, and can carry a password or an expiry date, and a note can become a public web page.

An assistant that has read the note

Scratchpad's assistant works from the whole note in front of you, with 500 messages a month included or no limit with your own AI key, and its edits arrive as a change you approve. It works with Claude and ChatGPT too, through its MCP server.

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 Google Keep is better

It's free, and already on your phone

Keep costs nothing, uses the 15 GB every Google account gets, and comes on most Android phones. Scratchpad is US$12 a month, or US$8 with your own AI key.

Google's apps, and your watch

Keep sits in the side panel of Gmail, Docs, and Calendar, copies a note into Google Docs, works with Gemini, and runs on Wear OS. Its phone apps work offline, where Scratchpad is built to be online most of the time.

Moving from Google Keep to Scratchpad

Use Google Takeout to export Keep. It gives you each note as an HTML file (and a JSON file beside it). Zip the HTML files and bring them into Scratchpad from Settings → Your data → Bring notes in. What to expect:

  • Text, lists, and checklists come across.
  • Labels and colours don't, and the JSON files are Keep's own format, which Scratchpad doesn't read.
  • Check that pictures came across, and drag in any that didn't.

See Bringing your old notes in.

Good questions.

Is Google Keep free?

Yes. Keep is free with a Google account and uses the 15 GB of storage that comes with it. Some newer AI features, like Keep Live, need a paid Google AI plan.

Can you lock a note in Google Keep?

No. Keep has no password, PIN, or biometric lock for notes, and notes aren't end-to-end encrypted. Scratchpad locks single notes with their own password and encrypts them.

Can Google Keep store PDFs?

No. Keep holds pictures (GIF, JPEG, PNG, and WebP) but not PDFs or other files. Scratchpad stores PDFs and documents, searches the text inside them, and lets you mark up a PDF.

Does Google Keep have folders?

No. Keep has labels, up to 50, with no nesting. Scratchpad has folders three levels deep and as many tags as you like.

How do I move my notes from Google Keep to Scratchpad?

Export Keep with Google Takeout, zip the HTML files it gives you, and import the zip into Scratchpad. Text and checklists come across; labels don't.

Sources

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

And for Scratchpad, the documentation and pricing.

The best way to decide is with your own notes.

Get started

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