Simplenote perfected speed and simplicity — then stopped evolving. InkSync keeps it fast and simple, and adds the checklists, privacy, and collaboration Simplenote never built.
Try InkSync for FreeSimplenote does one thing — plain text — and refuses to do anything else. No checklists, no formatting, no structure: your shopping list is just lines of text you can't check off. Simplicity is a virtue until it starts fighting the way you actually think.
You can't work on a note with someone else in real time — sharing is limited and joint editing doesn't exist. The moment a note involves another human being — a partner, a colleague, a friend — Simplenote bows out.
Tags are the entire system, and they collapse under real life. No folders, no color-coding, nothing visual to grab onto — just a long list and your memory of which tag you used. At a hundred notes it's manageable; at five hundred it's archaeology.
Simplenote barely changes year to year. No AI assistance, no modern capture tools, no meaningful new features on the horizon — it's a finished product in an era when notes apps keep getting better. Loyalty to it means opting out of a decade of progress.
There's no way to lock an individual note — no PIN, no biometric. Everything is one unlocked phone away from anyone who picks it up. A notes app that can't keep a secret isn't a notes app you can fully trust.
Interactive checkboxes, free on every plan — tap to check off groceries, todos, and packing lists with satisfying strikethrough. It's the single most-requested Simplenote feature that never arrived, and it's table stakes in InkSync.
InkSync opens instantly and stays out of your way — the speed and simplicity you love, with local-first storage that works fully offline. Then, when you need more — formatting, locking, sharing — it's there instead of absent.
PIN or biometric locking on any individual note, included free. Your journal, your passwords, your private thoughts stay private even when someone else holds your phone. Simplenote never built this; we consider it essential.
Premium lets you share a note and edit together in real time — the other person typing right there with you. Shared lists, joint planning, working notes: everything Simplenote's solo experience couldn't do. It's what turns a personal notebook into something you build a life with.
Premium adds AI proofreading and tone rewrite — polish any note in one tap — plus Brain Dump for capturing voice, text, and images the second they strike. Simple at the surface, quietly powerful underneath: exactly what Simplenote could have become.
| Feature | Simplenote | InkSync |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free (50 notes) / $0.99/wk ($33.99/yr) |
| Speed & simplicity | ||
| Checklists | ||
| Individual note locking | ||
| Real-time collaboration | Premium | |
| AI proofread & tone rewrite | Premium | |
| Brain Dump (voice, text, images) | Premium | |
| Color-coded notes | ||
| Tags | ||
| Local-first offline mode | Sync-dependent | |
| Export your data |
"Simple doesn't have to mean stuck in 2015."
Sharing notes with a partner or family? See how InkSync works as a notes app for couples.
Make the switch todaySimplenote lets you export your notes — grab them from the app's settings or the web version and save the file. It's a plain-text world, so the export is clean and complete. This is your backup whatever you decide next.
Sign up on Android or at app.inksyncnote.com. The free plan covers 50 notes with real-time sync, checklists, and note locking — you'll feel at home immediately, because the speed and simplicity are the same. The differences appear when you reach for more.
No one-click importer — the honest version. Paste or recreate your notes manually, starting with the active ones. Simplenote exports are plain text, so they drop into InkSync cleanly; add checklists and formatting as you go and watch old notes get better.
Keep your tags — they carry over conceptually — then add color-coding and let notes carry multiple tags at once. It's the organizational system Simplenote never gave you, and it takes about fifteen minutes to set up.
Lock a private note, share a list with someone and edit it together live, run a draft through AI proofread. These are the moments the switch pays off — three things your old app simply couldn't do, now part of your daily flow.
Yes — that's the entire pitch. InkSync opens instantly, stays out of your way, and works fully offline with local-first storage. The difference is what happens when you need more: checklists, locking, collaboration, and AI are there instead of absent. Simple by default, capable when asked.
Yes — interactive checklists with real checkboxes, free on every plan. It's the most obvious thing Simplenote never added, and in InkSync it's table stakes: tap to check off, everything syncs in real time across your devices.
No one-click importer, honestly. Export your notes from Simplenote, then move them into InkSync manually — plain-text exports paste cleanly, and you can add checklists and formatting as you go. Start with active notes; the archive can wait.
Up to 50 notes with real-time sync, checklists, and note locking — genuinely usable, not a teaser. Premium is $0.99 a week or $33.99 a year for unlimited notes, real-time collaboration, AI proofreading and tone rewrite, and Brain Dump.
With Premium, yes — share any note and edit together in real time, seeing each other's changes as they happen. It's the feature Simplenote never built: shared shopping lists, trip plans, and working notes that actually work with more than one human.
Yes — any note can be locked with a PIN or biometric, included free. Simplenote offers nothing comparable. Journals, passwords, personal thoughts: lock them and stop thinking about who might pick up your phone.