If there’s one common thread across the entirety of the note-taking application ecosystem, it’s that said apps universally run off of a freemium business and pricing model. From Evernote to Notability, and from Obsidian to Notion, note-taking software is generally free to start with, while offering a plethora of in-app purchases and premium subscription tiers for those looking for more. Even free and open-source (FOSS) alternatives like Joplin optionally offer paid access to cloud storage.

Then, there’s Simplenote. To my surprise, the application — which is under the Automattic, Inc. umbrella of WordPress fame — is entirely free to download and install, with absolutely no strings attached. After spending some time with Simplenote, I came to appreciate its simplistic approach to note-taking, particularly in a world where competitors’ apps are going for maximalism at every turn.

Simplenote basks in simplicity

A no-frills approach to note-taking

Simplenote is true to its name in that it offers a truly no-thrills note-taking experience. It reminds me of Apple Notes from back in the day, back when the application was simpler and far leaner. There’s basic All Notes and Trash sections, there’s a compose button, and there’s a Settings pane — and that’s about it.

Through and through, Simplenote is well-designed. Its user interface fits right in with Apple’s own design language and UI principles, which is appreciated, and everything animates smoothly and organically. Despite its simplistic nature, there’s a fair bit here that makes the application manageable for all but the most hardcore of note-takers. Word and character counts are present, there’s a built-in search function (that integrates with Apple’s Spotlight Search), and you can pin important notes to the top of the screen.

A tagging system is also present, as is sorting order options, light and dark mode theming, a lock timeout picker, and, importantly, a native passcode and biometric authentication lock function. You can also quickly share a note or copy a link to it onto your clipboard, and you can view your edit history via a dedicated timeline interface.

These are all wonderful additions that make Simplenote feel like a well-rounded product, as opposed to being merely a digital sheet of paper. That being said, there’s a distinct lack of markdown tools on offer here — I’d have expected to see a basic selection of tools to work with, but all I have access to is a checkmarking system and not much else.

Even with this gripe in mind, I’m really fond of Simplenote, both in premise and execution. While heavier-duty note-taking apps certainly have their place on the market, I can’t help but feel many options out there are becoming cluttered and bogged down by feature creep and the introduction of artifical intelligence features. Simplenote is the antidote to this, offering up the bare essentials in a streamlined, lightweight package.

What keeps me coming back to Simplenote — aside from its broad compatibility across mobile devices and PCs — is the fact that it’s truly, genuinely free. There are no upsells, no advertisements, and, as far as I can tell, no trackers or the like. Sure, the app lacks the UI pizazz of Clear, or the whimsical nature of Napkin, but it gets all the fundamentals right, and does its job more than competently.

If Simplenote were to be updated with a more comprehensive set of markdown tools (bold, italics, underline, strike through, font styles, font sizes, etc.), then it’d be close to the perfect note-taking experience for me personally. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones, though there’s also such a thing as erring on the side of too simplistic. Simplenote gets extremely close to striking the ideal balance between form and function, and I hope to see it continue to receive updates for many years to come.