Apple Notes pricing
Free, included with Apple devices. Notes is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Syncing uses your iCloud storage, and iCloud+ storage plans start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB.
Prices checked on the Apple Notes site ↗ on 2026-11-15.
Apple Notes plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Notes | Free | Included with Mac, iPhone and iPad, and on the web at icloud.com |
| iCloud+ 50 GB | $0.99 per month | More iCloud storage for notes, photos and files |
| iCloud+ 200 GB | $2.99 per month | More iCloud storage, shareable with family |
| iCloud+ 2 TB | $9.99 per month | More iCloud storage, shareable with family |
- Notes itself costs nothing. It ships with macOS, iOS and iPadOS and works on the web at icloud.com
- iCloud+ storage plans listed on apple.com/icloud: 50 GB $0.99, 200 GB $2.99, 2 TB $9.99, 6 TB $29.99, 12 TB $59.99 per month
Is Apple Notes free?
Yes. Notes is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Syncing uses your iCloud storage, and iCloud+ storage plans start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB.
How much does Apple Notes cost?
Apple Notes pricing, plan by plan: Apple Notes: Free. iCloud+ 50 GB: $0.99 per month. iCloud+ 200 GB: $2.99 per month. iCloud+ 2 TB: $9.99 per month.
Is Apple Notes open source?
No. Apple Notes is not open source. License: Proprietary, included with Apple devices.
What platforms does Apple Notes run on?
Apple Notes is available for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Web (icloud.com). Notes are stored as: iCloud or on-device notes, with Markdown import, export and Copy as Markdown on the Mac.
Is Apple Notes worth paying for?
What you get
- Already installed on every Apple device, nothing to set up
- Drawings, audio recording with live transcripts, inline math, and attachments (per the Apple Notes User Guide)
- On the Mac you can import Markdown, export a note as Markdown, and use Edit > Copy as Markdown
- Optional end-to-end encryption for Notes with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
Limits to know before you pay
- No native app for Windows, Linux or Android; other devices use icloud.com in a browser
- Notes live in Apple's library, not as a folder of Markdown files, so other editors cannot open them directly
- No plugin system or linked-note graph
Apple Notes is a good fit if you use only Apple devices and want something that just works, or if you want quick notes, lists, sketches and audio with no extra cost, or if you only need Markdown occasionally, through export or Copy as Markdown.
Free alternatives to Apple Notes
These apps have a free app or a free plan. Prices come from each vendor's own site.
| App | Price | License | Notes stored as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian pricing | Free for personal use | Proprietary, free for personal use | Plain Markdown files on your device |
| Notion pricing | Free plan, paid from $10 per member per month | Proprietary SaaS | Notion cloud, block-based pages (Markdown import and export) |
| Logseq pricing | Free | Open source (AGPL-3.0) | Local Markdown or Org-mode files (outline format) |
| Joplin pricing | Free app, optional Joplin Cloud from 2.99 EUR per month | Open source | Local notes in an open format, synced to a service of your choice |
| Bear pricing | Free tier, Pro $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year | Proprietary | Bear app library, iCloud sync with Bear Pro |
| Zettlr pricing | Free | Open source (GPL-3.0) | Markdown files on disk |
See all Apple Notes alternatives compared on price, platforms and license.
Apple Notes compared with other apps
Every price on this page comes from Apple Notes's own website and was checked on 2026-11-15. Prices, plans and regional taxes change, so confirm on the official pricing page ↗ before buying. Markdown Tools is not affiliated with Apple Notes.