Compare · Apple Notes
Zimoma or Apple Notes?
Apple Notes comes with your iPhone and does the basics beautifully. Zimoma is for when your notes start to hold plans, lists and other people too. Here’s an honest look at both.
Kyoto, day three
Up early for Fushimi Inari before the crowds. Lunch at Nishiki market, then a slow walk through Gion.
- Matcha at Ippodo
- Book Omen for Friday
- Buy a rail pass
Checklist turned into to-dos 3
The short answer
Which one suits you
Both are good apps. They’re good at different things, and the right one depends on how you work.
Choose Zimoma if…
- You want tasks, daily notes and a calendar in the same app as your notes.
- You keep structured lists, like a reading list or a client list, as a table or a board.
- You share with people who should comment, but not change a word.
- You want to publish a note as a web page, with a password or an expiry date.
- You’d like paper and themes: ruled, grid or dotted, in the colours you choose.
Choose Apple Notes if…
- You want an app that’s already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, with nothing extra to sign up for or pay.
- You need your notes on a Mac today, or in a browser at iCloud.com. Zimoma’s Mac app is still being built.
- You lock private notes with Face ID, Touch ID or a password.
- You write by hand a lot, or want maths that solves itself as you write.
- Everyone you share with already has an Apple Account.
Side by side
Feature by feature
Only things we could check on both sides. What Apple Notes does is as Apple’s own guides describe it.
| Feature | Zimoma | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | ||
| iPhone and iPad | iPad is in the beta builds | |
| Mac | Being built | |
| Windows and Android | Being built | In a browserAt iCloud.com |
| Where notes are kept | In your Zimoma accountOn Zimoma’s server, not iCloud | In iCloud, or on the device |
| Writing | ||
| Checklists, tables, headings and dividers | ||
| Fold a section away | Toggles | Collapse the section under a heading |
| Links between notes | ||
| Scan a document | ||
| Record your voice and get it written down | AI can pick out the to-dos | Live transcripts on iPhone 12 and later |
| Drawing | Pen ink on a whiteboardAnd Apple Pencil on iPad | Drawing and handwriting in any note |
| Maths | Formulas written in LaTeX | Solves equations and draws graphs as you write |
| Lock a note | — | Face ID, Touch ID, your passcode or a password |
| Organising | ||
| Folders and tags | ||
| Recently deleted | Kept 30 days | Kept 30 days |
| Together | ||
| Edit together, live | A note or a space | A note or a folder |
| What people you share with can do | Can edit · Can comment · Can view | Edit · View and download only |
| Mention someone | ||
| AI | ||
| Writing help | Improve, shorten, change the tone, summarise20 AI actions a month free, 500 on Pro | Writing ToolsWith Apple Intelligence, on iPhone 15 Pro and later |
| Your notes | ||
| Export | Markdown, plain text, PDF or HTML | Markdown or PDF, or open in Pages |
| Import files | Markdown, text, HTML and PDF | Markdown, text, RTF, HTML and Evernote filesIn Notes on a Mac |
Checked October 2026, against Apple’s Notes guides for iPhone and Mac and its iCloud guide on support.apple.com. Apps change: if something here is out of date, write to support@zimoma.com and we’ll fix it.
- M12
- T13
- W14
- T15
- F16
- S17
- S18
- Book the ryokan9:00
- Send Rhea the revised design15:00
- Water the plantsEvery Wednesday
Reading list
Kyoto, where to eat
A short list for anyone visiting this autumn. Book Omen a week ahead.
zimoma.com/p/kyoto-eatsPassword · Expires 30 November · 42 views
Where Zimoma is different
Notes that plan, sort and publish
Three things Zimoma does in the same app as your notes.
And more
A few more things in Zimoma
Can comment
Let people read a note and leave comments, without changing a word.
Paper and themes
Plain, ruled, grid or dotted paper, with pens, highlighters, washi tape and stickers.
Ask your notes
Ask a question and get an answer from what you wrote, with links to the notes it came from.
Switching
Bring your notes from Apple Notes
Zimoma reads the files Apple Notes exports. Nothing is changed or deleted in Apple Notes.
- Export from Apple NotesOpen a note, open its menu and choose Export as Markdown. On a Mac, choose File › Export To. Save the files to a folder.
- Import into ZimomaGo to Settings › Import from Apple Notes › Import exported files, and pick the files or the whole folder.
- Choose how they arriveKeep folder names, turn checklists into to-dos and skip duplicates. Locked notes can’t be exported, so remove the lock first.
Questions
Before you switch
Is Zimoma free, like Apple Notes?
Zimoma has a free plan with notes, checklists, voice notes and scans, reminders, the calendar, sharing and 20 AI actions a month, in 250 MB of room. Pro is $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year. Apple Notes comes with your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Can I use Zimoma on my Mac?
Not yet. Zimoma is in beta on iPhone, and iPad is in the beta builds too. Apps for Mac, Windows and Android are being built.
Will importing change anything in Apple Notes?
No. Zimoma reads the files you export from Apple Notes. Nothing is changed or deleted there.
Are my notes kept in iCloud?
No. Zimoma keeps your notes in your Zimoma account, on Zimoma’s server, so they appear on every device you sign in to. They work offline and upload when you’re back online.
Can I lock a note in Zimoma?
Not today. If you keep notes locked with Face ID or a password in Apple Notes, they can stay there while you use Zimoma for the rest.
Can people without an iPhone read my notes?
Yes, if you publish a note: it becomes a read-only web page at zimoma.com/p/ that opens in any browser. To edit together, everyone needs Zimoma, which is on iPhone and iPad for now.
The waitlist
Note it now.
Zimoma is in beta on iPhone and on its way to the App Store. Leave your email and we’ll write when there’s a place for you.