Benchpad vs Simplenote

The problem: An infinite pile of plain text

Simplenote is arguably the most honest free notes app on the internet. It offers plain text, it runs on every platform, and there is no premium upsell.

But it has a fundamental structural problem: it is an infinite pile.

When you capture a new thought, you create a new note. Because it only supports plain text, you cannot use headings to build a structured document. You cannot add checkboxes. You cannot format a table.

Instead, you just end up creating hundreds of near-identical, unformatted text files. The only way to find anything is to scroll and search. Both Simplenote and Benchpad agree that note-taking shouldn't feel like work. But Simplenote believes the work comes from formatting, so it removes all formatting.

The reality is that the work comes from accumulation. When you have 500 plain text notes in a single column, your notes app feels like an untidy junk drawer.

The solution: Stop the pile from forming

Benchpad replaces the infinite pile with three named pads and a real editor. We built a very sharp, very fast knife.

You cannot create a fourth pad. By enforcing a hard limit of three, Benchpad forces you to clear out old notes when a project is done, ensuring the pile never forms in the first place.

Benchpad — three pads instead of one undifferentiated pile of notes

The honest comparison

Feature	Simplenote	Benchpad
Model	Unlimited plain-text notes + tags	Three named pads with markdown headings
When notes pile up	Search the pile	Clear what's done; keep what matters
Editor	Plain text with markdown preview	Block editor (tasks, tables, code, images)
Offline	Caches notes	Offline-first (loads from device every open)
Conflicts	Version history to recover from	CRDT merge (nothing to recover)
Pricing	Free (Automattic)	Free 1-pad tier; $20/year Pro
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Web	Native iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web
Business model	A free product of a large company	The subscription is the business

When you should use Simplenote

Simplenote is free, genuinely unlimited, and available on every platform. Because it is strictly plain text, your notes have total portability. The version history is excellent, and the sync engine has been fast and reliable for years.

If your notes are incredibly short, entirely text-only, and you absolutely never want to pay for software, Simplenote is a completely reasonable answer. We won't try to talk you out of it.

When to switch to Benchpad

Tables, task lists, code blocks, images — blocks Simplenote doesn't have

Structure without folders. Simplenote's answer to growth is to add tags and search over a list that only lengthens. Benchpad's answer is three pads you clear out. The surface stays small because finished work leaves, not because you filed it in a folder.

A real editor. Plain text is portable, but it's also a hard ceiling. Benchpad gives you task lists you can tap, markdown tables, syntax-highlighted code blocks, images, file attachments, and multi-column layouts.

Offline as architecture, not caching. Benchpad loads directly from your device on every open, and merges concurrent offline edits perfectly at the character level. No data is lost.

A reason to exist in ten years. Free tools depend on a corporate sponsor's continued interest, and the note-app graveyard is full of them. Simplenote is a free side product maintained by a large company, but it is not a business. Benchpad's $20/year is the entire business model.

Test which problem you have

Both apps believe notes shouldn't be work. They disagree about where the work comes from. Simplenote says it comes from formatting. Benchpad says it comes from accumulation.

Open Simplenote and count how many different notes you have actually opened in the last month. If the number you opened is small, but the total list is hundreds of notes long, you have a pile problem.

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Related: What is a scratchpad app? · The minimalist notes app · Benchpad vs Google Keep