Compare
Nested List vs Apple Notes
Apple Notes is a very good notes app, and it comes with your phone. Nested List is for the moment your notes turn into to-dos, plans and a journal — and you would rather keep all of that in one list than across four apps.
Choose Apple Notes if…
- You mostly want quick notes and the odd checklist.
- You are all-Apple and want nothing to sign up for.
- You share notes with family or a partner.
- You draw, handwrite or scan documents.
Choose Nested List if…
- Notes, to-dos and plans belong together for you.
- You plan your day with a timeline, next to your calendar.
- You keep a daily journal and want it beside everything else.
- You want the same item in two places without copying it.
- You use a Windows or Android device as well.
Side by side.
Plain questions, honest answers. As of September 2026; both tools keep changing.
| Question | Nested List | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ready to use without setup? | Type your first line. | Built into the device. |
| Notes and to-dos in one list? | Any line can be a note, a task, or both. | Checklists inside a note; no view of tasks across notes. |
| Plan your day on a timeline? | A Today page with a timeline; drag tasks onto it. | No day view. Reminders and Calendar are separate apps. |
| A daily journal built in? | One shortcut opens today’s entry. | Journaling lives in a separate Apple app. |
| Put things under things, endlessly? | Nest to any depth; open any line as a page. | Folders and sub-folders; indents inside a note. |
| The same item in two places? | One item, many places; edit it anywhere. | Copies only. |
| Links between notes? | Type [[ to link; every item shows what links back. | Note links; no backlinks. |
| Find text inside photos and PDFs? | PDF text is indexed; image descriptions are optional. | Searches text in images and scans. |
| Works offline? | Everything is on your device; changes sync later. | Offline, with iCloud sync. |
| On your phone and laptop? | Any modern browser; installable on both. | Apple devices; a basic web version on iCloud.com. |
| Get everything out? | One backup file, or a folder of Markdown. | PDF export per note; no full export. |
| Share and collaborate? | Single-user for now. | Shared notes and folders. |
Where Apple Notes shines
- It is already on every Apple device you own, with nothing to sign up for.
- Sharing a note or a folder with someone takes one tap.
- Handwriting, drawing, document scanning and Siri capture.
- Deep integration with Mail, Safari, Photos and the rest of the system.
Where Nested List shines
- One list holds the notes, the to-dos, the plan and the journal.
- A Today page with a timeline, and your Google Calendar beside it.
- Nesting to any depth, and any line opens as its own page.
- The same item in two places, edited once.
- Works in any browser, so Windows and Android are welcome.
Switching
There is no Apple Notes importer yet. Copy the text of a note and paste it into Nested List — each line becomes its own item. Photos can be dragged in one by one. Everything you put in can leave again as a backup file or a folder of Markdown.
Everything on your mind, in one place.
Open Nested List, type your first line, and put the next thought under it. That is the whole setup.