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Google Keep is the default note-and-reminder app for millions of people, mostly because it is already there. NotesnChat is a newer all-in-one app that covers the same ground and adds tasks, document scanning and chat. Both have free plans. So which one should you actually use?
Short version: if you want colour-coded sticky notes and one-off reminders and nothing more, Keep is fine and free forever. If you need recurring reminders, real task management, document scanning or any kind of collaboration, Keep will stop you cold and NotesnChat will not. Here is the detailed breakdown. For the wider field, see our roundup of the best free reminder apps.
| Feature | NotesnChat | Google Keep |
|---|---|---|
| One-off reminders | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring reminders | Yes | No |
| Task lists and tracking | Yes, structured | Checkbox notes only |
| Rich notes (text, image, audio) | Yes | Text, image, audio |
| Document scanning | Yes, built in | No (needs Google Drive) |
| In-app chat | Yes, unlimited free | No |
| Voice and video calls | Yes, unlimited free | No |
| Per-note privacy lock | Yes (Ghost Lock) | No |
| Location reminders | No | Yes |
| Folders / organisation | Unlimited folders | Labels and colours |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Free plan limits | 5 tasks, 10 notes, 5 scans | Effectively unlimited |
| Paid plan | From $1.99/mo | None |
This is Keep’s strongest argument. There is no premium tier, no note limit, no upsell. If your needs are simple, you will never pay a cent and never hit a wall.
Keep can remind you when you arrive somewhere – “buy milk when I get to the supermarket”. NotesnChat does not currently offer location triggers, and for grocery-list users that is a real advantage.
Keep notes appear in the Google Docs sidebar, sync with your Google account instantly, and surface in Google search results across your Workspace. If you live in Gmail and Docs all day, that is convenient.
Open, type, done. There is nothing to configure.
Google Keep has never supported repeating reminders. Every single reminder is a one-off. That means no “every Monday at 9am”, no monthly rent reminder, no weekly report nudge. You have to recreate each one manually, forever. NotesnChat handles recurring schedules natively, which for most people is the deciding factor.
Keep gives you checkboxes inside a note. NotesnChat gives you actual task lists with due dates, reminders and folder organisation, so a project with fifteen steps does not turn into one enormous sticky note.
Keep can attach a photo. NotesnChat has a proper File Scan feature that turns a photo of a document into a clean, cropped, shareable file – then lets you attach it to a task and set a reminder about it. With Keep you would need Google Drive’s scanner and then manually link things up.
This is the feature Keep has no answer to. NotesnChat includes unlimited in-app chat, groups, and unlimited voice and video calls on the free plan. If you are coordinating with a partner, a study group or a small team, you are not bouncing between Keep and WhatsApp.
Keep notes sit in your Google account with no per-note protection – anyone with your unlocked phone can read everything. NotesnChat encrypts your data and Ghost Lock puts individual notes and tasks behind an additional privacy layer.
Keep is unlimited but shallow. NotesnChat is deeper but its free plan caps you at 5 tasks, 10 notes and 5 scans per month. If you are a light user who needs recurring reminders, that cap may pinch – the Lite plan at $1.99/month lifts it to 100 tasks and 150 notes, which is still cheaper than every competitor’s paid tier.
No. Google Keep only supports one-off reminders. Every reminder must be recreated manually, and there is no way to set a repeating schedule such as every Monday at 9am. NotesnChat, Microsoft To Do and TickTick all support recurring reminders.
Yes, particularly if you need recurring reminders, structured task lists, document scanning or collaboration. NotesnChat covers everything Keep does except location-based reminders, and adds tasks, scanning, chat and per-note privacy locks.
NotesnChat has a free plan that includes 5 tasks, 10 notes, 5 scans, unlimited folders, unlimited chat and groups, unlimited voice and video calls, and full web access. Google Keep is free with no caps but far fewer features. NotesnChat paid plans start at $1.99 per month.
NotesnChat encrypts your notes, files, reminders and chats, and its Ghost Lock feature adds a privacy lock to individual notes and tasks. Google Keep offers no per-note locking, so anyone with access to your unlocked device or Google account can read every note.
There is no automatic importer today. The practical approach is to export or open Keep on the web, copy across the notes you actually use, and organise them into NotesnChat folders. Most people find this is a good opportunity to delete the majority of old notes.
Recurring reminders, document scanning, privacy locks and built-in chat – free on iOS, Android and web.