What People Love About Apple Notes
Before we get into where Start Page HQ goes further, credit where it's due.
- A genuinely free, polished native experience on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
- iCloud sync that just works between Apple devices with no setup.
- A surprisingly capable feature set — folders, tags, sketches, scanned documents, locked notes.
- Tight integration with the rest of macOS and iOS (Share Sheet, Siri, Spotlight).
- Deep search that includes handwritten and scanned-document text.
Where Start Page HQ Goes Further
Specific differences, not vague claims.
Works on Every Browser, Not Just Apple Devices
Apple Notes is great if your whole life is Apple. The moment you touch Windows, Linux, Android, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, Apple Notes becomes painful. Start Page HQ runs everywhere — including Safari on every Apple device.
A New Tab Dashboard, Not a Separate App
Apple Notes opens as its own app. Start Page HQ lives on every new tab, so capture and review happen in your existing browser flow with zero context switch.
50+ Widgets, Not Just Notes
Apple Notes is a notes app. Start Page HQ ships notes alongside tasks, RSS, weather, podcasts, AI tools, dev utilities, and many more — all included in one plan.
Multi-Page Dashboards by Context
Build separate pages for Work, Personal, News, and Tools. Switch with a click. Apple Notes has folders; Start Page HQ has full new-tab dashboards.
No iCloud or Apple ID Required
Sign in with email or Google. Your data is portable across browsers and devices regardless of which OS or ecosystem you're using today.
AI and Productivity Widgets Built In
AI image generation, translation, instant answers, news summaries, Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, currency converter — none of these exist in Apple Notes.
Side-by-Side Comparison
An honest line-by-line look at how the two stack up.
| Feature | Apple Notes | Start Page HQ |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free with Apple ID | $25/yr or $49 lifetime |
| Free tier | Yes (full app) | Free demo only |
| macOS native | Yes | Web app + Safari extension |
| iOS / iPadOS native | Yes | Web app (PWA) |
| Windows | No | Yes |
| Linux | No | Yes |
| Android | No | Yes |
| Chrome | iCloud.com only | Yes |
| Firefox | iCloud.com only | Yes |
| Safari | iCloud.com only | Yes |
| Edge | iCloud.com only | Yes |
| Lives on every new tab | No | Yes |
| Cross-device sync | iCloud (Apple only) | Any device |
| Multi-page dashboards | No | Yes |
| Kanban tasks | No | Yes |
| Markdown editor | No | Yes |
| RSS / podcasts / Hacker News | No | Yes |
| AI tools | No | Included |
| Developer tools (JSON, regex, diff) | No | Yes |
| Document scanning / sketches | Yes | No |
Widgets That Replace Apple Notes
Drop these onto your dashboard and you've covered Apple Notes's core features — plus a lot more.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a free public demo at startpagehq.com/demo where you can try every widget without signing up. Full access requires a paid plan: $25/year or $49 one-time. Both plans include all 50+ widgets, cross-device sync, and AI credits — across every operating system, not just Apple.
Yes — and many users keep both. Apple Notes is a strong long-term archive on Apple devices; Start Page HQ is the dashboard you see on every new tab and the only option once you're outside the Apple ecosystem.
Yes. Sync is built into the base price and works across every browser and OS. Sign in once and your notes, todos, and dashboards travel with you to Windows, Linux, Android, and any browser.
There is no automated importer. Most users export critical notes from Apple Notes and paste them into Start Page HQ Notes, or keep Apple Notes as the long-term archive and use Start Page HQ for what's active today.
There is no native iOS app, but the hosted web app at startpagehq.com works in Safari and any other iOS browser. You can install it as a PWA from the Share menu for an app-like experience.
No. If those are core to your workflow, Apple Notes is still better at those specific features. Start Page HQ focuses on quick capture, dashboards, and a wide widget set instead.