Comparison
Lyrcs vs Apple Notes
Writing your lyrics in Apple Notes? Here is what you gain by moving them to Lyrcs.
Also searched as Apple Notes, Notes app, iPhone Notes app, Mac Notes app, Apple Notes for lyrics, iOS Notes.
Apple Notes is where a lot of songs start. It is already on your iPhone and Mac, it opens instantly, and it gets out of the way. Lyrcs keeps everything you like about that, a fast, quiet, native place to type, and adds the things a plain notes app cannot do for a songwriter.
The table below lists every Lyrcs feature, explains what it means, and shows whether Apple Notes has it. Apple Notes is a great general notes app, so it shares the basics with Lyrcs: native on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, works offline, no account to set up, and no ads. What it does not do is help you write the words.
| Feature | Lyrcs | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | ||
| MacAvailable on Mac. | ||
| iPhone & iPadAvailable on iPhone and iPad. | ||
| AndroidAvailable on Android phones and tablets. | ||
| Optimized for each platformLyrcs is built for each platform it runs on, so the Mac app feels like a real Mac app and the iPhone and iPad apps feel right at home too, with all the niceties of each platform out of the box. | ||
| Works offlineWrite anywhere with no internet connection; everything you need is on your device. | ||
| No account requiredOpen the app and start writing right away. There is no sign-up, no login, and no account to create. | ||
| Syllable counting | ||
| Counts syllables for youSyllables are counted automatically and update as you type, so you never count on your fingers. | ||
| All counts, always shownEvery line shows its syllable count at all times, so you can see the shape of the whole song at a glance, rather than only the line your cursor is on. | ||
| Custom overridesTeach the counter how you pronounce a word when you disagree with it, and it remembers your choice everywhere. | ||
| Rhyme highlighting | ||
| Perfect rhymesWords that rhyme are given the same color the moment you type them, so rhyme schemes are visible at a glance. | ||
| End of line or any wordChoose whether highlighting only looks at the last word of each line, or considers every word on any line so internal rhymes light up too. | ||
| Group by section or fileDecide whether rhymes are matched within each section or across the whole file, so a chorus and a verse can be colored independently. | ||
| Highlight identical wordsOptionally mark repeated identical words so you can spot when you have leaned on the same word twice. | ||
| 20 distinct colorsTwenty separate rhyme colors mean even dense, multi-rhyme passages stay readable. | ||
| Color-blind friendlyThe rhyme colors are chosen to stay distinguishable for people with color blindness, so the rhyme scheme is still readable no matter how you see color. | ||
| Custom near rhymesTell Lyrcs that any two words rhyme, no matter how different they sound, like "home" and "alone", and it highlights them together from then on. | ||
| Rhyming dictionary | ||
| Search built inLook up rhymes for any word without leaving the editor, so you never open a browser mid-line. Lyrcs has the dictionary on every device, and it works offline. | ||
| Dictionary works offlineThe rhyming dictionary ships inside the app, so lookups work with no internet connection. | ||
| Common-words filterHide obscure entries and show only words people actually use. | ||
| Annotations | ||
| Mark sectionsLabel parts of the song, like [Verse] or [Chorus], and they are ignored by the syllable count and rhyme highlighting. | ||
| Specify chordsWrite chords inline above your words; they sit with the lyric without affecting the counts or colors. | ||
| Leave commentsDrop notes to yourself anywhere in the text that the editor treats as annotations, not lyrics. | ||
| Notes | ||
| Notes with each fileKeep a scratch pad attached to each song for alternate lines, ideas, or anything else, stored right alongside the lyric. | ||
| Real-time rhymes | ||
| Rhymes at your cursorAs you type, suggested rhymes for the whole word at the cursor appear in real time, right where you are writing. | ||
| Rhymes for any selectionHighlight any stretch of text and get live rhymes for exactly that, even part of a single word. Select just one syllable inside a longer word and you get rhymes for that syllable alone, not the whole word. | ||
| Plain text | ||
| Plain .txt filesYour songs are ordinary .txt files you can store locally or in iCloud and open in any other app. Your words stay yours, never trapped in an app's own format that locks you in if it ever stops working. | ||
| Distraction-free | ||
| No ads, everLyrcs has no ads. There is nothing competing with your words for your attention, and there never will be. | ||
Apps
- Mac
Available on Mac.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- iPhone & iPad
Available on iPhone and iPad.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Android
Available on Android phones and tablets.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Optimized for each platform
Lyrcs is built for each platform it runs on, so the Mac app feels like a real Mac app and the iPhone and iPad apps feel right at home too, with all the niceties of each platform out of the box.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Works offline
Write anywhere with no internet connection; everything you need is on your device.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- No account required
Open the app and start writing right away. There is no sign-up, no login, and no account to create.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Syllable counting
- Counts syllables for you
Syllables are counted automatically and update as you type, so you never count on your fingers.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- All counts, always shown
Every line shows its syllable count at all times, so you can see the shape of the whole song at a glance, rather than only the line your cursor is on.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Custom overrides
Teach the counter how you pronounce a word when you disagree with it, and it remembers your choice everywhere.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Rhyme highlighting
- Perfect rhymes
Words that rhyme are given the same color the moment you type them, so rhyme schemes are visible at a glance.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- End of line or any word
Choose whether highlighting only looks at the last word of each line, or considers every word on any line so internal rhymes light up too.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Group by section or file
Decide whether rhymes are matched within each section or across the whole file, so a chorus and a verse can be colored independently.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Highlight identical words
Optionally mark repeated identical words so you can spot when you have leaned on the same word twice.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- 20 distinct colors
Twenty separate rhyme colors mean even dense, multi-rhyme passages stay readable.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Color-blind friendly
The rhyme colors are chosen to stay distinguishable for people with color blindness, so the rhyme scheme is still readable no matter how you see color.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Custom near rhymes
Tell Lyrcs that any two words rhyme, no matter how different they sound, like "home" and "alone", and it highlights them together from then on.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Rhyming dictionary
- Search built in
Look up rhymes for any word without leaving the editor, so you never open a browser mid-line. Lyrcs has the dictionary on every device, and it works offline.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Dictionary works offline
The rhyming dictionary ships inside the app, so lookups work with no internet connection.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Common-words filter
Hide obscure entries and show only words people actually use.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Annotations
- Mark sections
Label parts of the song, like [Verse] or [Chorus], and they are ignored by the syllable count and rhyme highlighting.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Specify chords
Write chords inline above your words; they sit with the lyric without affecting the counts or colors.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Leave comments
Drop notes to yourself anywhere in the text that the editor treats as annotations, not lyrics.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Notes
- Notes with each file
Keep a scratch pad attached to each song for alternate lines, ideas, or anything else, stored right alongside the lyric.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Real-time rhymes
- Rhymes at your cursor
As you type, suggested rhymes for the whole word at the cursor appear in real time, right where you are writing.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
- Rhymes for any selection
Highlight any stretch of text and get live rhymes for exactly that, even part of a single word. Select just one syllable inside a longer word and you get rhymes for that syllable alone, not the whole word.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Plain text
- Plain .txt files
Your songs are ordinary .txt files you can store locally or in iCloud and open in any other app. Your words stay yours, never trapped in an app's own format that locks you in if it ever stops working.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Distraction-free
- No ads, ever
Lyrcs has no ads. There is nothing competing with your words for your attention, and there never will be.
- Lyrcs
- Apple Notes
Looking for a Apple Notes alternative?
If you write lyrics in Apple Notes, Lyrcs is the natural next step. It feels just as immediate, a real Mac, iPhone, and iPad app that opens to a blank page with no sign-in, works offline, and shows no ads, so nothing about the habit changes. The difference is what happens as you type: Lyrcs counts the syllables on every line, highlights every rhyme, suggests rhymes for the word or part of a word at your cursor, lets you teach it your own near rhymes, and gives you a built-in rhyming dictionary.
It also understands a song. You can mark sections and chords as annotations that the syllable count and rhyme colors ignore, and keep notes and alternate lines beside each song. In Apple Notes all of that is just text you have to track in your head.
And your words stay yours: every Lyrcs song is a plain .txt file you can open, back up, and edit anywhere, rather than a note locked inside Apple's format. The easiest way to see the difference is to open Lyrcs on iPhone, iPad, or Mac and watch the syllables count and the rhymes light up as you type.
What Lyrcs adds
The features below are in Lyrcs but not in Apple Notes. Here is what each one does.
Counts syllables for you
Syllables are counted automatically and update as you type, so you never count on your fingers.
All counts, always shown
Every line shows its syllable count at all times, so you can see the shape of the whole song at a glance, rather than only the line your cursor is on.
Custom overrides
Teach the counter how you pronounce a word when you disagree with it, and it remembers your choice everywhere.
Perfect rhymes
Words that rhyme are given the same color the moment you type them, so rhyme schemes are visible at a glance.
End of line or any word
Choose whether highlighting only looks at the last word of each line, or considers every word on any line so internal rhymes light up too.
Group by section or file
Decide whether rhymes are matched within each section or across the whole file, so a chorus and a verse can be colored independently.
Highlight identical words
Optionally mark repeated identical words so you can spot when you have leaned on the same word twice.
20 distinct colors
Twenty separate rhyme colors mean even dense, multi-rhyme passages stay readable.
Color-blind friendly
The rhyme colors are chosen to stay distinguishable for people with color blindness, so the rhyme scheme is still readable no matter how you see color.
Custom near rhymes
Tell Lyrcs that any two words rhyme, no matter how different they sound, like "home" and "alone", and it highlights them together from then on.
Search built in
Look up rhymes for any word without leaving the editor, so you never open a browser mid-line. Lyrcs has the dictionary on every device, and it works offline.
Dictionary works offline
The rhyming dictionary ships inside the app, so lookups work with no internet connection.
Common-words filter
Hide obscure entries and show only words people actually use.
Mark sections
Label parts of the song, like [Verse] or [Chorus], and they are ignored by the syllable count and rhyme highlighting.
Specify chords
Write chords inline above your words; they sit with the lyric without affecting the counts or colors.
Leave comments
Drop notes to yourself anywhere in the text that the editor treats as annotations, not lyrics.
Notes with each file
Keep a scratch pad attached to each song for alternate lines, ideas, or anything else, stored right alongside the lyric.
Rhymes at your cursor
As you type, suggested rhymes for the whole word at the cursor appear in real time, right where you are writing.
Rhymes for any selection
Highlight any stretch of text and get live rhymes for exactly that, even part of a single word. Select just one syllable inside a longer word and you get rhymes for that syllable alone, not the whole word.
Plain .txt files
Your songs are ordinary .txt files you can store locally or in iCloud and open in any other app. Your words stay yours, never trapped in an app's own format that locks you in if it ever stops working.
Your files stay yours
Every Lyrcs song is an ordinary .txt file. You can keep it in iCloud or on your device, back it up, email it, and open it in any other text editor on any platform. Nothing about your words is trapped inside the app.
Apple Notes stores your lyrics in its own format, so they can only be opened in Apple Notes. If it ever shuts down, stops being updated, or you simply want to move on, getting your own words out is a problem. With plain text, that can never happen to you.
Lyrcs vs Apple Notes: frequently asked questions
Is Apple Notes good for writing song lyrics?
Apple Notes is fine for jotting lyrics down, since it is fast, native, and always on your iPhone and Mac. But it is a general notes app: it does not count syllables, highlight rhymes, suggest rhymes, or understand song sections. A dedicated lyrics editor like Lyrcs keeps the same instant, distraction-free feel and adds all of that.
What is a better app than Apple Notes for songwriting?
Lyrcs is built for exactly the job Apple Notes is not: writing lyrics. It counts syllables on every line, highlights rhymes as you type, suggests rhymes at your cursor, supports your own near rhymes, and has a built-in rhyming dictionary, while staying a fast, native Mac, iPhone, and iPad app that works offline with no account.
Can I keep writing the way I do in Apple Notes?
Yes. Lyrcs is just as quick and quiet as Apple Notes: it opens to a blank page, needs no sign-in, works offline, and has no ads. You only gain features, you do not give up the simplicity.
Will my lyrics be plain text like a note?
They will be even more portable. Apple Notes keeps notes in Apple's own format. Lyrcs saves every song as an ordinary .txt file you can open, back up, and edit in any other app on any platform, so your words are never locked in.
Try Lyrcs
Counts every syllable and lights up every rhyme, so you can create your best lines. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac.