# ADoor vs Apple Notes

Apple Notes is the notes app built into Apple devices, synced with iCloud and shareable with other people. ADoor, your data account, keeps lists you, the people you choose and assistants like ChatGPT read and update, on any device.

## Where ADoor stands out

### An assistant can use it

Apple's developer forums say there's no public API for the Notes app. ADoor's MCP server works in ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor with a sign-in.

### Share part of a list

Apple Notes shares whole notes. In ADoor you can share a list without one field, or let someone add but not delete.

### Works on Android and Windows

ADoor works through any assistant that connects, on any device.

## The products

### Apple Notes

Apple Notes is free on Apple devices, with shared notes and folders.

Sharing
: Collaborate on shared notes

Developer access
: No public API

Plans
: Free; uses iCloud storage, 5 GB free

### ADoor

ADoor is your data account. You keep lists and tables in a workspace you own, personal or team: a reading list, an incident log, a list of customers. Describe what you want to keep track of and it's set up for you, with real Postgres underneath. Every person, app, assistant, device and job gets its own access.

Assistants
: ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor connect through MCP with a sign-in.

Apps and scripts
: An HTTP API with keys, running the same actions assistants use

Access
: Per space, list or field, or just the entries where a field equals a value you choose. Reading, adding, editing and deleting entries, and changing a list's fields, are separate permissions. An assistant never gets more than the person who connected it.

Approvals
: Agents ask for more access and you approve or deny. A new device signs in only after you approve it and choose its access.

CI jobs
: GitHub Actions signs in with short-lived access, 15 minutes by default and up to 30 days, with no stored secret.

Revoking
: Takes effect on the next request. What was already saved stays.

History
: A history of changes, with who made each one and the before and after

Underneath
: Standard Postgres

Plans
: Free for 3 tables and 100 rows. Pro is $10 a month per workspace, with 1 GB of storage.

## Pricing

| | ADoor | Apple Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | 3 tables and 100 rows, with a few MB of storage | Free, using iCloud storage |
| Paid plans | Pro: $10 a month per workspace, 1 GB of storage, no per-GB charges | iCloud+ for more storage, from $0.99 a month |

## Latency

| | ADoor | Apple Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Published figure | Not published | Not published |

ADoor doesn't publish a latency figure, and Apple Notes doesn't publish one we could find. Speed depends on your network and on what you ask for.

## Connectors and API

| | ADoor | Apple Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MCP server | Hosted, with OAuth sign-in. ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor. | Not published |
| HTTP API | HTTP API with keys: read, add, edit, delete, and change lists and fields | No public API |
| SQL access | Standard Postgres SQL through MCP and the API, within your access | No |
| Access per agent | Its own access per assistant, app, device and job, down to specific fields, or just the entries that match a value you choose | Not published |
| OAuth or tokens | OAuth for assistants, keys for apps, short-lived sign-in for GitHub Actions | Not published |
| SDKs | Coming soon | Not published |
| Webhooks | No | Not published |
| Import and export | Export to CSV or JSON. Import by attaching CSV or JSON in an assistant. | Not published |

ADoor has no sync connectors and no file storage.

## Which one should you use?

### Use Apple Notes when

you want quick notes on your iPhone and Mac with nothing to set up.

- **Built in.** Notes comes with every Apple device.
- **Shared notes.** Collaborate with family on a note.
- **Free.** No account beyond your Apple ID.

### Use ADoor when

the note is really a list you keep updating, and an assistant or another person should help.

**Technical**
- A Shortcut on your phone posts each expense to an add-only list through the ADoor API.
- A Cursor agent reads your Home projects list and updates status.
- A Cursor agent reads your Recipes list to build a weekly shopping list, without access to anything else.

**Personal**
- Foods your toddler has tried and how they reacted, shared with the nanny, who adds entries.
- Neighbours' contacts and who has your spare key. Your partner edits too.

**Team**
- A volunteer group's Rota list where volunteers add themselves and the coordinator edits.
- A history of changes shows who swapped which shift.
- A sports club keeps a Kit list: coaches edit, parents read, and the history of changes shows who borrowed what.

**Business**
- A small shop keeps suppliers in one list, and the part-time manager sees only Orders.
- A temporary worker's access is revoked on their last day.
- A cleaning company's staff each see only the jobs with their name for the day, from ChatGPT on their phones.

## Questions people ask

### Can ADoor read my Apple Notes?

No. Copy the parts you want to track into an assistant like ChatGPT and ask it to create a list.

### Does ADoor work on Android?

Yes.

### Which assistants work with ADoor?

ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor connect through MCP with a sign-in. You approve each one and choose what it can reach.

## Start

[Get your account](https://app.adoor.halmoslabs.com/signup)

## More comparisons

- [ADoor vs iCloud Drive](/compare/adoor-vs-icloud/)
- [ADoor vs Obsidian](/compare/adoor-vs-obsidian/)
- [ADoor vs Notion](/compare/adoor-vs-notion/)
- [All comparisons](/compare/)

Checked October 20, 2026. Sources: [Share notes](https://support.apple.com/guide/notes/collaborate-on-a-shared-note-apd29a3aed1c/mac), [Apple developer forums](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/840990), [iCloud+ plans](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108047).