DeNotes vs Apple Notes
Apple Notes is excellent and free if you live entirely on Apple devices. DeNotes is for people who want Markdown, want their notes readable as files, or use more than one kind of device.
What Apple Notes does well
Apple Notes is already on the device, costs nothing, and syncs through iCloud without a thought. Handwriting, scanning, sketching and the shared-note flow are all well built, and locked notes are end-to-end encrypted. For an all-Apple household it is a genuinely good default.
Where DeNotes is different
The differences are format and reach. Apple Notes stores rich text in its own database, so a note is something you view through Apple software rather than a file you can open elsewhere. DeNotes writes Markdown files into your Google Drive, which means any editor on any platform can read them. DeNotes also runs anywhere there is a browser, including Windows, Android and Linux, and adds structure Apple Notes does not have: notes attach to goals, and folders nest without limit.
Should you use DeNotes or Apple Notes?
Choose Apple Notes
Choose Apple Notes if every device you own is made by Apple, you want handwriting and document scanning, and rich text suits you better than Markdown.
Choose DeNotes
Choose DeNotes if you write in Markdown, use more than one platform, or want your notes to exist as files you can open without any particular company involved.