Tags vs Notes

Question

Coming from decades of Quicken Deluxe and getting Simplifi set up for the New Year.  Help me understand the difference between Tags and Notes and how they might be used differently. I've always used Notes so they make sense but it seem that will simplifi I can search Notes the same as Tags so I don't understand the difference or why there is both…. Thanks and Happy New Year!

rosachin21k · Accepted Answer

You can use tags in reports. You cannot use notes in reports. For eg: I have two cars (can apply to two kids too). I create tags for the two cars named Honda and Ford. In reports I can then see how much I spend on the Ford and how much on the Honda by using the tags. With notes you cannot do that. Notes are more like notes to self on a transaction. They show up in search like you said but cannot be used in reports.

SRC54 · Accepted Answer

As @rosachin21k says about reports, that is an important difference.

I use tags the way he does with our cars.  I also use them to sort possessions in my asset account.  I can use tags to clump a bunch of disparate expenses together to get an idea on how much a project cost.  A vacation to the Grand Canyon could be tagged Grand Canyon, but would include gasoline, lodging, sightseeing tours, restaurants, etc.

I didn't use them at all in Quicken Classic until I got to Simplifi where I used them originally to take the place of sub:categories.  After Simplifi adopted third level categories, I began using them more the way they are intended.

Tags usually need to be kept rather short, and can be edited/renamed in Settings.  Notes are much more individualized and much more detailed, and ad hoc.  They are for when you need a longer description of what an expense entailed.

1/1/2026 Mavis Tire. $1000 Category: Automobile: Maintenance Tag: 2021 Honda HRV Note:  4 Michelin Defender 2 215/55R17/XL 98V.

DryHeat · Accepted Answer

Notes can be missed by a search because of misspellings or just different workding. Using Tags promotes uniformity.