Comparison

elsie vs Derive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

elsie

This app provides Curtin University students with a mobile portal to manage their academic life. Access your timetable, academic calendar, unit outlines, assessments, exams, and university news all in one place.

Highlights
  • Timetable access
  • Academic calendar
  • Unit outlines
  • Assessment and exam schedules
  • University news and events
  • Campus map
  • Teaching contact information
Features
Read full description

Elsie is an app for Curtin University students. It offers a mobile portal into your Curtin life, giving easy access to your timetable, academic calendar, unit outlines, assessments, exams, email, teaching contacts, news & events, a campus map and more. Our team is always working hard to add more features and support as many students as we can. Help us make Elsie even better by sending feedback in the app.

About

Derive

This app provides an infinite canvas for handwritten math and science notes. It uses AI to recognize your handwriting, offering a live tutor for step-by-step assistance directly within your notes. Organize your work into notebooks that sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for note-taking
  • Handwritten math recognition
  • Live AI tutor for step-by-step help
  • Notebook and page organization
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Light, dark, and sepia themes
Read full description

Derive Notes is a canvas-first note-taking app built for math, science, and engineering students. Write equations by hand with Apple Pencil, and let Derive understand what you wrote, so your notes do more than sit on the page. HANDWRITING THAT'S ACTUALLY UNDERSTOOD Draw on an infinite canvas the way you would on paper. Derive recognizes your handwritten math as you work, turning messy strokes into clean, structured expressions you can check, reuse, and build on. A TUTOR RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR WORK Stuck on a step? Open the tutor panel and get step-by-step help tied directly to what's on your canvas. It works alongside your handwriting instead of pulling you into a separate app. BUILT FOR REAL STUDY SESSIONS - Infinite canvas with smooth, low-latency inking - Pen, eraser, and lasso tools for fast editing - Organize your work into notebooks and pages - Two-finger tap to undo, pinch to zoom - Your notebooks sync securely across your devices DESIGNED FOR FOCUS A clean, distraction-free workspace with light, dark, sepia, and high-contrast themes, so long study sessions stay comfortable. Derive Notes keeps your handwriting at the center and adds just enough intelligence to make studying faster by recognizing your math, helping you through hard steps, and keeping every page organized and in sync. Note: Derive uses trusted third-party AI providers to process handwriting and page text for recognition and tutoring. You're asked for consent in-app before these features are used. DESIGNED FOR IPAD AND APPLE PENCIL Handwriting, drawing, and the full authoring tools require an iPad with Apple Pencil. On iPhone, Derive is a companion for reading and reviewing your notebooks: browse your library, open any page, search across everything, and ask the tutor. Notes you write on iPad appear on iPhone automatically. SUBSCRIPTION Derive Pro unlocks writing and editing, handwriting recognition, and the AI tutor. Every new account starts with a 7-day free trial, and a trial or subscription is required to use Derive. If a subscription later lapses, the notebooks you already made stay readable, so your own work is never locked away. - Derive Pro Monthly: A$9.99 per month - Derive Pro Annual: A$101.99 per year - Both start with a 7-day free trial Prices are in Australian dollars and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within the 24 hours before that period ends. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Derive Terms of Service: https://derivenotes.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://derivenotes.com/privacy

Screenshots

elsie4 screens
Derive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: elsie at none against Derive's 6. elsie also leads on iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). Derive's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Derive sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. elsie asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

elsie ships an update every 6 weeks, Derive every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
elsie versus Derive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterelsieDerive
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.1 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.0% of reviews — better29.4% of reviews
Number of ratings—21 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCurtin UniversityDerive Notes Pty Ltd

Customer experience

elsie

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative65.0%

Derive

All ratings21 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral35.3%
Negative35.3%

In-app purchases

None

elsie

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Derive

Subscriptions6
  • Derive Pro (Monthly, student)7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Derive Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Derive Pro (Monthly, invited)1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Derive Pro (Yearly, student)7 Days trial$75.001 Year
  • Derive Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$83.901 Year
  • Derive Pro (Annual, invited)1 Month trial$83.901 Year

Questions

Is elsie free?
elsie is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Derive free?
Derive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do elsie or Derive have ads?
Neither elsie nor Derive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, elsie or Derive?
elsie ships an update every 6 weeks, and Derive every 3 days. Most recently, elsie was updated on October 8, 2026 and Derive on October 15, 2026.

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