# iAnnotate 4 vs X

The clearest difference is review sentiment: X at 100% against iAnnotate 4's 52%. X also leads on price (Free vs $9.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). iAnnotate 4's advantage is ratings volume (8.9K vs 1) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

X is free to download; iAnnotate 4 costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

X holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iAnnotate 4 has 8.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of iAnnotate 4's written reviews are positive against 100% of X's.

iAnnotate 4 ships an update every 2 months, X monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iAnnotate 4 | X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (8.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iannotate-4-pdfs-and-more/id1093924230/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/x-notes-ai-study-notes/id6498873540/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8.9K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#125** | — |
| Size | 96 MB | 84 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Branchfire, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284975584) | [VanAnh Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1768719425) |

## What reviewers say

### iAnnotate 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iannotate-4-pdfs-and-more/id1093924230)

**Currently charting:** #125 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This app allows users to read, annotate, and share various document types including PDFs, Office files, images, and web pages. It offers a wide range of annotation tools, cloud storage integration, and advanced features for efficient document management and markup.

**Highlights:** Annotate PDFs, Office files, images, and web pages, Extensive annotation tools (pen, highlighter, typewriter, stamps), Cloud storage integration (Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive), Web page markup and PDF conversion, Multi-document tabbed interface, Side-by-side document viewing, Flatten annotations for secure sharing

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for annotations
- 🚀 Excellent for academic/professional use
- 🚀 Seamless Dropbox integration
- 👍 Customizable toolbars
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Inconsistent file management and syncing
- 🐛 Unreliable offline functionality
- 🐛 Clunky interface and navigation
- 🐛 Issues with Apple Pencil support

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing annotations
- Inability to open/save files offline
- Blurry text rendering after OCR
- Inconsistent page numbering
- Unreliable Dropbox/cloud syncing

**Requested features**

- Ability to copy/paste annotations
- Eraser tool improvements
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Dark mode option
- Improved search functionality


### X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/x-notes-ai-study-notes/id6498873540)

This AI-powered note-taking app helps students organize and access study materials across devices. It converts handwriting, speech, and images to text, and allows for lecture recording. Notes are kept private and secure within the Apple ecosystem.

**Highlights:** Handwriting to Text conversion, Speech to Text for lectures, Image to Text (OCR), Voice notes for lectures, iPad & Mac sync via iCloud, Private and secure note-taking

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iAnnotate 4 free?

iAnnotate 4 costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is X free?

X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iAnnotate 4 or X?

X is rated higher. iAnnotate 4 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 8.9K ratings, while X averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do iAnnotate 4 or X have ads?

Neither iAnnotate 4 nor X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iAnnotate 4 or X?

iAnnotate 4 ships an update every 2 months, and X monthly. Most recently, iAnnotate 4 was updated on October 27, 2026 and X on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*