Comparison

PaintNotes vs CatCarpPaper

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

Head to head
About

PaintNotes

This app offers a minimalist digital notebook with an infinite canvas for freeform writing and drawing. Easily import files and organize your thoughts without delay.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas
  • Freeform writing and drawing
  • File import
  • Minimalist interface
  • Unlimited drafts
Read full description

The PaintNote are simple, freely written notebooks. The minimalist interface and simple features make it easier to use. Start to write without any waiting. Unlimited draft paper, free to move, zoom and position. You can import files in a variety of formats.

About

CatCarpPaper

This app offers a digital solution for those who prefer the feel of paper for note-taking. It provides a variety of templates for different uses, from calligraphy practice to scheduling, all printable on A4 paper. Easily save and organize your notes digitally.

Highlights
  • Printable A4 templates
  • Calligraphy practice sheets
  • Note-taking templates
  • Schedule management templates
  • Digital saving and organization
Features
Read full description

Although mobile phones, Pads, and computers are very popular nowadays, there are still a large number of people who like to use pen and paper to take notes. However, there are all kinds of books on the market, with advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult to have a satisfactory book. for example: The style of some books is very good, but the water is smeared, which is very painful for those who use fountain pens; Some notebook paper is very good, but the price is very expensive, and the cost performance is very low; The A5 book is too small to carry a wide range of graffiti production; Some books are inappropriate thickness, and you have to find something to put your hands on when you write on the edge; The notebook wants to be scanned and saved, but the bound notebook is not beautiful to copy; The book has a single style, a single purpose, the line is too thick, etc. so: Do you want an easy way to keep records? Simple, convenient, cheap, and more flexible, isn't A4 paper the best choice? ! Drawer clips, file bags, scanned into electronic versions, etc., you can save them as you want. If you want to practice calligraphy, take notes, and manage schedules, I will give you all the templates you want, just in this app~

Screenshots

PaintNotes4 screens
CatCarpPaper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CatCarpPaper at 4.8 against PaintNotes's 3.8. CatCarpPaper also leads on ratings volume (226 vs 29). PaintNotes's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 56%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. PaintNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CatCarpPaper sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CatCarpPaper holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CatCarpPaper has 226 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of PaintNotes's written reviews are positive against 56% of CatCarpPaper's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PaintNotes ships an update fortnightly, CatCarpPaper every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 18, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PaintNotes versus CatCarpPaper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaintNotesCatCarpPaper
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (29 ratings)4.8 (226 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings29226 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer心悦 吕依雯 黄

Customer experience

PaintNotes

All ratings29 ratings
Positive65.5%
Neutral10.3%
Negative24.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

CatCarpPaper

All ratings226 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral16.7%
Negative27.8%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PaintNotes

One-time1
  • Unlocking features$3.99
3 purchases

CatCarpPaper

One-time3
  • 解锁全部常规打印纸$1.99
  • 解锁全部精品打印纸$1.99
  • 猫鱼A4打印纸永久VIP$9.99

Questions

Is PaintNotes free?
PaintNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CatCarpPaper free?
CatCarpPaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PaintNotes or CatCarpPaper?
CatCarpPaper is rated higher. PaintNotes averages 3.8 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while CatCarpPaper averages 4.8 from 226 ratings.
Do PaintNotes or CatCarpPaper have ads?
Neither PaintNotes nor CatCarpPaper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PaintNotes or CatCarpPaper?
PaintNotes ships an update fortnightly, and CatCarpPaper every 3 weeks. Most recently, PaintNotes was updated on July 18, 2026 and CatCarpPaper on September 21, 2026.

Other comparisons