# PaintNotes vs MXTNote

The clearest difference is rating: MXTNote at 5.0 against PaintNotes's 3.8. MXTNote also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). PaintNotes's advantage is ratings volume (29 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PaintNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MXTNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

MXTNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PaintNotes has 29 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

PaintNotes ships an update fortnightly, MXTNote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PaintNotes | MXTNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintnotes/id1106747531/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mxtnote/id1518415738/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **29** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 43 MB | 131 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [心悦 吕](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689365127) | [Tao Ma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518415737) |

## What reviewers say

### PaintNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintnotes/id1106747531)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlocking features | $3.99 | one-time |


### MXTNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mxtnote/id1518415738)

This app helps organize research and study materials by linking PDFs, notes, and web pages. It offers PDF reading, text and handwriting notes, and an arXiv explorer for academic papers. Create a knowledge graph to visualize connections between your research fragments.

**Highlights:** PDF reader with link navigation, Text and handwriting note-taking, Link notes and PDFs to create a knowledge graph, ARXIV explorer for academic papers, Web page import (HTML to PDF), OCR and image search for PDFs, Sync across devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PaintNotes free?

PaintNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MXTNote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PaintNotes or MXTNote?

MXTNote is rated higher. PaintNotes averages 3.8 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while MXTNote averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do PaintNotes or MXTNote have ads?

Neither PaintNotes nor MXTNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PaintNotes or MXTNote?

PaintNotes ships an update fortnightly, and MXTNote every 2 weeks. Most recently, PaintNotes was updated on September 25, 2026 and MXTNote on September 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.*