Comparison

PaintNotes vs Reader's Bench

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

Reader's Bench

This app is a PDF reader and markup tool designed for serious study and research. It allows users to read, annotate, take notes, and review highlighted content from PDF documents with efficient performance and a distraction-free interface.

Highlights
  • PDF reading and markup
  • Handwriting and typed notes
  • Annotation extraction for review
  • Highlight, underline, strikethrough
  • Image capture and insertion
  • Export notes and annotated PDFs
  • Word definition and sentence translation
Features
Read full description

Reader's Bench — Read, Annotate & Take Notes Reader's Bench is a powerful PDF and ePub reader built for students, researchers, and professionals who need to study documents deeply. Import PDFs and ePub files, annotate them with a rich set of tools, take handwritten notes side by side, and organize everything in one place. KEY FEATURES • PDF & ePub Reader Import PDFs from the Files app, share sheet, or Safari. Supports vertical and horizontal scrolling, single-page and continuous page views, and a comfortable dark mode for reading in any lighting. • Rich PDF Annotations Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text. Add text boxes, image boxes, freehand drawings, and capture areas with Apple Pencil or your finger. Every annotation can be edited, moved, or deleted at any time. • Annotation Review View all your annotations in a summary list, filter by type, and export the review as a separate PDF report. Revisit key points without re-reading the entire document. • Handwritten Notes Take notes on a digital canvas with Apple Pencil. Switch between Canvas (infinite scroll) and Page (discrete pages) modes. Choose from dotted, squared, lined, or blank backgrounds and customize colors. Shape detection automatically perfects hand-drawn shapes. • Split View Work with your PDF and notes side by side. Switch between horizontal and vertical layouts and resize panels with a draggable divider. • Bookmarks & Search Bookmark pages for quick access and browse them in one place. Search inside documents and jump to results by page instantly. • Export & Share Export annotated PDFs, handwritten notes as PDFs, or annotation reviews as reports. Share via the iOS share sheet or print directly from the app. • iCloud Sync Documents and annotations sync across your devices via iCloud, so your work is always with you. • ePub Support Import ePub books and convert them to PDF for reading and annotation. • Share Extension Import PDFs directly from any app using the system share sheet. Reader's Bench turns your iPad and iPhone into a complete study and research workstation.

Screenshots

PaintNotes4 screens
Reader's Bench4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reader's Bench at 100% against PaintNotes's 67%. Reader's Bench also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). PaintNotes's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (29 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Reader's Bench sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PaintNotes holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. 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. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of PaintNotes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Reader's Bench'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, Reader's Bench weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PaintNotes versus Reader's Bench: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaintNotesReader's Bench
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (29 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer心悦 吕Rohmiapps Inc.

Customer experience

PaintNotes

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

Reader's Bench

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PaintNotes

One-time1
  • Unlocking features$3.99
4 purchases

Reader's Bench

Subscriptions3
  • Reader's Bench Subscription14 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$69.99

Questions

Is PaintNotes free?
PaintNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reader's Bench free?
Reader's Bench is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PaintNotes or Reader's Bench?
PaintNotes is rated higher. PaintNotes averages 3.8 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Reader's Bench averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do PaintNotes or Reader's Bench have ads?
Neither PaintNotes nor Reader's Bench shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PaintNotes or Reader's Bench?
PaintNotes ships an update fortnightly, and Reader's Bench weekly. Most recently, PaintNotes was updated on October 11, 2026 and Reader's Bench on October 7, 2026.

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