Note Always vs BigYear
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Note Always
A dedicated notebook app optimized for Apple Pencil, offering a smooth writing experience and intuitive editing tools. Effortlessly organize thoughts, draft ideas, and modify content without switching tools.
- Outstanding writing feel
- Circle, grab, and move content
- Intuitive modification (erase, undo)
- Diagram creation
- Photo editing
- Drag and drop to other apps
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“Write smoothly. Correct intuitively.” Note Always is a dedicated notebook app for Apple Pencil. - Outstanding feel The fastest response. Realistic, smooth renderings of blurring and blotching. Because this app is just for the Apple Pencil, we were able to achieve this outstanding feel. - Circle, grab and move All it takes is enclosing the part you wish to move in a circle and move the hand icon. Color, width, and the size are also adjustable. - Smooth modification Erase with your finger, undo by tapping with two fingers, and “circle and move”. Without switching tools, perform “erase, undo, and modify” intuitively. Draft your thoughts. Sort out and elaborate drafts. In order to support the repeated process of think, write, and re-write, the product is made to pursue the pleasant ease of write and stress-free modification. Perfect for sorting ideas, drafting presentation or manuscript, self-brainstorming. For research, travel journaling, and schedule management. Main Features Stickies Intuitive stickies “writing with a pen and move with your finger” Free sorting is the most suitable for sorting out ideas and thoughts. Diagrammatization Straight line, square and circle can be modified beautifully without losing the handwritten style. Tip of the pen can be pushed in strongly, too. Edit photos Clipping and applying a retrospective filter, Shading gridlines. Casually making it look slightly stylish. Drag & drop Enclose and push with your finger to drop into another app as is! Easy linkage even with a part of a page in a notebook. Other features include zooming, Split View, rearranging pages, exporting to PDF, and saving on the iCloud. Note Always was created specifically for the Apple Pencil. You can use the app without one, but your writing will be much less smooth and responsive. We ask for your understanding.
BigYear
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Plan the year you actually want to live. BigYear turns your calendar into a clear, continuous view of the months ahead. See trips, birthdays, milestones, deadlines and long-term goals together—without losing them inside a weekly grid. WHAT YOU CAN DO • See your entire year in one scrollable calendar • Create single-day events and multi-day date ranges • Organize plans with calm, color-coded calendars • Jump back to today instantly • Review upcoming plans in a focused timeline • Choose Monday or Sunday as the first day of the week • Keep your calendars synced across iPhone and Mac BUILT FOR THE DATES THAT MATTER Use BigYear for holidays, launches, races, exams, family visits, travel, major deadlines and personal goals. Zoom out, make space and turn intentions into dates. Your year, at a glance.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: BigYear at Free against Note Always's $14.99. BigYear also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Note Always's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 14 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On 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
BigYear is free to download; Note Always costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Note Always ships an update every 2 weeks, BigYear every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Note Always | BigYear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (27 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 27 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 14 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Always Sunny Ltd. | Mykhailo Churilov |
In-app purchases
Note Always
No in-app purchases
BigYear
No in-app purchases









