Comparison

Note Always vs BigYear

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Outstanding writing feel
  • Circle, grab, and move content
  • Intuitive modification (erase, undo)
  • Diagram creation
  • Photo editing
  • Drag and drop to other apps
Read full description

“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.

About

BigYear

Features
Read full description

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

BigYear4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Note Always versus BigYear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNote AlwaysBigYear
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (27 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings27 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 14 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlways Sunny Ltd.Mykhailo Churilov

In-app purchases

None

Note Always

No in-app purchases

None

BigYear

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Note Always free?
Note Always costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BigYear free?
BigYear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Note Always or BigYear have ads?
Neither Note Always nor BigYear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Note Always or BigYear?
Note Always ships an update every 2 weeks, and BigYear every 14 months. Most recently, Note Always was updated on October 7, 2026 and BigYear on September 26, 2026.

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