Comparison

MyScript Notes vs Zotero

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

Head to head
About

MyScript Notes

Transform handwritten notes into editable text with advanced AI. Brainstorm on an infinite canvas, annotate PDFs, and create structured documents. Supports 66 languages and works across devices.

Highlights
  • AI handwriting recognition
  • Infinite canvas for brainstorming
  • PDF annotation
  • Handwriting to typed text conversion
  • Math equation recognition
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Create stunning notes and professional documents effortlessly by hand, brainstorm ideas on an infinite canvas, and annotate PDFs seamlessly. Powered by the world's leading AI handwriting recognition technology, MyScript Notes offers a dynamic platform where handwriting, text, drawings, diagrams, and images seamlessly coexist on an expandable canvas. Enhance your note-taking experience with intuitive pen gestures, effortlessly converting handwriting and shapes into typed text and precise forms. MyScript Notes understands every word you write in your choice of 66 languages, and works on mobile platforms — so you can access and search your notes from any compatible device. Enjoy 4 powerful experiences in one app: • Create unlimited notebooks and fixed-size pages for your daily notes. • Take freeform notes on boards — the world's most advanced endless canvas. • Handwrite responsive documents, adding math calculations and diagrams. • Import existing files as PDFs, ready to annotate. Start with a 7-day free trial to get the full experience — then choose to upgrade to keep all features, or continue with a free limited version. ———————— DIGITAL HANDWRITING • Write¹, type or dictate in the same page, sentence or even word. • Accurately convert handwriting and math to typed text, and drawn diagrams to perfect shapes. Diagrams stay editable when pasted into PowerPoint! • Write emoji and symbols with your pen. • Highlight ideas live with a glowing laser pointer — no marks left behind. • Draw straight lines with the ruler — drag, rotate and snap it into place to draw at any angle. EDIT WITH YOUR PEN • Use intuitive gestures to edit and format content without breaking your flow. • Use the marker to highlight or color, the lasso to select, and the eraser to delete entire strokes or precisely defined content. WRITE, TYPE AND DRAW FREELY ON A BOARD • Enjoy an infinite canvas, ideal for brainstorming, mind mapping and freeform note-taking. • Pan around and zoom in or out for a fresh perspective. • Use the lasso to select, move, copy, delete or resize content — and to convert handwriting to typed text. SWITCH TO A DOCUMENT FOR A RESPONSIVE EXPERIENCE • Create and edit structured notes — your handwriting will automatically reflow as needed. • Make edits, adjust layout, rotate your device or split your screen without worrying about readability. ENRICH YOUR NOTES • Personalize content using a range of pen types and page backgrounds. • Add photos, sketches and smart objects like math and diagrams. • Handwrite math equations and matrices across several lines, solve simple calculations and copy math as LaTeX or image. ———————— MyScript Notes respects your privacy and never stores content on our servers without your explicit consent. For help or feature requests, create a ticket at https://myscri.pt/support Check out MyScript Notes' webpage for more information about cross-platform: https://www.myscript.com/notes ———————— ¹You can use any compatible active or passive pen, including Apple Pencil, to write in MyScript Notes. Check minimum and recommended requirements for MyScript Notes: https://myscri.pt/notes-devices

About

Zotero

This research tool helps you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share your academic and professional work. Save articles, books, and webpages, add notes and highlights, and generate bibliographies in thousands of styles. Collaborate with others and sync your library across devices.

Highlights
  • Collect research from various sources
  • Organize with collections and tags
  • Annotate PDFs and webpages
  • Generate citations and bibliographies
  • Collaborate in group libraries
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use research tool that helps you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share your work. COLLECT • Save journal articles, newspaper articles, books, webpages, and more via the Share button in Safari and other apps • Automatically download article PDFs to read • Quickly add physical books and articles to your Zotero library by scanning book barcodes or article DOIs with your iPhone or iPad camera ORGANIZE • Use collections and tags to organize your research • View and edit bibliographic information for your research items ANNOTATE • Read PDFs, EPUBs, and webpage snapshots and add highlights and notes, or use an Apple Pencil to make freehand annotations CITE • Instantly generate citations and bibliographies in over 10,000 formats and journal styles including APA, Chicago, IEEE, MLA, Turabian, and Vancouver SHARE • Collaboratively collect sources and mark up PDFs in group libraries with your colleagues • Synchronize your personal and group research libraries to access them via Zotero’s desktop app and the Zotero website • Use the Zotero desktop app to insert your annotations into Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs documents and automatically generate bibliographies from the sources you used Visit zotero.org to learn more about everything you can do with Zotero. Having trouble? Have an idea? Post bug reports and feature requests to the Zotero Forums at forums.zotero.org to talk directly to Zotero developers. ZOTERO AND PRIVACY Since 2006, the Zotero team has been committed to creating the best research software, and we believe that includes putting you in full control of your own work. We’re an independent, nonprofit organization, and we’ll never sell your data.

Screenshots

MyScript Notes4 screens
Zotero2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zotero at none against MyScript Notes's 10. Zotero also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 66%). MyScript Notes's advantage is ratings volume (39K vs 434) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. MyScript Notes sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Zotero asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for MyScript Notes against 4.6 for Zotero. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MyScript Notes has 39K ratings behind it against 434, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of MyScript Notes's written reviews are positive against 78% of Zotero's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MyScript Notes ships an update every 10 days, Zotero every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
MyScript Notes versus Zotero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMyScript NotesZotero
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (39K ratings) — better4.6 (434 ratings)
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews77.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings39K — better434
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size266 MB237 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMyScriptZotero

Customer experience

MyScript Notes

All ratings38,634 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews2,199 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral12.5%
Negative21.5%

Zotero

All ratings431 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews263 reviews
Positive77.9%
Neutral10.3%
Negative11.8%

User reviews

MyScript Notes

From 39K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent handwriting recognition
  • 👍 Intuitive and responsive interface
  • 💡 Useful gestures and shortcuts
  • 🚀 Fast conversion of handwriting to text
  • 👍 Ability to organize notes in notebooks and collections

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Issues with syncing and data loss
  • 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with formatting and editing
  • 💡 Lack of keyboard support and text editing features
  • 💡 Limited customization options for paper styles and fonts

Zotero

From 434 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and powerful
  • 🚀 Convenient and useful
  • 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 🚀 Excellent reference management
  • 👍 Great annotation and PDF reading experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Syncing issues with WebDAV
  • 🐛 Metadata not automatically extracted from PDFs
  • 🐛 Annotation tools could be improved
  • 🐛 Limited sorting and filtering options

Bugs and requests

MyScript Notes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when importing large documents
  • Handwriting recognition fails for certain symbols and abbreviations
  • Formatting issues when converting handwritten notes to text
  • Sync issues leading to data loss across devices
  • Inability to move or rearrange pages within notebooks

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add support for keyboard input and text editing
  • Improve syncing and backup functionality
  • Introduce more customization options for paper styles and fonts
  • Enhance diagram and equation handling capabilities
  • Implement better collaboration and sharing features
Show 1 more
  • Add support for dark mode and night-friendly themes

Zotero

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to unzip PDF snapshots
  • Annotations disappearing or moving unexpectedly
  • Dark mode not working as expected
  • Inability to add citations directly from the app

Requested features

6 requests
  • Eraser tool for annotations
  • More color options for pen and highlighter
  • Ability to open PDFs in external apps
  • Bookmarking and table of contents support
  • Improved search functionality
Show 1 more
  • Offline access to downloaded PDFs

In-app purchases

9 purchases

MyScript Notes

Subscriptions2
  • MyScript Notes – Full Access$1.991 Month
  • MyScript Notes – Full Access$7.991 Year
One-time7
  • PDF Pack2 variants$4.99
  • Connect Pack$4.99
  • Essentials Pack$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Full version$9.99
  • Nebo Pro$9.99
  • Full version$14.99
  • MyScript Notes – Full Access$29.99
None

Zotero

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MyScript Notes free?
MyScript Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zotero free?
Zotero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MyScript Notes or Zotero?
MyScript Notes is rated higher. MyScript Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39K ratings, while Zotero averages 4.6 from 434 ratings.
Do MyScript Notes or Zotero have ads?
Neither MyScript Notes nor Zotero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MyScript Notes or Zotero?
MyScript Notes ships an update every 10 days, and Zotero every 3 weeks. Most recently, MyScript Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Zotero on October 21, 2026.

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