Comparison

Elfinbook vs BoardNotes

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

Head to head
About

Elfinbook

Transform handwritten notes into digital text with this app. Scan, enhance, and organize your notes, then sync them to the cloud. It offers a paper-like writing experience with digital convenience.

Highlights
  • Mobile scanning with camera
  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
  • Digital pen and writing pad
  • Note organization and search
  • Cloud sync and auto-backup
  • PDF and JPEG export
Features
Read full description

Instantly transform your handwritten notes into clear-written images right in the power of your own hand! Here comes the ELFINBOOK app that goes hand in hand with your ELFINBOOK notebook. With notes written in your eco-friendly, reusable and waterproof notebook, automatically sync it in your choice of cloud services like Evernote, Google Drive, OneCloud and more. Whether you are a student, teacher, engineer, designer, writer or an artist, you’re going to need the ELFINBOOK to fully experience the power of your ELFINBOOK notebook. This user-friendly app makes accessing notes, capture thoughts and saving them much easier and more accessible. We bring you the pleasure of the paper and pen experience with the ease of technology much easier and more fun, we give you the ELFINBOOK App! ¬¬------ INTEGRATES THE USE OF CAMERA FOR MOBILE SCANNING -With the use of your smartphone’s camera, scan handwritten notes for a high-quality image. -You also have the choice of cropping and auto-enhancing to make the texts and graphics sharp and clear. RECOGNIZES TEXTS FROM IMAGES -The help of the new and improved Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature extracts texts from sketches and illustrations that makes it easy to edit, revise and share. MARVEL IN THE PAPER AND PEN EXPERIENCE -You can add photos, capture handwritten notes, and type text through the app’s writing pad. -Bask in the variety of pens available for you to use! You have fountain pen, rollerball pen, and highlighter. -What’s more is that it has an auto-advancing zoom that you can use like how you write on paper. ORGANIZE, SEARCH AND SECURE NOTES -Organize your notes in an easy-tree diagram to aid you while studying. -Comes with a portal system that you can use to pin frequently-viewed documents and it automatically sends notes to the portal document section. -Easily search for your handwritten notes as the application uses OCR technology. -To ensure privacy on your mobile app, you can add a password to safeguard your notes. AUTO-BACKUP AND AUTOMATIC CLOUD SYNC -In order not to lose your notes, we added an automatic cloud sync and auto-backup so that you can access them in your devices and retrieve them while you study or while you work. -To view your saved notes, visit the ELFINBOOK website. SHARING YOUR IDEAS MADE EASY -You can easily download your notes as PDF or JPEG format and send them through Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, ICloud, OneNote, WeChat or Email. ------ CONTACT US Email: elfinbook@hzqihui.cn Website: www.elfinbook.com Follow us on Twitter @Elfinbook13 For more information about our reusable notebooks, please visit ELFINBOOK.com. If you have any concerns and feedback regarding our ELFINBOOK app, you can comment down below and we’ll do our best to improve the app for you.

About

BoardNotes

This app combines whiteboard, notebook, PDF management, mind mapping, and flashcard creation into a single, versatile handwriting note-taking tool. It offers a wide array of pen types, organizational features, and study aids to enhance productivity and learning.

Highlights
  • Handwriting note-taking
  • Integrated whiteboard
  • PDF import and editing
  • Mind mapping functionality
  • Spaced repetition flashcards
  • Multiple pen and brush types
  • Layer management
Features
Read full description

Feature Introduction: BoardNotes is a versatile handwriting note-taking app that integrates five major functions—whiteboard, notebook, PDF, mind map, and flashcards—covering most note-taking scenarios. It serves as your All-In-One App. Handwriting Pen: 1. BoardNotes utilizes Apple's native pen technology and has developed additional pens tailored for Chinese writing, including a fountain pen, a laser pointer for presentations, and a tape pen for masking notes. 2. Choose from a variety of brushes (laser pen, tape pen, ballpoint pen, straight-line pen, wavy-line pen, custom fountain pen, quill pen, pencil, marker, watercolor pen, fill pen, single-line pen, crayon, freehand pen) to unleash your creativity. 3. Lasso tool (extremely powerful). 4. Eraser (pixel eraser and object eraser). Whiteboard: 1. The whiteboard is ideal for organizing fragmented knowledge, brainstorming, and boosting creativity. 2. Write and draw freely without worrying about boundaries. 3. Customize background colors and grid templates. 4. Add various card types (text, image, video, audio, webpage, file, handwriting). 5. Multiple auxiliary tools: background board, pins, link navigation (supports bidirectional links), connectors, timer (countdown supported), calculator. 6. Quickly locate notes using the search function. Notebook & PDF: 1. Create notebooks and PDFs with multiple paper templates and cover options. Import images from Photos or PDFs from the Files app as pages or covers. 2. Add text, images, stickers, videos, webpage snapshots, audio recordings, links (bidirectional links supported), timers, calculators, and floating PDF windows. 3. Layer functionality—show or hide layers as needed. 4. Insert new pages via blank sheets, images, scanned documents, or files. 5. Cut, copy, and paste pages into other notebooks or PDFs. 6. Duplicate, rotate, or delete pages. 7. Reorder pages via long-press and drag in thumbnail view. 8. Create outlines and add bookmarks. 9. Search (text, handwritten notes, etc.). 10. Import e-books (epub, mobi, azw, etc.). Mind Map: 1. Mind mapping is a key feature within the whiteboard. 2. Nodes support multiple formats (text, image, handwriting, video, audio, webpage snapshot, file). 3. Offers 3 structures and 18 color schemes. 4. Add summaries (brackets). 5. Handwritten mind maps (using handwritten cards). 6. Long-press and drag selected cards into the mind map. 7. Reorder nodes or adjust hierarchy via long-press and drag. Flashcard: 1. Flashcards use the SuperMemo algorithm to automatically schedule optimal review intervals, reminding you before forgetting to maximize memory efficiency. 2. Flashcards support text, images, and handwriting. 3. Quickly create cards from notes in whiteboards, notebooks, or PDFs using the rectangular lasso tool. Download BoardNotes for free on iPad, iPhone, and Mac. For suggestions, please contact us via the in-app feedback feature.

Screenshots

Elfinbook4 screens
BoardNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BoardNotes at 80% against Elfinbook's 38%. BoardNotes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Elfinbook's advantage is ratings volume (354 vs 115) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Elfinbook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and BoardNotes sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BoardNotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 354 and 115 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Elfinbook's written reviews are positive against 80% of BoardNotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Elfinbook ships an update every 2 weeks, BoardNotes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Elfinbook versus BoardNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElfinbookBoardNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (354 ratings)4.7 (115 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.7% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings354 — better115
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB342 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHangzhou Qihui Technology Co., LtdChongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Elfinbook

All ratings353 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral5.7%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews114 reviews
Positive37.7%
Neutral14.9%
Negative47.4%

BoardNotes

All ratings115 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral6.7%
Negative13.3%

User reviews

Elfinbook

From 354 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Innovative concept (notebook + app)
  • ♻️ Reusable notebook
  • ✍️ Good handwriting recognition (sometimes)
  • 📄 Scans documents well

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • ❌ Login/signup issues
  • 📉 Poor OCR accuracy
  • ⏳ Slow performance
  • 💸 Premium features required

BoardNotes

From 115 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 All-in-one app
  • 💡 Feature-rich note-taking
  • ✍️ Excellent Apple Pencil integration
  • 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
  • 🚀 Smooth performance

Room to improve

  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔥 Device gets hot
  • 🐛 Data loss (whiteboards erased)
  • 🚫 No automatic backup
  • 🔍 Limited search functions

Bugs and requests

Elfinbook

Reported bugs

87 issues
  • App crashes immediately upon opening
  • App crashes during launch
  • Cannot export to PDF
  • Batch scan is too slow
  • OCR text recognition does not work
Show 82 more
  • App crashes when trying to take pictures
  • Premium membership disappears after reinstallation
  • App crashes when moving pictures
  • App crashes when trying to write something
  • Slow upload to cloud
  • Cannot log in or sign up
  • Camera not working
  • App crashes when capturing a new page
  • App crashes when moving picture order
  • Lost notes after upgrade
  • Failed to upgrade data
  • App crashes when trying to scan
  • App crashes after update
  • OCR cannot recognize Russian
  • OCR only works with English
  • OCR produces gibberish for German
  • OCR scan takes too long
  • App does not recognize text
  • Flash control icon missing
  • App does not sync documents
  • OCR not working properly
  • App stretches documents to A4 size
  • Cannot turn flash on or off
  • App signs out every time it's closed
  • App does not remember login details
  • Cannot set phone and email under account
  • OCR is not great, requires editing
  • No return/enter to start a new line when editing notes
  • Cannot register as a user
  • App stops and cannot go back
  • Email error code during registration
  • Unable to connect during registration
  • No registered message when trying to log in
  • Camera never works
  • App won't start after reinstallation
  • Paid app is unusable
  • Lost data in the cloud
  • Cannot link with Evernote
  • Password for Evernote is incorrect
  • Corrupted documents in the app
  • Documents become unrecoverable
  • Recognition button thinks text is in different languages
  • Writing reappears after heating
  • App crashes when scanning
  • Lifetime membership not staying connected
  • App lags
  • Does not keep user signed in to premium account
  • Often will not log in at all
  • OCR unreadable even with best penmanship
  • Password lost and cannot reset
  • No help from support
  • App is confusing and difficult to use
  • iPhone XS Max unusable after update
  • Cannot bind phone number to app
  • Cannot type or use options for phone number binding
  • OCR function not found
  • App written in Chinese, no translation
  • Imported document never arrived
  • Writing fades away when touched too much
  • App is a cheap knockoff
  • App is an insult
  • Pages are soft and indent, cannot be reused
  • Sync issues
  • OCR is bad
  • App not intuitive
  • Customer service is terrible
  • Cannot change phone number easily
  • Notebook pages stain easily
  • App is unstable
  • Lost all work notes
  • App doesn't detect margins of pages
  • App doesn't work on certain pages
  • Software is atrocious
  • Software is a letdown
  • Picture editing is basic
  • App doesn't support Traditional Chinese OCR
  • App doesn't support Russian OCR
  • App crashes during installation
  • App doesn't work after last update
  • App cannot be opened after update
  • App doesn't work after update
  • Cannot register with phone number

Requested features

18 requests
  • Improved OCR accuracy
  • Faster batch scanning
  • Better language support for OCR
  • More intuitive UI
  • Smoother syncing
Show 13 more
  • Google Drive integration
  • iCloud sync for iOS
  • Ability to set destination folders for scans
  • Improved camera detection of borders
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to hear environmental information and read documents via camera (for visually impaired)
  • Automatic scanning when over the document
  • Spanish language support
  • Option to scan with or without black frame
  • Better customer service response
  • Ability to change phone number/email easily
  • More advanced picture editing options
  • Improved pen holder placement on notebook

BoardNotes

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Whiteboards erasing automatically
  • No automatic backup leading to data loss
  • Syncing issues between iPad and Mac
  • Pencil tip not appearing on PDF annotations
  • App crashes frequently
Show 11 more
  • Recording data is lost
  • Cannot create new notebooks
  • Gear icon for settings missing in dark mode
  • Issue with eraser and color selection logic
  • Lasso tool missing cut button after cropping
  • PDF embeds appear blurry
  • Handwriting search not implemented
  • Accidental touches/palm rejection issues
  • Chinese font display issues in markdown
  • App freezes when using search function
  • Software flashes back (crashes)

Requested features

24 requests
  • Sync to Google Drive/other cloud services
  • Faster 'add to cards' function
  • View carded items in sidebar
  • Color coding for pins
  • Image opacity adjustment
Show 19 more
  • Faster image copy from whiteboard
  • Android app version
  • WebDAV function
  • Markdown editing/viewing function
  • Handwriting recognition and search
  • Improve palm rejection/anti-touch
  • Add more brush types (with stroke variation)
  • Search for handwritten text
  • Dark Mode UI
  • More calculator functions (square root, trig identities)
  • In-app browser (ChatGPT, YouTube integration)
  • Easier UI navigation of notebook pages
  • Ability to change existing page formats
  • More in-depth pen fine-tuning
  • Optimize UI, move undo/redo to top right
  • Adjust pressure sensitivity
  • Customizable top toolbar icons
  • Add college rule paper
  • Translate function for papers

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Elfinbook

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$1.991 Month
  • Annually Premium3 Days trial$10.491 Year
One-time5
  • Elfinbook Premium One Month$0.99
  • 1GB Cloud Space$1.99
  • 1 Month$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Elfinbook Premium One Year$7.99
  • 12 Months$14.99
23 purchases

BoardNotes

One-time23
  • 7 days membership$0.99
  • 5 days membership$0.99
  • Math Formula Recognition$1.99
Show 20 more
  • 1 month membership$1.99
  • Annual Membership$3.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$3.99
  • 6 months membership$3.99
  • 6 months membership (discount)$3.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$4.99
  • Annual Membership$4.99
  • 6 months membership2 variants$4.99
  • Full version Unlock$5.99
  • Annual Membership (discount)$5.99
  • 6 months membership$6.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$6.99
  • Annual Membership2 variants$6.99
  • Spring Festival Discount$6.99
  • Annual Membership$7.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$7.99
  • Permanent Unlock All(discount)$7.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$8.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$9.99
  • Permanent Unlock All$19.99

Questions

Is Elfinbook free?
Elfinbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BoardNotes free?
BoardNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Elfinbook or BoardNotes?
BoardNotes is rated higher. Elfinbook averages 4.4 out of 5 from 354 ratings, while BoardNotes averages 4.7 from 115 ratings.
Do Elfinbook or BoardNotes have ads?
Both Elfinbook and BoardNotes show ads.
Which is updated more often, Elfinbook or BoardNotes?
Elfinbook ships an update every 2 weeks, and BoardNotes every 10 days. Most recently, Elfinbook was updated on October 26, 2026 and BoardNotes on October 25, 2026.

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