# Elfinbook vs BoardNotes

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elfinbook | BoardNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (354 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elfinbook-scanner-and-ocr/id1186551971/reviews) | **[4.7 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **354** | 115 |
| Positive reviews | 37.7% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 215 MB | 342 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hangzhou Qihui Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1026642913) | [Chongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686544790) |

## What reviewers say

### Elfinbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elfinbook-scanner-and-ocr/id1186551971)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Annually Premium | $10.49 | per year |
| Elfinbook Premium One Month | $0.99 | one-time |
| 1GB Cloud Space | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 Month | $2.99 | one-time |
| Elfinbook Premium One Year | $7.99 | one-time |
| 12 Months | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon opening
- App crashes during launch
- Cannot export to PDF
- Batch scan is too slow
- OCR text recognition does not work

**Requested features**

- Improved OCR accuracy
- Faster batch scanning
- Better language support for OCR
- More intuitive UI
- Smoother syncing


### BoardNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 days membership | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 days membership | $0.99 | one-time |
| Math Formula Recognition | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 month membership | $1.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $3.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $3.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership (discount) | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $4.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $4.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $4.99 | one-time |
| Full version Unlock | $5.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership (discount) | $5.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $6.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $6.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $6.99 | one-time |
| Spring Festival Discount | $6.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All(discount) | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $8.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $9.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Sync to Google Drive/other cloud services
- Faster 'add to cards' function
- View carded items in sidebar
- Color coding for pins
- Image opacity adjustment


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*