# 纸条作文 vs 掌阅课外书

The clearest difference is rating: 纸条作文 at 4.8 against 掌阅课外书's 2.0. 纸条作文 also leads on ratings volume (137 vs 2) and review sentiment (96% vs 82%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 纸条作文 sells 29 one-off in-app purchases and 掌阅课外书 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

纸条作文 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 纸条作文 has 137 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of 纸条作文's written reviews are positive against 82% of 掌阅课外书's.

纸条作文 ships an update every 3 weeks, 掌阅课外书 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 纸条作文 | 掌阅课外书 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (137 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai/id1207254643/reviews)** | [2.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1391647217/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **137** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **96.1% of reviews** | 81.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 215 MB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [广州启合科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/1410061681) | [IReader Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/432481209) |

## What reviewers say

### 纸条作文

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai/id1207254643)

This app provides a vast collection of writing materials, including vocabulary, sentence structures, and essay examples, updated daily and categorized by common themes. It also offers current event analysis, writing techniques, and practice opportunities to help students improve their essay writing skills for exams.

**Highlights:** Daily updated writing materials, Categorized by 20+ themes, Current event analysis and commentary, Application guidance for materials, Online writing practice and peer feedback, Interest-based communities and discussions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (29)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 首购月卡 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 月度会员28 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 月度会员 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 月度会员 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 会员卡48 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 会员月卡 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 月度会员 | $6.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $8.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $11.99 | one-time |
| 季度会员 | $12.99 | one-time |
| 精选合集108（单独解锁） | $14.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员卡 | $17.99 | one-time |
| 精选合集138（单独解锁） | $19.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员毕业卡 | $19.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员毕业卡 | $24.99 | one-time |
| 精选合集168（单独解锁） | $24.99 | one-time |
| 会员年卡188 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 年度会员 | $34.99 | one-time |
| 定制会员卡 | $39.99 | one-time |
| 会员378 | $49.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员 | $49.99 | one-time |
| 会员年卡 | $49.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员毕业卡 | $59.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员卡 | $69.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员毕业卡 | $69.99 | one-time |
| 纸条会员卡 | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Rich and diverse writing materials/素材库
- ✍️ Effective essay writing improvement
- 🎨 Clean and elegant interface design
- 💡 Daily writing prompts and practice features
- 🏆 High-quality curated content from skilled writers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High subscription/paywall costs unfriendly to students
- 🔄 Increased commercialization and test-prep focus
- 📉 Quality decline in community content over time
- 🚫 Overly strict content moderation policies
- ⚠️ Content becomes paid shortly after collection

**Reported bugs**

- App occasionally freezes or lags
- Collected content disappears from saved folders
- Cannot register with overseas phone numbers
- Search results don't maintain navigation position
- Content moderation errors and false rejections

**Requested features**

- Add excellent essay examples to writing method daily recommendations
- iPad horizontal/landscape mode support
- Simplified collection browsing interface
- Persistent search history and navigation
- International registration options (email, non-China phone numbers)


### 掌阅课外书

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1391647217)

This app offers a vast library of over 20,000 international books for young readers, curated by experts and categorized by age and interest. It provides a safe, ad-free reading environment with features like a reading guide and eye protection mode.

**Highlights:** 20,000+ global books, Expert-curated reading lists, Age and grade-level categorization, Ad-free reading environment, Eye protection mode, Interactive reading community

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 掌阅课外书VIP畅读套餐 | $3.99 | per month |
| VIP自动续费包季套餐 | $10.99 | per 3 months |
| VIP自动续费包年套餐 | $42.99 | per year |
| 畅读套餐1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 畅读套餐2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| VIP订阅月套餐 | $5.99 | one-time |
| 畅读套餐5 | $14.99 | one-time |
| VIP订阅季套餐 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 畅读套餐6 | $29.99 | one-time |
| VIP订阅年套餐 | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 纸条作文 free?

纸条作文 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 掌阅课外书 free?

掌阅课外书 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 纸条作文 or 掌阅课外书?

纸条作文 is rated higher. 纸条作文 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 137 ratings, while 掌阅课外书 averages 2.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do 纸条作文 or 掌阅课外书 have ads?

Neither 纸条作文 nor 掌阅课外书 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 纸条作文 or 掌阅课外书?

纸条作文 ships an update every 3 weeks, and 掌阅课外书 every 2 weeks. Most recently, 纸条作文 was updated on November 2, 2026 and 掌阅课外书 on October 6, 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.*