# Note Board vs BoardNotes

The clearest difference is rating: BoardNotes at 4.7 against Note Board's 4.0. BoardNotes also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (111 vs 5). Note Board's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 81%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Note Board sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BoardNotes has 111 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Note Board's written reviews are positive against 81% of BoardNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Note Board ships an update every 2 months, BoardNotes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on August 17, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Note Board | BoardNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-board-instant-notes/id1261512580/reviews) | **[4.7 (111 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-whiteboard-and-pdf/id6448847544/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 5 | **111** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 81.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 356 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Digital Footmark Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1062685418) | [Chongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686544790) |

## What reviewers say

### Note Board

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-board-instant-notes/id1261512580)

Capture quick thoughts and reminders by drawing sticky notes on a virtual cork board or by taking instant photos. Customize your notes with various colors and pen styles for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** Virtual cork board, Sticky note creation, Instant photo memos, Multiple note colors, Various pen styles, Eraser tool

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $1.99 | one-time |


### BoardNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-whiteboard-and-pdf/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 Note Board free?

Note Board 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, Note Board or BoardNotes?

BoardNotes is rated higher. Note Board averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while BoardNotes averages 4.7 from 111 ratings.

### Do Note Board or BoardNotes have ads?

Both Note Board and BoardNotes show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Note Board or BoardNotes?

Note Board ships an update every 2 months, and BoardNotes every 10 days. Most recently, Note Board was updated on August 17, 2026 and BoardNotes on September 23, 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.*