# MarginNote 3 vs Notehot

The clearest difference is price: MarginNote 3 at Free against Notehot's $0.99. MarginNote 3 also leads on ratings volume (5K vs 175) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Notehot's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

MarginNote 3 is free to download; Notehot costs $0.99 up front. MarginNote 3 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Notehot sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MarginNote 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 3 has 5K ratings behind it against 175, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of MarginNote 3's written reviews are positive against 63% of Notehot's.

MarginNote 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, Notehot every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 3 | Notehot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-3/id1348317163/reviews)** | [4.5 (175 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notehot-notes-and-voice-text/id1491473755/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5K** | 175 |
| Positive reviews | **74.6% of reviews** | 62.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 392 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.2** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) | [Play Era](https://appshunter.io/developer/1491473754) |

## What reviewers say

### MarginNote 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-3/id1348317163)

This app redefines studying by integrating e-reading with powerful annotation, mind mapping, and flashcard tools. Organize knowledge, connect ideas with hashtags, and enhance memory retention through spaced repetition. It offers a seamless workflow across multiple documents and devices.

**Highlights:** Integrated PDF/EPUB reader, Advanced annotation tools, Mind mapping and outline organization, Flashcard creation and Anki export, Multi-document support, Handwriting and Apple Pencil support, OCR for scanned PDFs

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OCR Pro (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| OCR Pro (Annually) | $9.49 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Unlock Full | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Full | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful and efficient for studying and research
- 👍 Excellent mind mapping and note-taking features
- 💡 Unique and innovative functionality like video annotation
- 🚀 Handles large volumes of documents and notes well
- 👍 Useful for organizing and synthesizing information from multiple sources

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 👎 Steep learning curve and lack of comprehensive documentation
- 👎 Unreliable cloud syncing between devices
- 👎 Cluttered and unintuitive user interface in some areas
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches with certain features like handwriting and OCR

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues causing data loss across devices
- Crashes and freezes when working with large documents
- Inconsistent behavior with highlighting, erasing, and text formatting
- OCR not functioning reliably for non-Latin scripts
- Difficulty managing and organizing large document libraries

**Requested features**

- Improved export options and ability to share projects
- Better integration with other productivity apps like Anki
- More customization options for mind maps and annotations
- Smoother handwriting experience and better palm rejection
- Support for more file formats like PowerPoint


### Notehot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notehot-notes-and-voice-text/id1491473755)

This app offers a versatile note-taking experience, combining text, handwriting, audio, and photos. It features speech-to-text conversion, OCR for image text extraction, and iCloud synchronization across devices. Organize notes with hierarchical folders and set timed reminders for important tasks.

**Highlights:** Multi-form recording (text, hand-drawn, audio, photo), Speech to text conversion, OCR text extraction from images, Hierarchical folder management, Timed reminders, iCloud synchronization, Export to PDF, PNG, JPEG

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| VIP Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| VIP Subscription | $5.99 | per 3 months |
| VIP Subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| VIP Subscription | $17.99 | per year |
| VIP Subscription | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very convenient for note-taking
- 👍 Smooth and clean interface
- 👍 User-friendly and convenient
- 👍 Good for recording things
- 👍 AI text generation is great

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Misleading pricing, asks for subscription after download
- 😞 In-app purchases required for voice-to-text
- 😞 Limited language choices
- 😞 Requires money immediately after installation
- 😞 App is not free

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes
- Lost entire notes after app freezes
- Files are stretched or narrowed after import
- Imported files take up the entire screen
- Search function rarely finds existing text

**Requested features**

- Add Dark Mode
- Add smart shapes for diagraming
- Add a paper guide (college or wide)
- Add a 'pen' tool similar to pencil and marker
- Ability to add images


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 3 free?

MarginNote 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Notehot free?

Notehot costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, MarginNote 3 or Notehot?

MarginNote 3 is rated higher. MarginNote 3 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while Notehot averages 4.5 from 175 ratings.

### Do MarginNote 3 or Notehot have ads?

Neither MarginNote 3 nor Notehot shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 3 or Notehot?

MarginNote 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notehot every 11 days. Most recently, MarginNote 3 was updated on November 5, 2026 and Notehot on November 3, 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.*