Comparison

MarginNote 3 vs Prodrafts

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

Head to head
About

MarginNote 3

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
Read full description

MarginNote 3, all brand new e-reader to better study and digest your books Integrating powerful tools for book annotation, mindmapping, flashcards and more, to build up your reading notes as never before. ============================================ Welcome to MarginNote. This is a highly powerful reading and study software and is applicable to Mac, iPad, and iPhone. By integrating the PDF/EPUB reader and multiple powerful study tools, MarginNote will enable learners to reorganize and connect knowledge from different aspects, then memorize and grasp it accordingly. Whatever your profession, such as student, educator, researcher, lawyer, or life-long learner, you may annotate and take notes through MarginNote, organize notes via Mindmap and Outline, connect knowledge horizontally via Hashtag and raise memory effect via the Flashcards. You will discover what MarginNote does is not to simply integrate these tools. Instead, it combines them deeply and skillfully, which makes it easier for users to toggle between different tools. What's New in MarginNote 3 * New and Clean UI Completely redesigned. * Improved performance and Running more smoothly * Support both Document Reading mode & Study Reading mode. * Excerpts & Note-taking * Enhanced Handwriting & apple-pencil support. * Support TextBox on PDF. * Support direct text-typing & sketching when editing note cards. * Support Auto OCR when excerpting on scanned PDFs. * Emphasis & Cloze * Support direct emphasis in powerful Emphasis mode both on PDF or Outline. * Support auto convert emphasis to Cloze in CardDeck. * Support creating Image-Occlusion flashcards. * Multi-Documents * Support both document tabs & split views to switch between documents. * MindMap * Auto grouping new excerpts by Document Table of Contents. * Support new brach display mode: Framework. * Swipe/Drag gestures to slide in/out Outline & Documents in Study mode. * Enhanced grouped cut/paste, drag to merge,.. etc. * Outline * Improved search and displaying keywords in results. * Improved styles. * CardDeck: * View Flashcards in MindMap mode and Document mode. * Enhanced Anki Export: Card styles, Image occlusions, Cloze * Enhanced Research web browser. * iCloud Sync * Fixed several design issue in previous versions. * More stable & improved performance. * Categories * Separate categories for Document, Study and Review. * Trash * Recover data from Trash and make data more safe. * Trial * 14-days free trial. MarginNote 2 features: Reading: - Support PDF and EPUB format; Annotating and NoteTaking: - Support text highlight and rectangular highlight; - Add notes directly at the page margin; the note editing area will not overlap with the book content at all; - Text, voice, picture, sketching and many other forms of comments in note; - Add hashtags to notes to facilitate the connection of notes; Outline and Mindmap: - Outline and Mindmap in one view; - Create Outline tree by swipe gestures; - Multi-selection editing such as group, merge, clone, etc; - Quick searching and filtering according to colors, hashtags, books. Flashcard: - Highlights and notes can be automatically turned into flashcards for review; - Spaced repetition adopting the Anki-based algorithm; - Switch to the linking book page at any time; iPad Pro & Apple pencil: - Split View of multiple tasks; - High-precision drawing by Apple pencil; - Fine tuned for Apple pencil; - Keyboard shortcuts; Import, Export and Sync: - Import webpages and notes from Evernote; - Export flashcards to Anki; - Export Outline to OmniOutliner; - Export Mindmap to iThoughts or MindManager; - Export to Evernote; - Export all the margin notes, MindManager, Outline and Pages to a printable PDF; - Sync books & notes with iCloud; Terms of Use: https://www.marginnote.com/press/marginnote-3-term-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/92678020

About

Prodrafts

This app offers an infinite canvas for note-taking and mind mapping, supporting various file formats and multimedia attachments. Experience natural handwriting and organize all your thoughts and documents in one place for efficient learning and work.

Highlights
  • Infinite expandable canvas
  • Realistic pen strokes
  • Supports all file formats
  • Multimedia attachments
  • Mind mapping tools
  • PDF annotation
  • Customizable paper backgrounds
Features
Read full description

Write by hand, annotate PDFs and connect your ideas with Prodrafts. Move freely across an infinite canvas, use paged notebooks for structured work, or organize ideas in a mind map. Keep words, drawings and study materials together. NOTES THAT FIT THE WAY YOU THINK Capture lecture notes, sketch concepts and work through diagrams without running out of room. Use natural pen tools, shapes, a ruler and a compass for handwritten explanations and geometry notes. READ, ANNOTATE AND REVISIT Import PDFs, highlight key passages and add handwritten notes. Bring course slides, reading materials and PDF planners into your notebook. Search PDF text and make supported scanned PDFs searchable with OCR. SEE CONNECTIONS Build mind maps with text, handwriting and attachments. Move ideas, fold branches and connect related topics to make a clearer study outline or brainstorm board. FROM QUICK NOTES TO DOCUMENTS Write with headings, lists, tasks, tables, links and equations. Import and export Markdown, and export text documents to Word/DOCX. Add images and recordings to your notes. Place web link cards and video on your canvas to keep related material together. PAPER FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT Choose lined, grid and dot paper, Cornell layouts, weekly and monthly planner pages, music staff and guitar tablature paper, or guides for handwriting practice. Use them for a reading journal, study sheets or handwritten planning. RECORD AND PRESENT Record classes, meetings and ideas. On supported systems and languages, turn recordings into text. Present your canvas on an external display and guide attention with the laser pointer. KEEP YOUR WORK CLOSE Organize documents in folders, enable iCloud sync across your devices, and share notes as PDFs or images. Some tools, templates and document limits require an in-app purchase. Availability varies by device, system version and language. Audio transcription requires iOS, iPadOS or macOS 26 or later and a supported system language. The subscription will automatically renew unless canceled, and will be charged through your Apple iTunes account. The price may vary depending on your location. Prodrafts is a product registered and developed by EMMO Corp. Support: prodrafts@163.com Privacy Policy: https://www.prodrafts.cn/privacyPolicy Terms of Service: https://www.prodrafts.cn/termsOfService

Screenshots

MarginNote 34 screens
Prodrafts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Prodrafts at daily against MarginNote 3's every 6 weeks. MarginNote 3's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. MarginNote 3 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Prodrafts sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for MarginNote 3 against 4.8 for Prodrafts. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5K and 3.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of MarginNote 3's written reviews are positive against 70% of Prodrafts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MarginNote 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, Prodrafts daily. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MarginNote 3 versus Prodrafts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarginNote 3Prodrafts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5K ratings)4.8 (3.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.6% of reviews — better69.8% of reviews
Number of ratings5K — better3.9K
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS11.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size392 MB220 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBeijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., LtdEMMO Corp.

Customer experience

MarginNote 3

All ratings5,043 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews983 reviews
Positive74.6%
Neutral11.5%
Negative13.9%

Prodrafts

All ratings3,869 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews1,039 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative19.9%

User reviews

MarginNote 3

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Prodrafts

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Syncing works great
  • 👍 Infinite canvas
  • 👍 Customizable paper backgrounds
  • 👍 Supports Apple Pencil
  • 👍 Versatile note-taking features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues between devices
  • 🐛 Occasional data loss
  • 🐛 Buggy performance with large files
  • 🔧 Limited English support and documentation
  • 🔧 Lack of collaboration features

Bugs and requests

MarginNote 3

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Prodrafts

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notes disappearing without warning
  • Inability to create new drafts
  • Eraser tool not working as expected
  • Compatibility issues with newer Apple Drawing Format
  • Inconsistent translations in the UI

Requested features

7 requests
  • Bulk export of notes as PDFs
  • Ability to link notes to source content
  • Flashcard or spaced repetition feature
  • Improved organization with folders and tags
  • Dark mode option
Show 2 more
  • Better mouse/keyboard support on desktop
  • Handwriting recognition and conversion to text

In-app purchases

5 purchases

MarginNote 3

Subscriptions2
  • OCR Pro (Monthly)3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • OCR Pro (Annually)3 Days trial$9.491 Year
One-time3
  • 14 days Free TrialFree
  • Unlock Full$12.99
  • Upgrade to Full$12.99
2 purchases

Prodrafts

Subscriptions1
  • Prodrafts Pro Annual3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Prodrafts Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is MarginNote 3 free?
MarginNote 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Prodrafts free?
Prodrafts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MarginNote 3 or Prodrafts?
Prodrafts is rated higher. MarginNote 3 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while Prodrafts averages 4.8 from 3.9K ratings.
Do MarginNote 3 or Prodrafts have ads?
Neither MarginNote 3 nor Prodrafts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MarginNote 3 or Prodrafts?
MarginNote 3 ships an update every 6 weeks, and Prodrafts daily. Most recently, MarginNote 3 was updated on October 19, 2026 and Prodrafts on October 19, 2026.

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