# Microsoft Whiteboard vs Noteful

Microsoft Whiteboard and Noteful both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Noteful's written reviews are positive against 36% of Microsoft Whiteboard's. Noteful also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Microsoft Whiteboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noteful sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Microsoft Whiteboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

Noteful holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 24K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Microsoft Whiteboard's written reviews are positive against 87% of Noteful's.

Microsoft Whiteboard ships an update every 6 weeks, Noteful fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Whiteboard | Noteful |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-whiteboard/id1352499399/reviews) | **[4.8 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteful-notes-and-pdf-markup/id1587904334/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 12K | **24K** |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **86.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 32 MB | 157 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Noteful Technologies Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1587904336) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Whiteboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-whiteboard/id1352499399)

This app offers a freeform digital canvas for individuals and teams to brainstorm, create, and collaborate visually. It supports touch, type, and pen input, allowing for seamless real-time teamwork from anywhere. Your work is automatically saved to the cloud for easy access across devices.

**Highlights:** Infinite freeform canvas, Real-time team collaboration, Touch, type, and pen support, Pre-built templates, Shapes and lines library, Sticky notes and notes grids, Automatic cloud saving

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient collaboration
- 💡 Versatile canvas
- 🎨 Good customization options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unstable
- 🤯 Poor UI/UX design
- 🔍 Lack of basic features
- 🔌 Connectivity issues
- 💤 Laggy performance

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Unsaved work loss
- Unreliable sync and loading
- Inconsistent behavior across devices

**Requested features**

- Add offline support
- Improve palm rejection
- Implement handwriting recognition
- Allow font and color customization
- Add locking/anchoring options


### Noteful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteful-notes-and-pdf-markup/id1587904334)

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, PDF and document annotation, Organize notes with tags, Layers for annotations, Audio recording synced with notes, Import PDFs and MS Office documents

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteful Pro, Lifetime | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth writing experience
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 💡 Layers feature
- 👍 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🚀 Efficient and lightweight

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 No handwriting recognition or search
- 🔍 Limited text editing options
- 🔍 Lack of advanced features like math conversion
- 🔍 Exporting PDFs loses some formatting

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues across devices
- Lasso tool not working properly with PDFs
- Eraser tool not functioning as expected

**Requested features**

- Handwriting recognition and search
- More text editing options (bullet lists, etc.)
- Improved PDF handling and annotations
- Custom templates and sticker support
- Expanded cloud storage options (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft Whiteboard free?

Microsoft Whiteboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Noteful free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft Whiteboard or Noteful?

Noteful is rated higher. Microsoft Whiteboard averages 4.6 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Noteful averages 4.8 from 24K ratings.

### Do Microsoft Whiteboard or Noteful have ads?

Neither Microsoft Whiteboard nor Noteful shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft Whiteboard or Noteful?

Microsoft Whiteboard ships an update every 6 weeks, and Noteful fortnightly. Most recently, Microsoft Whiteboard was updated on October 22, 2026 and Noteful on October 22, 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.*