# Nautilus vs UltraNotes

Nautilus and UltraNotes both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of UltraNotes's written reviews are positive against 48% of Nautilus's. UltraNotes also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Nautilus's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 187). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nautilus sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and UltraNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Nautilus against 4.6 for UltraNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nautilus has 3.2K ratings behind it against 187, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of Nautilus's written reviews are positive against 82% of UltraNotes's.

Nautilus ships an update fortnightly, UltraNotes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nautilus | UltraNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nautilus-web-word-annotate/id1422480068/reviews)** | [4.6 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6468902627/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.2K** | 187 |
| Positive reviews | 48.3% of reviews | **81.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 502 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) |

## What reviewers say

### Nautilus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nautilus-web-word-annotate/id1422480068)

This app is a research-focused web browser and writing tool for iPad and iPhone. It allows users to read, annotate web pages and PDFs, and use AI for summarization and content generation. The app also supports document creation and organization, syncing across cloud services.

**Highlights:** Web browsing with research tools, AI-powered page summarization and translation, Direct annotation on web pages and PDFs, Export markup as PDF, Word, or Markdown, Integrated document drafting and organization, Cloud syncing with Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud, Lecture and interview recording with transcripts

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nautilus Unlock All and AI | $3.99 | per month |
| Nautilus Unlock All and AI | $14.99 | per year |
| Nautilus Pro Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
- 📁 Great folder organization
- 🎨 Customizable notebook covers
- 🔍 Useful PDF annotation tools
- 🤖 Impressive AI capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Sync and file transfer issues
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag
- 🔒 Poor customer support
- 💰 Misleading upgrade pricing

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly disappearing
- Formatting issues with text and images
- Unreliable audio recording and playback
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inability to transfer files between free and pro versions

**Requested features**

- Handwriting recognition
- Improved eraser and shape tools
- Customizable keyboard and toolbar
- Better integration with cloud storage
- Ability to rotate and resize images


### UltraNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6468902627)

This app combines powerful note-taking, handwriting, and PDF annotation features. Create rich text notes, sketch with various tools, and mark up documents. Organize, search, and sync your notes across devices.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, Rich text formatting and templates, PDF annotation and signing, Cross-device synchronization via iCloud, Searchable handwriting and text, Side-by-side multitasking on iPad/Mac, Audio recording with notes

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UltraNotes Pro Lifetime | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✍️ Excellent handwriting and pen experience
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 🎨 Variety of pen styles and drawing tools
- 💰 One-time purchase with no subscription
- 🔒 Strong privacy policy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Writing/drawing input not registering properly
- 🐛 Frequent page scrolling when attempting to write
- 🔄 Slow or unreliable iCloud sync
- 📤 Export functionality issues
- 🔍 Search feature crashes the app

**Reported bugs**

- Writing and drawing input not working
- Page scrolling interferes with writing
- iCloud sync not functioning
- Export to other apps failing
- Hand gestures changing page zoom during writing

**Requested features**

- Ability to lock zoom while writing with Apple Pencil
- Resize shapes after cutting/moving them
- Export notes to PDF and other apps
- Dark/light theme toggle for pages
- Nested list item support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nautilus free?

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

### Is UltraNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nautilus or UltraNotes?

Nautilus is rated higher. Nautilus averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while UltraNotes averages 4.6 from 187 ratings.

### Do Nautilus or UltraNotes have ads?

Neither Nautilus nor UltraNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nautilus or UltraNotes?

Nautilus ships an update fortnightly, and UltraNotes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Nautilus was updated on November 6, 2026 and UltraNotes 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.*