Comparison

Nautilus vs UltraNotes

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

Head to head
About

Nautilus

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
Read full description

Nautilus is a web browser built for research. Read the web, mark it up, ask AI about what you find, and write up your work without leaving the app, on iPad and iPhone. Students, researchers, journalists, writers and professionals use it to go from first search to finished document in one place. Browse with research tools built in Open pages in tabs, pin the ones you come back to, and keep sites in bookmarks and history. Switch to Reader for a clean page without distractions, or let Reader turn on automatically. Request the desktop version of a site when you need it. Understand any page Ask AI about the page you're reading. Summarize a long article, or translate a page into your language or into English, then switch back to the original at any time. Circle it with Magic Lasso Circle a passage, chart or image on a page. Ask AI to explain it, ask your own question, highlight it, or save it as a clip on your Clippings board so your findings stay together. Mark up the web Draw and write directly on web pages. Export a page with your markup as a PDF in A4, Letter or Legal size, or as a Word document, Markdown, RTF, plain text or an image. Read and annotate your sources Open PDFs, papers and reports in tabs beside your web pages. Highlight, write in the margins, add comments, and compare two documents side by side. Fill and sign forms, scan paper pages into PDFs, measure scaled drawings, and hide sensitive text before you share. Write it up Draft in Word documents, RTF, Markdown or plain text. Plan a long paper or book section by section on a Corkboard, keep your sources open next to the draft, take snapshots of earlier versions, and compile everything into one document or ebook. Study Projects gather the readings for each subject in one place. AI help from first idea to final draft Chat through ideas, ask about your own documents, and get explanations. Rewrite, simplify, correct spelling and grammar, change the tone, or translate what you've written. Also in Nautilus Record lectures and interviews and create transcripts. Connect ideas on whiteboards with sticky notes, organize plans in outlines, and work through calculations and charts in Math Notebooks. Your library, safe and in sync Keep documents in folders and notebooks with covers, and find anything with search. Export to PDF, Word, HTML, EPUB and more. Sync with iCloud, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive or WebDAV. Automatic saving, recovery and backups protect your work, and passcodes lock the app or private folders. Formerly Notes Writer Pro Nautilus is the new name of Notes Writer Pro. Your existing PDF notes and outlines open here. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

UltraNotes

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
Read full description

UltraNotes is a powerful note-taking app and writing app that supports handwriting with Apple Pencil, typing with a keyboard, and annotating PDFs. Handwritten Notes • Create notes with covers and paper templates. Built-in 19 covers and 17 templates. And you could also import your own covers and templates. • 10+ Pens and Brushes: Ball Pen, Fountain Pen, Marker, Crayon, Water Color, Laser, Scribble, Tape etc. • Adjust the thickness and color of the pen tip • Draw perfect shapes and lines. • Write with scribble tool by using Apple Pencil, and it will convert to text instantly. • Use tape tool to help you memorize learning content. • Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to show contextual palette. • Add text box, stickers and images to make your note more beautiful. • Export note to PDF and image Text Notes • Set headings to make TOC(Table of Contents). • Format text with bold, italics, strikethrough, underline • Highlight text with colors • Bullet List, Numbered List and To-Do List. • Set your own font, font size, line spacing, paragraph spacing, and more • Attach files and images on note. • Templates: Resume, Essay, Shopping List, To-Do List, Weekly Planner etc. • Export note to PDF, RTF, HTML, Markdown and Plain TXT Annotation • Mark up PDFs. • Sign documents Search • Search text and handwritting in notes and PDFs. Multi-task • Work with two notes side-by-side on iPad and Mac. • Drag & Drop handwriting, typed text, and images between notes. Presentation • Present your notes on TV screen via AirPlay or HDMI cable. • 3 Presentation Modes: Entire Screen, Current Page and All Pages. • Use laser tool to point out the content what you’re presenting. More • Record audio while you’re taking note. • Set reminder on note. • Organize notes into categories and folders. • Move, copy and delete notes and folders. • Show notes in grid view and list view. • Sort notes by name, date etc. • Scan physical documents and import to UltraNotes. • Import PDFs and images. • Lock app with password or Face ID. Synchronization & Backup • Synchronize notes among your iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. • Backup notes to Google Drive. ===== CONTACT US ===== Email: support@skyjos.com Twitter: @SkyjosApps Facebook: @SkyjosApp

Screenshots

Nautilus4 screens
UltraNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Nautilus and UltraNotes both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% 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.

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. 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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 81% of UltraNotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Nautilus versus UltraNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNautilusUltraNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (3.2K ratings) — better4.6 (187 ratings)
Positive reviews48.3% of reviews81.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.2K — better187
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size502 MB30 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperKairoos Solutions SLSkyjos Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Nautilus

All ratings3,239 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral2.6%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews787 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral15.1%
Negative36.6%

UltraNotes

All ratings181 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive81.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative9.4%

User reviews

Nautilus

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

UltraNotes

From 187 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✍️ 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

Nautilus

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

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

UltraNotes

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • 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
Show 7 more
  • Shape resizing not working after cutting
  • Search functionality crashes app
  • Added pages not saving when importing PDFs
  • PDF import quirks related to iCloud sync
  • App crashes causing data loss
  • Pro version access lost unexpectedly
  • Audio recording cannot be exported

Requested features

21 requests
  • 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
Show 16 more
  • Additional font options
  • More sticker varieties
  • Infinite canvas on all sides
  • Password protection for individual notes
  • Straightened highlighter tool
  • Zoom video with auto-advance feature
  • LaTeX conversion support
  • Hierarchical folder navigation panel
  • Left-right page swiping navigation
  • Borderless canvas option
  • Selection tool with resize capability
  • One-click PDF annotation save option
  • Category deletion/renaming without cloud deletion
  • Audio recording export
  • UI language selection independent of system settings
  • Finger tap to undo functionality

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Nautilus

Subscriptions2
  • Nautilus Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Nautilus Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Nautilus Pro Lifetime$14.99
1 purchases

UltraNotes

One-time1
  • UltraNotes Pro Lifetime$4.99

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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