Comparison

Notes Writer vs Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

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

Head to head
About

Notes Writer

This app is a comprehensive note-taking and PDF editing solution for mobile devices. It allows users to write, format, and organize notes, annotate PDFs, fill forms, and scan documents. The app offers advanced editing tools, powerful search, and seamless sharing and export options.

Highlights
  • Write and format notes
  • Annotate PDFs and fill forms
  • Organize with unlimited notebooks
  • Powerful full-text search
  • Document scanning
  • Sync with cloud services
  • Export to multiple formats
Features
Read full description

Notes Writer brings handwriting, PDF annotation, rich text, Math Notebooks, voice recordings and AI writing tools into one workspace for iPad and iPhone. Capture a lecture, mark up a paper, plan a project or turn a rough draft into something ready to share. WRITE AND MAKE IT YOURS Create beautifully formatted notes with headings, lists, colors and highlights. Work with Word documents, RTF, Markdown and plain text. Open documents in tabs and move between your ideas and reference material without losing your place. WRITE ON PDFs WITH APPLE PENCIL Take handwritten notes, sketch in the margins and highlight what matters. Choose from pens, pencils, markers, fountain pens and watercolor tools. Use the eraser, lasso and ruler to refine your work. Add text, shapes, images, signatures and audio to PDF notes. Fill forms, organize pages and keep your reading and annotations together. Measure distances and areas on scaled drawings, and apply text redactions in supported PDFs. GIVE YOUR WRITING AN AI ASSIST Rewrite a passage, simplify difficult language, fix spelling and grammar, or adjust the tone. Summarize, translate and explore ideas with AI tools and chat. Keep control of what goes into your notes and documents. CAPTURE VOICE, FIND THE WORDS Record lectures, meetings and ideas while they are fresh. Play recordings back at your pace and generate transcripts to revisit the details. Add recordings to your PDF notes and whiteboards for more context. THINK BEYOND THE PAGE Build visual whiteboards with notes, images and recordings. Capture quick thoughts on sticky notes. Structure ideas in Outline Notes with nested branches, rich text and images. Collapse sections, rearrange your thinking, and import or export outlines in OPML format. WORK THROUGH THE NUMBERS Combine explanations and calculations in Math Notebooks. Explore formulas with the built-in calculation tools and run Python cells when you need more. Create charts, write LaTeX documents and preview the finished PDF alongside your source. ORGANIZE YOUR STUDY AND RESEARCH Bring your notes, readings and research together in Study Projects. Organize subjects, lectures and sources in the Binder, plan ideas on the Corkboard and keep reference material beside your notes. Study Projects give everything a place as your understanding grows. TAKE BIG WRITING PROJECTS FURTHER Organize writing projects into sections in the Binder, plan with a Corkboard and review your writing as a manuscript. Keep research beside your draft, save snapshots and compile your work into a finished document or ebook. ORGANIZE, SCAN AND SHARE Keep notes and documents in folders with recognizable covers. Scan paper documents, import files and find what you need with search. Export supported documents to formats including PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML and EPUB. Use the Files app and supported cloud locations to bring your work with you. LOOK AFTER YOUR WORK Autosave, document recovery and automatic backups help protect your progress. Use app and folder passcodes for an extra layer of privacy. Continue opening your existing Notes Writer PDF notes and outlines as you move to the new workspace. From your first handwritten idea to your final document, make room for the way you think. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

This app is a comprehensive note-taking and PDF reader designed for Apple devices. It allows users to edit PDFs, annotate documents, create bullet journals, and record audio, all while offering intuitive gesture controls and seamless integration with cloud services.

Highlights
  • Edit PDF pages
  • Annotate documents with gestures
  • Record and playback audio
  • Create bullet journals
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Masking pen for precise annotations
Features
Read full description

Flexcil: The world’s ultimate iOS note-taking app Loved by Apple Editors - Editor's Choice, App of the Day, Note-taking on the next level, College Life, Apple Pencil Enhanced, New Apps We Love, Noteworthy Apps & Game, Productivity Boost for teachers Whether you’re taking notes, bullet journaling, reading documents, or editing pages from textbooks ー use Flexcil! It’s the #1 note-taking tool for any Apple device. Simply highlight by pen gestures and capture images and text on the study-note by pen gestures! Save time transcribing summaries by gestures on study-note with your Apple pencil. ALL IN ONE NOTE TAKING • Edit PDF pages • Annotate almost anything • Endless pen colors, sizes, and fonts • Seamlessly highlight and underline text with GESTURE • Summarize and organize your thoughts, texts and notes • Instantly open any PDF for reading and studying • Zoom to read small text • Organize and manage your books AND notes EASY AND INTUITIVE • Drag and paste text flawlessly • Add text and annotate with ease • Smooth Image selection • Reading and pen gesture mode - FLEXCIL EXCLUSIVE • Search the dictionary for any definitions you need • Improved the tiring, old-fashioned way of writing which results in wrist/palm pain BULLET JOURNAL & TAKE BETTER NOTES • Easily create bullet journal pages • Hundreds of colors and pen stroke sizes • Colorful covers & templates • Endless creativity ー perfect for artists, hobbyists, or anyone that wants to make studying more fun • Proven to boost productivity & happiness RECORD & PLAYBACK AUDIO • Record everything you hear whenever you take class notes or writing meeting notes • Replay audio recording and review what you wrote during the class or in the meeting • Tab on your note and hear what was said at the moment MULTITASK • Use Flexcil while other apps are open - take notes during lectures! • Edit 2 PDFs at once • Advanced viewing: full screen view, vertical scroll, 4-page view, and so much more COMPATIBLE WITH: • Zoom • Google Classroom • Google Drive • Dropbox • Box • iCloud • Notes • Digital textbooks • ebooks • PDFs and more! APPLE PENCIL • Simulate real-life note-taking by using your Apple Pencil - easy to use for all ages • Guaranteed ZERO touch malfunctions • Support Apple pencil 2nd generation & double tap Plus, enjoy these NEW FEATURES! • Cloud sync: Access your notes from anywhere, and seamlessly sync across devices. • Masking pen: Enhance your annotations with precision using the masking pen. Take your note-taking to the next level with Flexcil. Download the most comprehensive, easy to use, and innovative study tool on the App Store today! * Support: https://support.flexcil.com * Website: https://www.flexcil.com * Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/flexcil * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flexcil * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjro4WpiFnxqKxAXQmASNwg [Access Permission Guide] • Storage (Photos and Videos): Used for adding images to documents in Flexcil, accessing PDF files, purchasing and downloading store content. • Music and Audio: Used for voice recording features, purchasing and downloading store content. • Microphone: Used for voice recording. • Camera: Used for taking pictures when adding photos. • Notifications: Used to display important notification content.

Screenshots

Notes Writer4 screens
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Notes Writer at none against Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's shown. Notes Writer also leads on ratings volume (7.3K vs 412). Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 45%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. 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 — 4.5 for Notes Writer against 4.4 for Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 412, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of Notes Writer's written reviews are positive against 59% of Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes Writer ships an update every 5 days, Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notes Writer versus Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotes WriterFlexcil Note & Good PDF Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (7.3K ratings) — better4.4 (412 ratings)
Positive reviews45.1% of reviews59.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better412
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size658 MB228 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKairoos Solutions SLFlexcil Inc.

Customer experience

Notes Writer

All ratings7,329 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews956 reviews
Positive45.1%
Neutral15.2%
Negative39.7%

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

All ratings412 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews772 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral11.9%
Negative28.8%

User reviews

Notes Writer

From 7.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth writing experience
  • 💡 Versatile note-taking features
  • 🔒 Good privacy
  • 👍 Useful for various purposes (notes, PDF annotations, etc.)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔒 Limiting free version with paywalls
  • 🐛 Bugs with erasing, page management, and file corruption
  • 🐛 Laggy performance and slow loading times

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

From 412 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best Apps for STUDENTS!!! 😀😀
  • 👍 Love this app
  • 🚀 Powerful multi-page PDF viewer
  • 👍 Great for studying
  • 👍 Excellent app for note taking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🐛 Syncing and backup problems
  • 🐛 Buggy handwriting recognition
  • 🐛 Unreliable palm rejection
  • 🐛 Missing key features from previous version

Bugs and requests

Notes Writer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Inability to recover deleted documents
  • Unexpected behavior when adding/deleting pages
  • Syncing issues and broken links between documents

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more brushes and pen customization options
  • Improve the clipping/selection tool
  • Implement OCR and handwriting search
  • Provide a Mac version

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sudden data loss and file deletion
  • Inability to restore purchases
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior of undo/redo functions
  • Annotations not exporting correctly

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add iCloud sync and backup
  • Improve handwriting search and recognition
  • Bring back reading mode and one-page scrolling
  • Add more pen and brush options
  • Allow customizing notebook paper styles
Show 1 more
  • Implement auto-save and version control

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Notes Writer

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time5
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$3.99
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$4.99
  • Full Version Unlock Pro2 variants$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$6.99
  • Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
13 purchases

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

One-time13
  • Upgrade product for old usersFree
  • Premium$8.99
  • Flexcil Standard$9.99
Show 10 more
  • 2021-2022 Color Planner$11.99
  • Flexcil NEW Design Planner 22$11.99
  • Premium & Toolbar Skin Pack$12.99
  • Hello Kitty Planner 2022$13.99
  • My Melody & Kuromi Planner 22$13.99
  • Standard & 21-22 Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & Design Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & 2023 Planner Pack$14.99
  • 2026 Ultimate Planner(Dated) : Pro$15.49
  • Nelna 6-in-1 Planner Bundle$19.99

Questions

Is Notes Writer free?
Notes Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader free?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notes Writer or Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader?
Notes Writer is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader averages 4.4 from 412 ratings.
Do Notes Writer or Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader have ads?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader shows ads; Notes Writer does not.
Which is updated more often, Notes Writer or Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader?
Notes Writer ships an update every 5 days, and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader weekly. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on October 24, 2026 and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons