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, PDFs, voice, documents and AI together on iPad and iPhone. Take notes in class, mark up a contract, record a meeting or plan a thesis, and keep it all in one place that is easy to search and share. HANDWRITING THAT FEELS LIKE PAPER • Write with Apple Pencil using pens, pencils, markers, fountain pens and watercolor brushes, and refine with the lasso, ruler and shapes. • Mix handwriting, typed text, images, stickers and audio on one page. • Choose blank, ruled, Cornell, planner, music or graph paper. • Search your handwriting, check its spelling, or convert it to text, math or LaTeX. • Tap your ink to hear what was said as you wrote it. FOR STUDENTS • Record lectures while you write, then search the transcript. • Hide key facts under Tape, reveal them one by one and turn them into flashcards. • Study flashcards with spaced repetition, reminders and a Home Screen widget. • Make a quiz from your notes, a topic or pasted text, and score yourself. • Circle a problem with Magic Lasso and ask AI to explain, solve or check it. • Find free open textbooks and keep each subject together in a Study Project. FOR PROFESSIONALS • Meeting Notes records and transcribes the meeting, enhances your notes and writes a summary with action items. • Mark up PDFs, fill forms, sign, measure plans and redact text. • Scan paper documents and recognize their text. • Present on an external display or with AirPlay, using a laser pointer. • Brainstorm on whiteboards with sticky notes, images and recordings. • Open Word, RTF, Markdown and plain text, and export to PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML or EPUB. FOR WRITERS AND RESEARCHERS • Draft in rich text and keep your sources open in tabs. • Organize long projects in the Binder, plan on the Corkboard, save snapshots and compile a manuscript or ebook. • Write LaTeX papers with a live PDF preview. • Combine explanations, graphs, charts and Python cells in Math Notebooks. • Structure ideas as outlines and exchange them in OPML. AI THAT WORKS WITH YOUR NOTES • Rewrite, simplify, translate, or fix spelling and grammar. • Ask questions and get answers from your own notes, PDFs and transcripts. • Summarize a reading, a recording or a meeting. You decide what goes into your notes. YOUR NOTES, YOUR WAY • Import notes from other note-taking apps. • Sketch with graphite and charcoal, or paint with watercolor, oils and acrylics. • Share an iPad with separate profiles, each with its own notes and an optional passcode. • Keep folders with covers, and work with files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive and the Files app. • Autosave, recovery, backups and passcodes protect your work. 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 offers a comprehensive suite of tools for note-taking, PDF editing, and digital journaling. It allows users to annotate documents, record audio, and organize study materials with intuitive gesture controls and Apple Pencil support. Enhance your productivity and creativity with this all-in-one study companion.

Highlights
  • Edit and annotate PDF pages
  • Gesture-based highlighting and image capture
  • Record and playback audio notes
  • Bullet journaling with custom templates
  • Multitasking with split-screen view
  • 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 413). 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 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader sells 10 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 4.5 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 413, 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 4 days, Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

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)4.5 (413 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.8% of reviews59.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better413
Update frequencyEvery 4 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
Size688 MB228 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKairoos Solutions SLFlexcil Inc.

Customer experience

Notes Writer

All ratings7,339 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews966 reviews
Positive44.8%
Neutral15.1%
Negative40.1%

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

All ratings413 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.4%
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 413 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

4 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-time1
  • Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
10 purchases

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

One-time10
  • Upgrade product for old usersFree
  • Premium$9.99
  • Flexcil Standard$9.99
Show 7 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
  • Standard & 21-22 Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & Design Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & 2023 Planner Pack$14.99

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?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader averages 4.5 from 413 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 4 days, and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader weekly. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on November 11, 2026 and Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader on November 10, 2026.

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