Notes Writer vs CollaNote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
CollaNote
This app offers a comprehensive note-taking experience with advanced tools for digital planning, PDF markup, and flashcard creation. It features a wide array of pens, handwriting stabilization, and AI-powered assistance for enhanced productivity and creativity. Organize, secure, and share your notes seamlessly across devices.
- 25+ pens and brushes
- PDF, PPT, DOC markup
- Flashcard creation
- Translation tool
- Audio recording
- AI-powered tools
- Real-time collaboration
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CollaNote: Powerful note-taking app packed with a wide range of tools. Note-taking, PDF markup, digital planning, and flashcards - all in one place! BUILT FOR APPLE PENCIL WITH AN ENHANCED WRITING EXPERIENCE: - 25+ different pens and brushes to transform your notes into artwork. - Handwriting stabilizer for beautiful, smooth writing. - Enjoy a calming ASMR note-taking experience. - Infinite Arc Menu available for both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil Gen 2. IMPORT, MARK-UP, AND EXPORT PDF: - Import and mark up PDFs, PPTs, DOCs, and Images effortlessly. - In-built scanner to digitize your physical documents. - Export notes to PDF and share with ease. POWERFUL TOOLS: - Translation tool to learn new languages, supporting over 90 languages. - Create flashcards with audio and images, or use our extensive library. - Beautiful Planners for tracking tasks, deadlines, and schedules. - Record and sync audio directly within your notes. UNLIMITED PAPERS AND NOTEBOOKS: - Unlimited paper with versatile grids/lines and 150+ colorful templates. - Keep all your notes organized and easily accessible from anywhere. - Automatically back up to iCloud and sync across iOS devices. - Smart Dark Mode for optimal visibility in any lighting. - Password protection for ultimate note security. AI POWERED: - Built-in AI Calculator for complex calculations. - AI drawing tools for perfect shapes. - Get intelligent writing and note-taking assistance. - Generate unique stickers with AI. ENGAGING CREATIVE COMMUNITY: - Join the Public Room to connect with creators worldwide. - Real-time collaboration function (unlimited participants). CollaNote's journey began with a student at Hamburg University, who now leads a dedicated team of individuals devoted to delivering the finest digital paper experience. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our users for their unwavering support since the early days of CollaNote. Download CollaNote now to discover even more surprises!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: CollaNote at 71% against Notes Writer's 45%. CollaNote also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and CollaNote sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CollaNote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.3K and 15K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Notes Writer's written reviews are positive against 71% of CollaNote's.
Notes Writer ships an update every 5 days, CollaNote every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notes Writer | CollaNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (7.3K ratings) | 4.7 (15K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.1% of reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.3K | 15K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 658 MB | 224 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kairoos Solutions SL | Zauberberg Lab Company Limited |
Customer experience
Notes Writer
CollaNote
User reviews
Notes Writer
From 7.3K App Store ratingsWhat 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
CollaNote
From 15K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Very good writing app
- 🚀 Great app and easy to navigate
- 🚀 Excellent note taking app
- 👍 Amazing free note taking app
- 👍 Fantastic for teaching
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitching, crashing, and issues with writing tools
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with PDF annotations and exports
- 🐛 Problems with organization and navigation
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss
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
CollaNote
Reported bugs
6 issues- Pen and eraser issues after updates
- Freezing and crashing when deleting or moving notes
- Inconsistent behavior of favorite pen settings
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Login screen freezes
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- Random deletion of notes and files
Requested features
12 requests- Add landscape mode support
- Improve text editing and formatting
- Enhance organization with nested folders
- Implement better backup and sync options
- Add more pen/pencil customization
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- Improve collaboration and sharing features
- Introduce a zoom window and auto-advance function
- Add more paper style options
- Implement undo/redo functionality
- Allow resizing and manipulating of selected content
- Provide a dark mode option
- Add advanced analytics and dashboard
In-app purchases
Notes Writer
- 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
- Full Version Unlock Pro$3.99
- Full Version Unlock Pro$4.99
- Full Version Unlock Pro2 variants$5.99
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- Full Version Unlock Pro$6.99
- Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
CollaNote
- Lifetime Premium Loyal Users$6.95
- Premium: Time Limited Sale$6.95
- Lifetime Premium Welcome Offer$9.69
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- Lifetime Premium$13.90







