Notes Writer vs Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app
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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Every note. Every format. Unlimited Digital Notebooks. Like paper, but better. Take lecture notes, prepare for exams and develop your research. Bring the same tools to manuscripts, interviews, lesson plans, meetings and creative projects. Notes Writer keeps your work together on iPad, iPhone and compatible Apple silicon Macs. Designed for students and anyone who wants to learn, create and stay organized—including teachers, writers, journalists, doctors, architects, illustrators, mathematicians, researchers and business professionals. WRITE & CAPTURE • Handwriting, sketching & painting Take handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, type a document or explore a concept through drawing. Use dedicated sketching, watercolor and oil painting tools for illustrations and creative work. • PDF annotation Review lecture slides, medical literature and professional reports. Highlight PDFs, add comments, images and shapes, fill forms and sign documents. Keep your annotations beside the source material. • Recording & transcription Record lectures, business meetings and interviews, transcribe the audio and search the transcript for the detail you need. Add recordings to PDF notes and whiteboards, then listen back at your own pace. STUDY & RESEARCH • Courses, manuscripts & research projects Choose an optional project tree to arrange topics, sources and drafts in a Study Project. Use the Binder for structure, the Corkboard to plan sections and compilation to assemble a document or ebook. • Whiteboards, diagrams & outlines Create whiteboards with notes, images, recordings and tables. Build flowcharts and diagrams to explain a process, compare findings or plan a lesson or project. Use Outline Notes when your ideas need a hierarchy. • Flashcards & review Create flashcards with text, handwriting and images, or generate them from notes and PDFs with optional AI tools. Review with spaced repetition, answer by typing or speaking, and track your progress. MATH & SCIENCE • Calculations, Python & charts Math Notebooks combine written reasoning, symbolic calculations and Python cells. Plot results, explore a model and present your data in editable Chart documents. • LaTeX & technical PDFs Write technical papers in LaTeX and compile them to PDF with a preview of the result. For plans and technical drawings, set a scale and measure distances, perimeters and areas directly on the PDF. ORGANIZE & SHARE • Notebooks, folders & templates Create and customize folders, subfolders and notebooks. Choose names, covers and paper templates that suit each course or project. Scan handouts, search your collection and manage documents with sorting, moving and grouping tools. • Documents side by side Open documents in tabs and work with your reading and draft side by side. Create a study planner, lesson plan, research journal or manuscript within the same library. • Formats for your work Work across PDF, Microsoft Word (DOCX), EPUB, RTF, Markdown, plain text (TXT), HTML, LaTeX and OPML outlines. Edit formatted documents, read ebooks and export supported documents as PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML or EPUB. Export options vary by document type. • Sync, backup & privacy Sync with iCloud and work with Dropbox and Google Drive files through the Files app, with changes synced by your provider. Set up automatic document backups, use autosave and recovery, and protect the app and folders with a passcode. OPTIONAL AI ASSISTANT Ask questions about your notes and documents, simplify an explanation, summarize a reading or refine your writing. Use translation, grammar and tone tools when they help. Review every suggestion and decide what belongs in your work. Start a notebook. Study, create and work your way. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app
Record, transcribe, and organize lectures, meetings, and ideas with AI-powered summaries, instant answers, and quick actions. Export notes as polished PDFs for easy sharing and collaboration.
- Automatic transcription with time-stamps
- AI-generated summaries and key takeaways
- Ask AI questions about your notes
- Quick AI actions: translate, proofread, expand
- Export notes as PDF
- Record lectures and meetings
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Never Take Notes Again. Greatnotes5 automatically records your lectures and meetings, turning conversations into word-for-word transcripts, concise summaries, key points, and action items in seconds. Who Is Greatnotes5 For? • Professionals taking meeting notes automatically • Students recording lectures and creating study notes • Teams tracking decisions and action items • Journalists recording interviews • Researchers capturing discussions and insights • Anyone who wants AI-powered notes and transcription What Does Greatnotes5 Do? Record meetings and instantly generate: • Meeting transcripts • AI summaries • Meeting minutes • Action items • Follow-ups • Key takeaways • Searchable notes Perfect for team meetings, client calls, interviews, and workshops. Lecture Notes & Study Assistant: Turn lectures and classes into organized study materials. • Lecture transcripts • AI-generated study notes • Lecture summaries • Key concepts • Important highlights • Exam preparation materials Focus on learning while Greatnotes5 handles note taking. Speech To Text Transcription: Convert audio into accurate text. • Meeting transcription • Lecture transcription • Interview transcription • Voice memo transcription • Conversation transcription Every transcript includes timestamps for easy review. Supports 50+ languages. Chat With Your Recordings: Ask questions about meetings, lectures, and recordings. • What decisions were made? • What are my action items? • Summarize this meeting. • What questions were asked? • What are the lecture highlights? • What deadlines were mentioned? Find answers in seconds without searching through recordings. AI Writing Assistant: Improve and organize notes with AI. • Summarize notes • Rewrite professionally • Improve grammar • Translate notes • Generate titles • Create highlights • Continue writing • Change tone • Paraphrase content PDF & Document Support Upload PDFs and documents to: • Generate summaries • Extract key information • Review content faster • Organize research materials Share Anywhere Export notes as PDF and share with coworkers, classmates, teachers, clients, and teams. Frequently Asked Questions What is the best AI note taking app for iPhone? Greatnotes5 records meetings, lectures, interviews, and conversations, then automatically creates transcripts, AI summaries, meeting notes, lecture notes, action items, and searchable notes. Can this app record meetings and create notes automatically? Yes. Greatnotes5 records meetings, converts speech to text, generates meeting minutes, creates summaries, and extracts action items automatically. Can Greatnotes5 transcribe audio into text? Yes. Greatnotes5 converts speech into accurate, time-stamped transcripts for meetings, lectures, interviews, classes, and voice recordings. Can students use Greatnotes5 for studying? Yes. Record lectures, generate study notes, review key concepts, and prepare for exams with AI-powered note taking. Can I chat with my notes? Yes. Ask questions about recordings and instantly find decisions, action items, summaries, and important details. Does Greatnotes5 create AI summaries? Yes. Greatnotes5 generates AI summaries, meeting minutes, lecture notes, highlights, key takeaways, and action items from recordings and documents. How does Greatnotes5 work? Greatnotes5 is an AI note taking app that records meetings, lectures, interviews, voice memos, and conversations, then automatically creates transcripts, AI summaries, meeting notes, action items, key takeaways, and searchable notes. Turn every meeting, lecture, and conversation into organized, searchable knowledge with Greatnotes5. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_wdVmWyFuw-bcjgMOr1xqLdBZs47o3anwCtNAM9XUBo/edit?usp=sharing Terms of Usage: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14FDMmPF4e01WpDefHlvt_WyrZwotTlCAlnjeBYPYtPw/edit?tab=t.0 Subscription Terms: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTLrmLEFdZoJEw6EAV6CH15amxOVuYteuLpKFUmB1I4/edit?tab=t.0
Screenshots
Verdict
Notes Writer and Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app's written reviews are positive against 45% of Notes Writer's. Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Notes Writer's advantage is ratings volume (7.3K vs 1.4K). 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
Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Notes Writer against 4.6 for Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 1.4K, 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 66% of Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app's.
Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Notes Writer | Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (7.3K ratings) | 4.6 (1.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | 66.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.3K — better | 1.4K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 5 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 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 660 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kairoos Solutions SL | Kanza Ahmad |
Customer experience
Notes Writer
Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app
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
Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app
- GreatNotes Weekly Premium$3.997 Days
- GreatNotes 40% Off7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
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- Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- GreatNotes Yearly Offer7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- GreatNotes Yearly Premium$59.991 Year
- Lifetime$29.99
- Lifetime$239.99
Questions
Is Notes Writer free?
Is Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app free?
Which has better reviews, Notes Writer or Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app?
Do Notes Writer or Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notes Writer or Greatnotes5 AI Note Taking app?
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