# Notes Writer vs UPDF

Notes Writer and UPDF both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of UPDF's written reviews are positive against 45% of Notes Writer's. UPDF also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). Notes Writer's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 697). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and UPDF sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. 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 UPDF. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 697, 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 84% of UPDF's.

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, UPDF fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | UPDF |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-ai-note-taking/id1423643723/reviews) | **[4.6 (697 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 697 |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | **84.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 659 MB | 195 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Superace Software Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1595826625) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-ai-note-taking/id1423643723)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $3.99 | per month |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $14.99 | per year |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $4.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $5.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $6.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro Full Unlock | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### UPDF

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/updf-ai-powered-pdf-editor/id1595826623)

This app is a powerful PDF editor for mobile devices, offering AI-powered features for summarizing, translating, and chatting with documents. It allows users to read, edit, annotate, convert, and sign PDFs, as well as scan paper documents into editable files. Manage all your PDF files and protect them with security features.

**Highlights:** AI-powered summarization and translation, Edit text, images, and watermarks in PDFs, Annotate with various markup tools, Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, and PPT, Scan documents to editable PDFs, Sign and fill PDF forms, Organize and protect PDF files

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF AI Standard | $15.00 | per month |
| UPDF Pro + AI Unlimited | $18.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Subscription | $19.00 | per 3 months |
| Annual Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| UPDF AI Standard | $69.00 | per year |
| UPDF AI Unlimited | $79.00 | per year |
| UPDF Pro + AI Standard | $98.99 | per year |
| UPDF Pro + AI Unlimited | $118.99 | per year |
| Perpetual License | $79.99 | one-time |
| Perpetual License | $128.99 | one-time |
| UPDF & AI Add-on for iOS | $148.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent PDF editor
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Powerful features like AI-powered summarization
- 🚀 Fast and responsive performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or stability issues
- 💡 Need for more customization options
- 💡 Lack of integration with third-party cloud storage
- 🐛 Issues with handwriting recognition and annotation

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to edit text directly in PDF files
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices
- Occasional loss of editing progress when app is minimized

**Requested features**

- Add password protection for PDF files
- Improve file organization and folder management
- Implement keyboard shortcuts for power users
- Expand OCR capabilities and text extraction
- Allow custom signature and stamp imports


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes Writer free?

Notes Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is UPDF free?

UPDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notes Writer or UPDF?

UPDF is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while UPDF averages 4.6 from 697 ratings.

### Do Notes Writer or UPDF have ads?

Neither Notes Writer nor UPDF shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notes Writer or UPDF?

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, and UPDF fortnightly. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on October 27, 2026 and UPDF on October 27, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*