# Notes Writer vs J

The clearest difference is review sentiment: J at 100% against Notes Writer's 45%. J also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). Notes Writer's advantage is ratings volume (7.3K vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. J asks for nothing beyond the download.

J holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Notes Writer's written reviews are positive against 100% of J's.

Notes Writer ships an update weekly, J fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | J |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-voice-ai/id1423643723/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/j-notes-notepad-lock-draw/id1634043414/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 45.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 626 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Robert Libsansky](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634043416) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-voice-ai/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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $2.99 | 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 | $9.99 | 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


### J

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/j-notes-notepad-lock-draw/id1634043414)

This app helps you organize thoughts, sketch ideas, and manage tasks with a beautiful, intuitive interface. It offers rich text editing, smart organization, and flexible views for a personalized experience. Keep your data private with local storage and no cloud sync.

**Highlights:** Text and drawing notes, Rich text editing, Smart organization (pinning, color-coding), Trash and recovery system, Flexible display views, Calendar and map integration, Reminders and instant search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes Writer free?

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

### Is J free?

J is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

J is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while J averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Notes Writer or J have ads?

Neither Notes Writer nor J shows ads.

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

Notes Writer ships an update weekly, and J fortnightly. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on September 25, 2026 and J on September 18, 2026.

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