# Notes Writer vs OrigNotes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OrigNotes at 85% against Notes Writer's 45%. OrigNotes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 9) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Notes Writer's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 371). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. OrigNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

OrigNotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 371, 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 85% of OrigNotes's.

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, OrigNotes every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | OrigNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-ai-markup/id1423643723/reviews) | **[4.7 (371 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 371 |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | **84.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 660 MB | 97 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1676398498) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes Writer

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


### OrigNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922)

Capture, organize, and develop your thoughts with a free digital note-taking app. It offers handwritten notes, PDF annotation, mind mapping, and multimedia integration, all optimized for a natural writing experience.

**Highlights:** Handwriting & Drawing with Apple Pencil, PDF Reading & Annotation, Mind Map creation, Handwriting to Text conversion, Powerful Search, Multimedia integration (images, audio, video), Customizable workspace

**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 OrigNotes free?

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

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

OrigNotes is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while OrigNotes averages 4.7 from 371 ratings.

### Do Notes Writer or OrigNotes have ads?

Neither Notes Writer nor OrigNotes shows ads.

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

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, and OrigNotes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on October 30, 2026 and OrigNotes on October 30, 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.*