# 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 4) 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 382). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 4 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 382, 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. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | OrigNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-quiz-docs/id1423643723/reviews) | **[4.7 (382 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 382 |
| Positive reviews | 44.8% 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 | 688 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-quiz-docs/id1423643723)

This app combines handwriting, PDFs, voice recordings, and AI for note-taking, document annotation, and idea organization. It offers a paper-like writing experience with various tools and supports students, professionals, and writers with specialized features.

**Highlights:** Handwriting with Apple Pencil, PDF annotation and form filling, Voice recording and transcription, AI-powered writing assistance, Flashcard creation and spaced repetition, Quiz generation from notes, Document import and export

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| 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 |
| 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 382 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 November 11, 2026 and OrigNotes on November 7, 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.*