# Notes Writer vs Digital Notebook

The clearest difference is ads: Notes Writer at none against Digital Notebook's shown. Notes Writer also leads on review sentiment (45% vs 10%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 weeks). Digital Notebook's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Digital Notebook sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 4.5 for Digital Notebook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 249, 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 10% of Digital Notebook's.

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, Digital Notebook every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | Digital Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-quiz-docs/id1423643723/reviews) | **[4.5 (249 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-notebook-note-taking/id6449457503/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 249 |
| Positive reviews | **44.8% of reviews** | 10.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 688 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Appsprings, TOO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689193977) |

## 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


### Digital Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-notebook-note-taking/id6449457503)

This app offers a versatile platform for handwriting notes, journaling, and creative planning. It includes tools for students, daily organization, and digital bullet journaling, enhanced by an AI assistant for brainstorming and inspiration.

**Highlights:** Handwriting notes with pen, pencil, ruler, eraser, Bullet journaling and daily planning templates, Personal AI assistant for brainstorming, Drawing board and sketch tools, Import and annotate PDF documents, Organize notes and files

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 week subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Note taking & PDF markup tools | $2.99 | per month |
| Note taking & PDF markup tools | $4.99 | per month |
| 1 Week Subscription | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| 3 months subscription | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $14.99 | per year |
| 1 Month Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| 12 Months Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| 3 Months | $41.49 | per 3 months |
| 12 Months Subscription | $66.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes Writer free?

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

### Is Digital Notebook free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notes Writer or Digital Notebook?

Digital Notebook is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Digital Notebook averages 4.5 from 249 ratings.

### Do Notes Writer or Digital Notebook have ads?

Digital Notebook shows ads; Notes Writer does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notes Writer or Digital Notebook?

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, and Digital Notebook every 5 weeks. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on November 11, 2026 and Digital Notebook on November 11, 2026.

---

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