Notes Writer vs Notewise
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notes Writer
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.
- 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
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Notes Writer brings handwriting, PDFs, voice, documents and AI together on iPad and iPhone. Take notes in class, mark up a contract, record a meeting or plan a thesis, and keep it all in one place that is easy to search and share. HANDWRITING THAT FEELS LIKE PAPER • Write with Apple Pencil using pens, pencils, markers, fountain pens and watercolor brushes, and refine with the lasso, ruler and shapes. • Mix handwriting, typed text, images, stickers and audio on one page. • Choose blank, ruled, Cornell, planner, music or graph paper. • Search your handwriting, check its spelling, or convert it to text, math or LaTeX. • Tap your ink to hear what was said as you wrote it. FOR STUDENTS • Record lectures while you write, then search the transcript. • Hide key facts under Tape, reveal them one by one and turn them into flashcards. • Study flashcards with spaced repetition, reminders and a Home Screen widget. • Make a quiz from your notes, a topic or pasted text, and score yourself. • Circle a problem with Magic Lasso and ask AI to explain, solve or check it. • Find free open textbooks and keep each subject together in a Study Project. FOR PROFESSIONALS • Meeting Notes records and transcribes the meeting, enhances your notes and writes a summary with action items. • Mark up PDFs, fill forms, sign, measure plans and redact text. • Scan paper documents and recognize their text. • Present on an external display or with AirPlay, using a laser pointer. • Brainstorm on whiteboards with sticky notes, images and recordings. • Open Word, RTF, Markdown and plain text, and export to PDF, DOCX, RTF, HTML or EPUB. FOR WRITERS AND RESEARCHERS • Draft in rich text and keep your sources open in tabs. • Organize long projects in the Binder, plan on the Corkboard, save snapshots and compile a manuscript or ebook. • Write LaTeX papers with a live PDF preview. • Combine explanations, graphs, charts and Python cells in Math Notebooks. • Structure ideas as outlines and exchange them in OPML. AI THAT WORKS WITH YOUR NOTES • Rewrite, simplify, translate, or fix spelling and grammar. • Ask questions and get answers from your own notes, PDFs and transcripts. • Summarize a reading, a recording or a meeting. You decide what goes into your notes. YOUR NOTES, YOUR WAY • Import notes from other note-taking apps. • Sketch with graphite and charcoal, or paint with watercolor, oils and acrylics. • Share an iPad with separate profiles, each with its own notes and an optional passcode. • Keep folders with covers, and work with files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive and the Files app. • Autosave, recovery, backups and passcodes protect your work. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Notewise
Capture, organize, and interact with all your information in one place. This app combines writing, drawing, audio recording, and PDF annotation with powerful AI search and chat capabilities to help you learn and create.
- Handwritten notes and freeform sketching
- Audio recording with real-time transcription
- PDF annotation and document import
- AI-powered search and chat
- Convert notes to flashcards, quizzes, and podcasts
- Web clipping and research integration
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Featured multiple times on the App Store. 8M+ downloads. Trusted by millions worldwide. Your meetings, lectures, ideas, and research don’t arrive in one format. Your notes shouldn’t have to either. Notewise brings together what you write, record, draw, read, and save. Capture it once, then find it again, ask about it, learn from it, and build on it. Notewise is an AI note-taking app for iPhone and iPad with handwritten notes, audio recording and transcription, PDF annotation, documents, web sources, and AI search and chat. ■ CAPTURE EVERYTHING IN ONE NOTE • Write, type, or handwrite notes • Sketch ideas and diagrams on a freeform canvas • Record meetings, lectures, conversations, and voice notes • Import 25+ file formats, including PDFs, documents, slides, images, and more • Add website links and bring web research into your notes • Scan paper notes and whiteboards Start with whatever is in front of you. Add things in any order, and keep related notes, recordings, files, and ideas together as you go. ■ SEARCH & ASK ACROSS YOUR NOTES Search handwritten notes, typed text, audio transcripts, PDFs, documents, and images. Ask Notewise AI about the note you’re in or across all your notes. Search the web when you need more context. Answers can cite the notes, recordings, files, and sources behind them, so you can always see where the information came from. Search less. Pick up where you left off and keep thinking. ■ RECORD, TRANSCRIBE & ASK IN REAL TIME Stay focused on the meeting, lecture, or conversation instead of trying to write down every word. • Automatic transcription in 20+ languages • Key points, decisions, and next steps • Ask questions while a meeting or lecture is still happening • Ask across past recordings later • Keep audio, meeting notes, PDFs, and related documents together Meeting notes become more than transcripts. Class notes stay useful long after the lecture ends. ■ WRITE, DRAW & ANNOTATE FREELY Handwrite a page. Draw a diagram. Work through a problem. Mark up a PDF. Move things around until the idea makes sense. Choose from 30+ brushes and tools — including pencil, oil paint, watercolor, highlighter, lasso, tape, shapes, tables, rulers, sticky notes, and more. Start from 20+ templates or create your own, from Cornell notes to meeting notes and custom workflows. ■ TURN NOTES INTO FLASHCARDS, QUIZZES & PODCASTS Good notes don’t all look the same. Turn study notes, meeting notes, or research into AI notes, summaries, flashcards, quizzes, podcasts, and more — using the same material in the format that helps you most. Summarize a recording. Ask questions about a PDF. Search handwritten notes. Find connections across different notes. Sometimes you want AI. Sometimes you just want a blank page. Notewise gives you both. ■ FOR WORK, STUDY & RESEARCH Use Notewise for meeting notes, lecture recording, handwritten and digital notes, voice notes, PDF annotation, research papers, brainstorming, and search across everything you save. On iOS 27, use Siri AI to create, edit, and find information in your notes, or Visual Intelligence to surface related content from what you see. Whether you’re building a company, studying for an exam, researching your next idea, or simply trying to remember what matters, Notewise gives your thinking one place to grow. ■ PRIVACY FIRST Notewise is built by a small, independent team. We don’t sell your data or show ads. Your notes are encrypted, secure, and under your control. ■ TRY NOTEWISE FREE Start with 10 free canvas notes and import your own slides and documents. Explore Notewise with a 7-day free trial, while core features remain free to use. Write. Record. Draw. Remember. Privacy Policy: https://www.notewise.dev/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://www.notewise.dev/terms-conditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Notes Writer at 7.3K against Notewise's 297. Notewise's advantage is review sentiment (57% vs 45%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Notewise sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 Notewise. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes Writer has 7.3K ratings behind it against 297, 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 57% of Notewise's.
Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, Notewise every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.
| Parameter | Notes Writer | Notewise |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (7.3K ratings) | 4.6 (297 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.7% of reviews | 57.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.3K — better | 297 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 688 MB | 369 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kairoos Solutions SL | ZIIKR |
Customer experience
Notes Writer
Notewise
User reviews
Notes Writer
From 7.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth writing experience
- 💡 Versatile note-taking features
- 🔒 Good privacy
- 👍 Useful for various purposes (notes, PDF annotations, etc.)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Limiting free version with paywalls
- 🐛 Bugs with erasing, page management, and file corruption
- 🐛 Laggy performance and slow loading times
Notewise
From 297 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🔄 Excellent cross-platform synchronization (Android, iOS, Mac, PC)
- ✨ Comprehensive feature set with tables, shapes, and drawing tools
- 🎨 High-quality dark mode implementation
- 📱 Works seamlessly across multiple devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes after updates
- 🐛 Handwriting and annotations disappearing randomly
- 🐛 Lasso selection tool includes unwanted background
- 🐛 App freezes and lags when highlighting large areas
- 🐛 Text input fields not functioning properly
Bugs and requests
Notes Writer
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
4 requests- Add more brushes and pen customization options
- Improve the clipping/selection tool
- Implement OCR and handwriting search
- Provide a Mac version
Notewise
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes on every update
- Handwritten content randomly disappears
- Annotations vanishing intermittently
- Lasso selection tool malfunctions
- Text input fields not responding
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- App freezes when highlighting large areas with markers
- Handwriting input not registering
- Palm rejection issues causing unwanted marks
- Shape recognition failures
- Scribble-to-erase function unreliable
- PDF export causing app crashes
- Notes auto-deleting or getting corrupted
- Sync getting stuck mid-process
- Slow and delayed cross-device synchronization
- UI elements obscuring page content after 20+ minutes of use
- Copy-paste functionality limited and unreliable
- App performance degradation over time
- Glitchy behavior with shape drawing mode
Requested features
20 requests- Add layers feature for advanced editing
- Implement automatic zoom box that follows writing
- Add pencil, waterbrush, and crayon drawing tools
- Sticker marketplace or sticker customization
- Horizontal page flipping/swiping navigation
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- Ability to pause real-time syncing
- MacBook native app with full feature parity
- More shape customization (arcs for graphing)
- Improved text formatting and customization options
- Single page view mode (vertical and horizontal)
- Notebook organization beyond just pages
- Magnifying glass tool like GoodNotes
- More pen and pencil style options
- Line spacing customization for text
- PDF import from web/internet
- Printing functionality
- Audio recording and sharing capabilities
- Hyperlink support on desktop version
- Scroll locking to prevent accidental page movement
- Better shape recognition (arrows, parentheses)
In-app purchases
Notes Writer
- Weekly$1.997 Days
- Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
Notewise
- Notewise Cloud Basic Monthly$4.991 Month
- Notewise Cloud Starter Monthly$6.991 Month
- Notewise Cloud Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Notewise Cloud Pro Monthly$15.991 Month
- Notewise Cloud Basic Yearly$28.991 Year
- Notewise Cloud Starter Yearly7 Days trial$36.991 Year
- Notewise Cloud Plus Yearly7 Days trial$69.991 Year
- Notewise Cloud Pro Yearly7 Days trial$129.991 Year
- Notewise Marketplace Content$5.99
- Notewise Unlimited$19.99







