# Notes Writer vs Focus Up

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Focus Up at 100% against Notes Writer's 45%. Focus Up also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Notes Writer's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes Writer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Focus Up sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notes Writer holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. 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 complicate that: 45% of Notes Writer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Focus Up's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, Focus Up every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes Writer | Focus Up |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-ai-note-taking/id1423643723/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-up-ai-pomodoro-timer/id6739946418/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7.3K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 659 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Zara Mehboob](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787583267) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes Writer

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


### Focus Up

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-up-ai-pomodoro-timer/id6739946418)

This minimalist Pomodoro app uses customizable timers and breathing exercises to enhance concentration and reduce stress. It offers AI-powered focus insights and task organization to help users work smarter and achieve deep focus for work and study.

**Highlights:** Customizable Pomodoro timer, AI-powered focus insights, Breathing techniques for calm, Task organization with tags, Progress tracking and sharing, Ambient sounds for focus, Beautiful themes

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Plan | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Annual Plan | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime PRO | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes Writer free?

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

### Is Focus Up free?

Focus Up is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notes Writer or Focus Up?

Notes Writer is rated higher. Notes Writer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Focus Up averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Notes Writer or Focus Up have ads?

Neither Notes Writer nor Focus Up shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notes Writer or Focus Up?

Notes Writer ships an update every 4 days, and Focus Up every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notes Writer was updated on October 27, 2026 and Focus Up on October 24, 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.*