# Memo vs Zotero

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zotero at none against Memo's 4. Zotero also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (436 vs 1). Memo's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Memo sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Zotero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Memo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zotero has 436 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Memo's written reviews are positive against 78% of Zotero's.

Memo ships an update every 6 days, Zotero every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Memo | Zotero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memo-lock-screen-notes/id1435873085/reviews)** | [4.6 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **436** |
| Positive reviews | **84.6% of reviews** | 77.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 21 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Toshihiko Arai](https://appshunter.io/developer/415194231) | [Zotero](https://appshunter.io/developer/1513554811) |

## What reviewers say

### Memo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/memo-lock-screen-notes/id1435873085)

Keep important short notes visible on your lock screen and in notifications. Ideal for lists and reminders that need frequent checking without opening an app.

**Highlights:** Add notes to Notification Center, View notes from lock screen, Organize notes with tags, Mark notes as done with strikethrough, Share notes as Markdown, Save URLs via Share Extension, Import line-by-line lists

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy me two coffees | $9.99 | one-time |
| Memo Pro | $10.00 | one-time |
| Big support | $19.99 | one-time |


### Zotero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812)

This research tool helps you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share your academic and professional work. Save articles, books, and webpages, add notes and highlights, and generate bibliographies in thousands of styles. Collaborate with others and sync your library across devices.

**Highlights:** Collect research from various sources, Organize with collections and tags, Annotate PDFs and webpages, Generate citations and bibliographies, Collaborate in group libraries, Sync across devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and powerful
- 🚀 Convenient and useful
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 🚀 Excellent reference management
- 👍 Great annotation and PDF reading experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Syncing issues with WebDAV
- 🐛 Metadata not automatically extracted from PDFs
- 🐛 Annotation tools could be improved
- 🐛 Limited sorting and filtering options

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to unzip PDF snapshots
- Annotations disappearing or moving unexpectedly
- Dark mode not working as expected
- Inability to add citations directly from the app

**Requested features**

- Eraser tool for annotations
- More color options for pen and highlighter
- Ability to open PDFs in external apps
- Bookmarking and table of contents support
- Improved search functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Memo free?

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

### Is Zotero free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Memo or Zotero?

Memo is rated higher. Memo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Zotero averages 4.6 from 436 ratings.

### Do Memo or Zotero have ads?

Memo shows ads; Zotero does not.

### Which is updated more often, Memo or Zotero?

Memo ships an update every 6 days, and Zotero every 3 weeks. Most recently, Memo was updated on November 2, 2026 and Zotero 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.*