# Macaw vs Notedrafts

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Macaw at none against Notedrafts's 11. Macaw also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%). Notedrafts's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (761 vs 3). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notedrafts sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Macaw asks for nothing beyond the download.

Macaw holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notedrafts has 761 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Macaw's written reviews are positive against 82% of Notedrafts's.

Macaw ships an update monthly, Notedrafts every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Macaw | Notedrafts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/macaw-to-do/id1438822168/reviews)** | [4.8 (761 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notedrafts-note-taking/id6743032079/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **761** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 81.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 86 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Macaw Work Lab LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1198060119) | [Appycron Interactive e.K.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732266825) |

## What reviewers say

### Macaw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/macaw-to-do/id1438822168)

This app helps you plan your day with intention, breaking down tasks into manageable steps. It offers gentle reminders and encourages daily reflection to foster a sense of progress and reduce stress.

**Highlights:** Daily planning ritual, Task breakdown, Gentle reminders, End-of-day reflection, Sense of progress tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Notedrafts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notedrafts-note-taking/id6743032079)

This app allows you to write, organize, and mark up documents with various tools. It supports PDF annotation, freeform sketching on a large canvas, and vertically extended pages for continuous writing. Customize templates, import various file types, and organize notes with folders and icons.

**Highlights:** Write on PDFs, Freeform canvas sketching, Vertically extended pages, Customizable templates, Import PDFs and images, Organize with folders and icons

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Silver Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gold Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| PRO Version | $5.99 | one-time |
| Platinum Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Notes | $14.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Tip | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Notes | $24.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Notes | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Notes | $49.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Notes | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth writing experience
- 👍 Clean and polished UI
- 🚀 Responsive and fast
- 👍 Elegant note-taking experience
- 👍 Plentiful templates and notebook covers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 Missing features like search, audio recording, and undo
- 🔧 Limited customization options for toolbar and pencil settings

**Reported bugs**

- No issues reported

**Requested features**

- Add support for scribble to erase
- Implement custom notebook covers
- Add pure text writing mode
- Ability to customize toolbar
- Embed URL links with web preview


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Macaw free?

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

### Is Notedrafts free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Macaw or Notedrafts?

Macaw is rated higher. Macaw averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Notedrafts averages 4.8 from 761 ratings.

### Do Macaw or Notedrafts have ads?

Neither Macaw nor Notedrafts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Macaw or Notedrafts?

Macaw ships an update monthly, and Notedrafts every 3 days. Most recently, Macaw was updated on October 9, 2026 and Notedrafts on October 21, 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.*