# Scrutiny vs Notewave

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Scrutiny at none against Notewave's 4. Scrutiny also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notewave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Scrutiny asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scrutiny ships an update every 3 weeks, Notewave every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scrutiny | Notewave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marc Plunkett](https://appshunter.io/developer/1449138023) | [DOTFORGE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806698523) |

## What reviewers say

### Scrutiny

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrutiny/id1449138024)

Discover and organize academic research effortlessly on your phone. Search over 300 million papers from trusted sources in seconds and swipe through results to save or skip. Streamline your workflow and stay productive anywhere, anytime.

**Highlights:** Search 300+ million research papers, Swipe to save or skip results, Organize academic research, Streamline research workflow, Mobile research on the go

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Notewave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notewave-ai-note-taker/id6756077349)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $44.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scrutiny free?

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

### Is Notewave free?

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

### Do Scrutiny or Notewave have ads?

Notewave shows ads; Scrutiny does not.

### Which is updated more often, Scrutiny or Notewave?

Scrutiny ships an update every 3 weeks, and Notewave every 2 weeks. Most recently, Scrutiny was updated on October 18, 2026 and Notewave on October 5, 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.*