Comparison

NoteBuddy vs CalenDraw

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NoteBuddy

This note-taking application offers a comprehensive suite of tools for organizing thoughts and ideas. It supports rich text formatting, image insertion, and freehand drawing. Features like folder organization and iCloud synchronization ensure your notes are accessible and secure.

Highlights
  • Rich text editing
  • Add images and drawings
  • Folder and subfolder support
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Backup feature
  • Apple Pencil support
Features
Read full description

Note taking app with all important features you need: - rich text editing (bold, italic, underline, text alignments, text color, etc.) - add images - add drawings and hand written notes - support for folders and subfolders - iCloud synchronization - backup feature Including Support for: - Dynamic Type - Split Screen - Apple Pencil

About

CalenDraw

This app combines handwritten notes, drawings, and calendars in a single digital workspace. It allows for direct annotation on your calendar with a stylus, event management, and integration with other popular calendar and reminder services. Organize your thoughts and schedule visually.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes and drawings on calendar
  • Color-coded scheduling
  • Drag and drop event rescheduling
  • Keyboard event entry
  • Calendar and reminder integration
  • Full-text search
  • Customizable widgets
Read full description

Transform your ideas into beautifully organized plans with CalenDraw, where creative expression meets efficient planning. Seamlessly blend handwritten notes, drawings, and calendars in one intuitive digital workspace. CalenDraw is your digital planner reimagined. Make Your Calendar Personal • Write and draw directly on your calendar with Apple Pencil • Color code your schedule to stay organized • Drag and drop events to reschedule • Enter events with keyboard using rich text when your Pencil isn't handy Seamless Integration • Import events from Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook • Sync with iCloud across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Integrate with Apple Reminders • Get notifications on your iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac • Add widgets to your Home Screen for quick views Stay Organized • Create and manage multiple task lists • Check off completed tasks • Link journal entries to specific dates • Organize thoughts in separate notebooks • Switch between Month, Week, and Day views Power Features • Find anything instantly with full-text search across all your calendars, notes, and tasks • Keep your planning seamless by connecting your Apple Reminders • Save time by storing your favorite drawing tools and colors in the Pencil Case for quick access Perfect for: Students combining class schedules with study notes Professionals planning creative projects Anyone who loves to visualize their plans and ideas Visual thinkers and creative organizers Journal enthusiasts and planners Subscription Information: Payment will be charged to your iTunes account after the trial ends upon confirmation. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled 24-hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited upon purchasing a subscription. Terms of Service: https://www.databenice.com/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.databenice.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

NoteBuddy3 screens
CalenDraw4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CalenDraw at 4.5 against NoteBuddy's 3.3. CalenDraw also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 22%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). NoteBuddy's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NoteBuddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and CalenDraw sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CalenDraw holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CalenDraw has 3.1K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of NoteBuddy's written reviews are positive against 57% of CalenDraw's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoteBuddy ships an update every 3 months, CalenDraw every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NoteBuddy versus CalenDraw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteBuddyCalenDraw
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (16 ratings)4.5 (3.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings163.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB79 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOleg MuellerDataBeNice LLC

Customer experience

NoteBuddy

All ratings16 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative43.8%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative77.8%

CalenDraw

All ratings2,941 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews303 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral16.8%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

NoteBuddy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

CalenDraw

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Reminders showing up on wrong dates
  • Calendar dates not aligning correctly
  • Inability to delete task lists
  • Keyboard getting stuck
  • Pencil drawing functionality not working

Requested features

5 requests
  • Separate pages for notebooks and task lists
  • Option to remove animations
  • Ability to import photos/images
  • Weekly and yearly calendar views
  • Handwriting-to-text conversion

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NoteBuddy

One-time1
  • NoteBuddy Pro$2.99
5 purchases

CalenDraw

Subscriptions5
  • CalenDraw Pro3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Pro Access3 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • CalenDraw Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • CalenDraw Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • CalenDraw Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is NoteBuddy free?
NoteBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CalenDraw free?
CalenDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NoteBuddy or CalenDraw?
CalenDraw is rated higher. NoteBuddy averages 3.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while CalenDraw averages 4.5 from 3.1K ratings.
Do NoteBuddy or CalenDraw have ads?
Neither NoteBuddy nor CalenDraw shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NoteBuddy or CalenDraw?
NoteBuddy ships an update every 3 months, and CalenDraw every 2 weeks. Most recently, NoteBuddy was updated on August 17, 2026 and CalenDraw on September 24, 2026.

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