# PhotoNote vs Pocket Note

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PhotoNote at 100% against Pocket Note's 33%. PhotoNote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Pocket Note's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PhotoNote sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and Pocket Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PhotoNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Note has 14 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of PhotoNote's written reviews are positive against 33% of Pocket Note's.

PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, Pocket Note every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoNote | Pocket Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photonote-take-note-by-camera/id1465555338/reviews)** | [4.3 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-note-handwritten-note/id1498583819/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **14** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 35 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Satoshi Kobayashi](https://appshunter.io/developer/909987119) | [NAOAKI SEKIGUCHI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146328819) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photonote-take-note-by-camera/id1465555338)

Capture information visually by taking photos instead of typing. Organize your visual notes with tabs and colored tags. Photos are stored within the app, preventing clutter in your device's photo gallery.

**Highlights:** Capture notes via camera, Organize with tabs, Categorize with colored tags, Internal photo storage, Reorder notes and tags

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro plan | $1.99 | per month |


### Pocket Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-note-handwritten-note/id1498583819)

Transform your device into a powerful business notepad. Quickly capture ideas with handwriting, typing, and rich media. Organize notes into groups and export them as images or PDFs for easy sharing and printing.

**Highlights:** Handwritten and typed input, Customizable pen sizes and colors, Paste photos and maps, Insert figures and lines, Export as image or PDF, Organize notes into groups, iCloud synchronization

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pocket Note License | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoNote free?

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

### Is Pocket Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, PhotoNote or Pocket Note?

PhotoNote is rated higher. PhotoNote averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Pocket Note averages 4.3 from 14 ratings.

### Do PhotoNote or Pocket Note have ads?

Both PhotoNote and Pocket Note show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoNote or Pocket Note?

PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pocket Note every 2 months. Most recently, PhotoNote was updated on October 8, 2026 and Pocket Note on October 6, 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.*