Comparison

PhotoNote vs BookNotes

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

Head to head
About

PhotoNote

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
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Instead of typing letters on the keyboard, I'm sure there are times when I take a picture and use it as a note instead. However, there is a risk that the photo folder will be flooded with notes. It is this application that is useful in such a case. All you have to do is take a picture with the built-in camera. You can organize the notes you have taken with tabs. In addition, the photos you took will be saved in the app, so you won't clutter up your photo folder! Usage examples: - Receipt - Timetable - Cooking Recipes - Deadline for reports written on the blackboard - Organize the screenshot. In addition, you can separate the notes you took with colored tags for each category. Tags can be added, deleted, and reordered from the pre-prepared colors. You can also reorder your notes.

About

BookNotes

Features
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BookNotes 是專為愛做筆記的讀者設計的讀書筆記工具。 拍下書頁,讓文字辨識幫你打字 打開相機對準書頁拍照,App 會直接在手機上辨識中文文字(完全離線運算,不需要網路),辨識完成後只要反白想留下的句子,就能一鍵存成筆記,不用自己一個字一個字打。 依書本整理,頁碼自動附上 每一則筆記都自動記錄你正在讀的書名與頁碼,之後想回頭找某本書某一頁寫了什麼,一目瞭然。 筆記可以互相連結 讀到後面呼應前面某個觀點?把兩則筆記連結在一起,慢慢累積出屬於自己的知識網路——不管是同一本書內,還是跨書的筆記都可以連結。 全域搜尋 不記得是哪本書寫的也沒關係,直接搜尋筆記內容就能找到。 一鍵匯出到 Notion 把整本書的筆記匯出成一個 Notion 頁面,方便你在 Notion 裡繼續整理、分享或延伸寫作。這個功能完全選用,用你自己的 Notion 帳號連接,資料直接從手機傳到你自己的 Notion 工作區。 所有筆記都留在你的手機裡 BookNotes 不需要註冊帳號,你的書本與筆記預設只存在裝置本機,沒有廣告、沒有追蹤。 如果你也習慣一邊讀書一邊做筆記,卻受不了打字打到分心,BookNotes 讓你把力氣留給思考,而不是打字。

Screenshots

PhotoNote3 screens
BookNotes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookNotes at none against PhotoNote's 1. BookNotes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. PhotoNote sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. BookNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, BookNotes every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PhotoNote versus BookNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhotoNoteBookNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSatoshi KobayashiTzu-Ying Chan

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PhotoNote

Subscriptions1
  • Pro plan$3.991 Month
None

BookNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PhotoNote free?
PhotoNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BookNotes free?
BookNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PhotoNote or BookNotes have ads?
PhotoNote shows ads; BookNotes does not.
Which is updated more often, PhotoNote or BookNotes?
PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and BookNotes every 6 days. Most recently, PhotoNote was updated on November 3, 2026 and BookNotes on October 31, 2026.

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