# Blue Sketch vs AxNote

The clearest difference is rating: Blue Sketch at 4.7 against AxNote's 4.3. Blue Sketch also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 50%) and ratings volume (339 vs 7). AxNote's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Blue Sketch sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and AxNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Blue Sketch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blue Sketch has 339 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Blue Sketch's written reviews are positive against 50% of AxNote's.

Blue Sketch ships an update monthly, AxNote every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blue Sketch | AxNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (339 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-sketch-handwritten-note/id1491913803/reviews)** | [4.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/axnote-note-taking/id1532017999/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **339** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 23 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hituzi ANDO](https://appshunter.io/developer/531132112) | [Jonathan Benjamin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1667195856) |

## What reviewers say

### Blue Sketch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-sketch-handwritten-note/id1491913803)

This app allows you to quickly sketch and write ideas freely on a blue canvas. It offers essential drawing tools, page management, and sharing options. Focus on your creativity with a minimalist interface and robust organizational features.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note-taking, Drawing tools (pen, line, shapes), Undo/Redo functionality, Page size and scaling options, Image sharing (PNG, JPG, PDF), Document organization (folders, sorting), Read-only mode, Apple Pencil support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 pages | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30 pages | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and effective interface
- 👍 Great for kids
- 👍 Quick and easy to draw
- 👍 Simplistic nature is appreciated
- 👍 Straightforward interface for jotting ideas

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Annoying to buy pages
- 🤔 Frustrating to delete blank pages
- 🤔 Too difficult to use
- 💸 Rip off with per-page charges
- 🤏 Erasing is tedious, needs mass erase option

**Reported bugs**

- App crashed when attempting export on 2019 iPad Pro

**Requested features**

- More shapes for sketches (curves, polygons)
- TEXT field option for readable font
- Pinch/stretch to zoom
- Finer and less pixelated pencil strokes
- Option to add extra pages


### AxNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/axnote-note-taking/id1532017999)

This app offers an intelligent canvas for note-taking, allowing users to generate summaries from text, handwriting, and audio recordings. It supports image annotation, data visualization with tables and charts, and handwriting conversion to typed text. Designed for Apple Pencil, it provides flexible layouts and on-device AI features.

**Highlights:** AI-powered summaries from text, handwriting, and audio, Audio transcription and topic exploration, Image and PDF annotation, Data visualization with tables and charts, Handwriting to typed text conversion, Apple Pencil integration, Customizable layouts

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AxNote+ | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blue Sketch free?

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

### Is AxNote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Blue Sketch or AxNote?

Blue Sketch is rated higher. Blue Sketch averages 4.7 out of 5 from 339 ratings, while AxNote averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.

### Do Blue Sketch or AxNote have ads?

Neither Blue Sketch nor AxNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blue Sketch or AxNote?

Blue Sketch ships an update monthly, and AxNote every 6 weeks. Most recently, Blue Sketch was updated on October 24, 2026 and AxNote on October 25, 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.*