Comparison

Highlights vs SpeakPen

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

Head to head
About

Highlights

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

Highlights
  • Read and browse PDF documents
  • Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Add comments and sticky notes
  • Extract annotations into organized notes
  • Convert table data and recognize text
  • Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex)
  • Lookup citation metadata and DOI links
Features
Read full description

"... an app that students, academics, and anyone who does substantial amounts of PDF-based research should try" - Macstories.net "It’s the novel approach to PDF annotation that makes this app a cut above the rest"- TapSmart.com *** "App of the Day" - App Store, US *** USE HIGHLIGHTS FOR FREE Highlights is a fast and lightweight PDF reader (under 10MB) packed with features to help you do your best research. Free users have access to standard PDF reader features including document browsing, reading and annotating. There are NO ADS, time limits or tracking. READ PDF DOCUMENTS • Open PDF documents from anywhere • Browse files using the familiar document browser • Open PDFs in Single Page or Two Page scroll mode • Double tap to Smart Zoom in on a paragraph or figure • Scrub smoothly to the desired page • Search the entire document in an instant • Navigate using any connected keyboard or mouse STORE YOUR FILES WHERE YOU WANT • Full support for "Open In Place" lets you make edits to the file where it is • Access your files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box using the document browser • Or keep them privately on device only HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE FASTER • Select text with your finger, Apple Pencil or mouse pointer • Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and make image selections • Add comments to annotations or as individual sticky notes • Annotate with fewer taps using context aware popovers • Default annotation colors prevents you from having to repeatedly setting the color for the same type of annotation every time TURN ANNOTATIONS INTO NOTES • As you markup text and images the contents are extracted and sorted into notes • Customize the formatting and contents of your notes • Sort the annotations chronologically or create your own color coding EXTRACT TABLE DATA AND RECOGNIZE TEXT • Convert images containing text or tables to actual text and tables using machine learning - letting you get to the underlying data with a single tap SMART COPY Copy annotations to the desired format with one tap: • Text markup as text • Image selections as images • Tables as CSV • Citations as BibTex LOOKUP CITATIONS • Highlights will fetch DOI-links and metadata • Markup any reference and tap the link icon to look it up • If you have read the work already or have it in your reference manager library, Highlights will link you to it EXPORT ANYWHERE • Save or share your notes as portable files: Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF • Share them to your favorite notes app: Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, Evernote, DEVONThink, Keep It, MindNode, Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research or Ulysses • Or send them to a colleague via mail. It's your notes, you decide where they go MUCH MORE • Dark mode • Multi-window support on iPadOS • Keyboard shortcuts and navigation • Support for system Copy and Undo gestures • Alternative app icons • Custom accent colors • Apple Pencil double-tap gestures • Power annotation tools For a full list of features see: highlightsapp.net/features HIGHLIGHTS PRO The Highlights Pro subscription unlocks advanced features on your iPhone, iPad and Mac: • Export options for other apps and easily editable formats • Extract information using table and text recognition • Customize accent colors and alternative app icons • Power annotation tools • Citation lookups • Smart Copy Highlights Pro includes a 14-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off within 24-hour prior to the end of of the current period. Payments will be charged to your iTunes account and your account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information about Highlights Pro: highlightsapp.net/pro Privacy Policy: highlightsapp.net/privacy Terms of Use: highlightsapp.net/terms

About

SpeakPen

This AI-powered tool transforms spoken words into organized text notes. It offers automatic transcription, intelligent summaries, and supports multiple languages. Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone who needs to capture ideas quickly.

Highlights
  • AI-powered speech-to-text
  • Automatic intelligent summaries
  • Multi-language transcription
  • Audio recording and import
  • Organized note-taking interface
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

SpeakPen - Your AI-Powered Voice Note Assistant Turn your voice into beautifully organized text notes with the power of AI. Whether you're capturing meeting insights, lecture notes, or creative ideas, SpeakPen makes it effortless. POWERFUL VOICE CAPTURE • Record audio directly in the app with high-quality recording • Import audio files from Voice Memos or Files app • Support for various audio formats (M4A, MP3, WAV) • Free users: Up to 5 minutes per recording, 3 recordings total • Pro users: Up to 30 minutes per recording, unlimited recordings AI-POWERED TRANSCRIPTION • Automatic speech-to-text conversion powered by advanced AI • Support for 10 languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian • Automatic language detection for accurate transcription • High accuracy even with accents and technical terms INTELLIGENT SUMMARIES • Auto-generated summaries to capture key points • Choose between paragraph or bullet-point format • Perfect for quickly reviewing long recordings • Save time by getting the essence instantly BEAUTIFUL & INTUITIVE INTERFACE • Clean, modern design inspired by Notion • Dark mode support for comfortable viewing • Easy organization by categories (Notes, Meetings, Lectures, Ideas, Other) • Seamless experience across all your devices TRULY GLOBAL • Full support for 10 languages • Automatic system language detection • Localized interface for native experience • Perfect for multilingual users and international teams FLEXIBLE PLANS Free Plan: • 3 recordings or audio imports • Up to 5 minutes per recording • All transcription features • Basic summaries Pro Plan: • Unlimited recordings and imports • Up to 30 minutes per recording • Priority processing • All features unlocked PERFECT FOR: • Students capturing lecture notes • Professionals recording meeting minutes • Journalists conducting interviews • Content creators brainstorming ideas • Anyone who thinks faster than they type PRIVACY FIRST • Your recordings are processed securely • No data sold to third parties • Full control over your content REQUIREMENTS • iOS 17.0 or later • iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch compatible • Microphone access for recording • Internet connection for AI processing Download SpeakPen today and never miss an important thought again. Your ideas deserve to be captured perfectly.

Screenshots

Highlights4 screens
SpeakPen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SpeakPen at every 3 days against Highlights's fortnightly. Highlights's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SpeakPen sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Highlights ships an update fortnightly, SpeakPen every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Highlights versus SpeakPen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHighlightsSpeakPen
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews53.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.6K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonas Myren RibeQumge Infotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Bugs and requests

Highlights

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Export functionality not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
  • Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
  • Allow editing of notes directly in the app
  • Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation

SpeakPen

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions3
  • Highlights Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Highlights Pro14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade1 Year trial$29.991 Year
1 purchases

SpeakPen

Subscriptions1
  • SpeakPen Pro$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SpeakPen free?
SpeakPen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Highlights or SpeakPen have ads?
Neither Highlights nor SpeakPen shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Highlights or SpeakPen?
Highlights ships an update fortnightly, and SpeakPen every 3 days. Most recently, Highlights was updated on October 14, 2026 and SpeakPen on October 4, 2026.

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