# mimi vs Element Note

The clearest difference is review sentiment: mimi at 92% against Element Note's 68%. mimi also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Element Note's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. mimi sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

mimi holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.5K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of mimi's written reviews are positive against 68% of Element Note's.

mimi ships an update monthly, Element Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | mimi | Element Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (6.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mimi-cute-notes/id1506524969/reviews)** | [4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.5K** | 2.6K |
| Positive reviews | **92.2% of reviews** | 68.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 246 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Masaki Yoshihisa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1168264894) | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) |

## What reviewers say

### mimi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mimi-cute-notes/id1506524969)

Personalize your notes with a variety of cute themes and customizable text styles. Organize your thoughts into notebooks, create to-do lists, and format text with lists and special character recognition. Unlock premium stickers with a subscription.

**Highlights:** Cute note themes, Customizable text styling, Checkable to-do lists, Organize notes in notebooks, Special character highlighting, In-app web browser

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $25.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and aesthetically pleasing design
- 💡 Highly customizable with various themes, fonts, and colors
- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Ability to lock notes and the entire app
- 👍 Organized with different notebooks and folders

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid subscription required for some stickers and features
- 🐛 Occasional autocorrect and formatting issues
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🔍 Inability to sort or organize notes chronologically

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes get moved to the top unexpectedly
- Certain font styles have compatibility issues

**Requested features**

- Add ability to import photos and images
- Implement cloud sync and backup functionality
- Allow custom themes and background creation
- Add more organizational tools like tags and filters


### Element Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673)

This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Unique handwriting brushes, Smooth drawing engine, PDF annotation, Text, shape, and image attachments, On-device OCR search, Smart dark mode, iCloud sync and collaboration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Element Note Yearly | $3.49 | per year |
| Element Note Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Launch Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors

**Requested features**

- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once


## Frequently asked questions

### Is mimi free?

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

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, mimi or Element Note?

mimi is rated higher. mimi averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.5K ratings, while Element Note averages 4.6 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do mimi or Element Note have ads?

Neither mimi nor Element Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, mimi or Element Note?

mimi ships an update monthly, and Element Note fortnightly. Most recently, mimi was updated on October 4, 2026 and Element Note on October 2, 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.*