# Kilonotes vs Widgetsmith

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Widgetsmith at 772K against Kilonotes's 4.9K. Widgetsmith also leads on chart position (#32 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kilonotes sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Widgetsmith sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Kilonotes against 4.6 for Widgetsmith. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Widgetsmith has 772K ratings behind it against 4.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 71% and 72% positive.

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, Widgetsmith fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kilonotes | Widgetsmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kilonotes-notes-and-mark-up-pdf/id1514322479/reviews) | [4.6 (772K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4.9K | **772K** |
| Positive reviews | 71.3% of reviews | **72.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#32** |
| Size | 481 MB | 183 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hefei T-Stack Information Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514322478) | [Cross Forward Consulting, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/295660206) |

## What reviewers say

### Kilonotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kilonotes-notes-and-mark-up-pdf/id1514322479)

This app offers a digital notebook experience for handwritten notes, PDF annotation, and study organization. It features freehand drawing, text extraction, AI assistance for learning, and customizable templates to enhance productivity and learning.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note-taking, PDF annotation and markup, AI assistant for learning, OCR text extraction, Customizable notebooks and templates, Recording function, Global PDF search

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

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cloud space monthly membership | $0.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Plan | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| AIChat | $5.99 | per month |
| Year Subscription | $8.99 | per year |
| Annual Plan | $9.99 | per year |
| Cloud space annual membership | $9.99 | per year |
| ExamPolitics_2019_2023_test | Free | one-time |
| Summer Forest 2022 Handbook | $0.99 | one-time |
| Xiaofen Diary 2022 Handbook | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fresh 2022 Handbook | $0.99 | one-time |
| 康奈尔笔记 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cartoon mistake book | $0.99 | one-time |
| Paid Notebook | $0.99 | one-time |
| Alice | $1.99 | one-time |
| 咸鱼日常 | $1.99 | one-time |
| AI Points Products | $1.99 | one-time |
| 月亮兔 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Paid Notebook | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Affordable
- 🚀 Lots of free features
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 👍 Customizable notebooks and pages
- 👍 Good alternative to paid apps

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Syncing and backup issues
- 🔒 Lack of password protection or privacy features
- 👎 Limited free notebooks
- 👎 Some features locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Notebooks and notes getting deleted or scrambled
- Lag and performance issues when writing or zooming
- Inconsistent behavior of the pen and eraser tools

**Requested features**

- Add more free sticker packs and templates
- Improve the lasso tool and image editing
- Implement iCloud or cloud sync
- Add a dark mode option
- Improve the audio recording and playback features


### Widgetsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319)

**Currently charting:** #32 Top Free · Productivity, #88 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Personalize your device with highly customizable widgets for your home and lock screens. Showcase photos, track events, display weather, and launch apps directly from your widgets. Includes a wallpaper library and tools for theming.

**Highlights:** Customizable widgets, Home and lock screen personalization, Photo display, Event countdowns, Weather forecasts, App launching widgets, Theming tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable widgets
- 💡 Allows for aesthetic home screen design
- 🤩 Great for organizing and personalizing
- 🥰 Helpful for improving phone appearance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widgets turning grey or not working
- 🤔 Inability to remove 'Widgetsmith' label
- 🤨 Limited customization options for free users
- 😕 Inconsistent widget behavior

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets randomly turning grey or blank
- Calendar and time widgets not updating correctly
- App crashing or not opening
- Issues with photo widgets not displaying images

**Requested features**

- Ability to choose specific photos for widgets
- Option to adjust photo rotation interval
- Custom color selection tool
- Customizable widget labels
- Transparent widget backgrounds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kilonotes free?

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

### Is Widgetsmith free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Kilonotes or Widgetsmith?

Kilonotes and Widgetsmith are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4.9K and 772K ratings respectively.

### Do Kilonotes or Widgetsmith have ads?

Both Kilonotes and Widgetsmith show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kilonotes or Widgetsmith?

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Widgetsmith fortnightly. Most recently, Kilonotes was updated on September 23, 2026 and Widgetsmith on September 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.*