Comparison

Kilonotes vs Noteful

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

Head to head
About

Kilonotes

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
Read full description

We sincerely invite you to join us in exploring more efficient ways of taking notes and jointly reshape the modern learning mode. As a companion exploring new ways of taking notes, Kilonotes can meet your various needs. Whether it is recording class notes, annotating PDFs, doing test exercises, studying online courses, or organizing reading notes, Kilonotes will be your reliable study partner. Let's take good notes together. [Breakthrough the limitations of paper] ·Handwriting can be moved, scaled and rotated freely ·You can undo what you entered ·The size of the eraser can be adjusted to control the erasing range ·Scale paper function to make writing more comfortable You can insert pictures or photos, and combine text and pictures to deepen memory · Quick browsing function to help you quickly find what you need · Unlimited creation of paper, providing endless memory space ·Recording function, allowing you to take notes while listening to lectures ·Card function, create an exclusive knowledge base, you can create your card through pictures, brushes, and typing OCR function, convenient and fast text extraction A variety of fun-but-practical Journaling templates [Optimized reading experience] ·Global PDF search, quickly find what you need in the database · Outline function, convenient and fast positioning Multiple reading modes: eye protection, dark color, vision protection · Quick jump function, enter the page number to quickly navigate ·Translation function to help foreign language literature reading ·Extraction function, easy to collect important information ·PDF extension function, make reading and writing more free [Beyond the limits of the brush] · Change brush color, create custom colors, or pick any color with the eyedropper ·Adjustable brush width to adapt to various scenes ·Graffiti pen function, make notes more colorful [Custom Notebook] ·Provide many unique and beautiful covers for you to choose ·A variety of paper templates are available: blank paper, dot matrix paper, graph paper, to meet your needs ·You can import PDF and record freely in your own notebook [AI Assistant] • Built-in high-efficiency AI assistant helps you organize notes, expand knowledge points, and double your learning and work efficiency. • Exclusive AI problem-solving function supports selecting questions and sending them with one click, helping you easily overcome learning difficulties. [About subscription] Users can subscribe to the monthly subscription service of kilonotes to unlock advanced content, including custom time planning books. The subscription will be automatically renewed. If the user needs to cancel the subscription, the renewal needs to be closed 24 hours before the end of the current cycle. Users can close and cancel subscriptions and trials in their iTunes account. Contact us: feedback@top-stack.com Official website: https://www.kilonotesapp.com Privacy Policy: https://www.top-stack.com/page/ios_en_privacy.html User agreement: https://www.top-stack.com/page/Kilonotes_Terms_of_use_En.html

About

Noteful

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Layers for annotations
  • Audio recording synced with notes
  • Import PDFs and MS Office documents
Features
Read full description

Noteful is your one-stop note-taking app to experience the new paperless revolution on iPad. Perfect for annotating documents, taking class notes or even building your personal knowledge system. It is time to put aside the paper clutter, as Noteful is a versatile tool that helps you to accelerate your learning and knowledge work. Take Beautiful Handwritten Notes • Natural, fluid and precise handwriting experience • Precise handwriting on iPad with Apple Pencil native support • Custom-built ink engine InfiniteStroke that captures and converts your strokes into high-resolution vector ink • 3 brushes available: ballpoint pen, fountain pen and highlighter • Switch between pen sizes and colours • Recognise geometrical shapes Markup, Highlight, Annotate • Import PDFs, MS Office documents to a notebook • Add images, shapes and typed text to notes • Use multiple paper templates in a single notebook • Export and share handwritten annotations as PDF • Use Quick Create to create a new notebook for quick sketching Powerful Tagging • Organise quickly by tagging with #tag or even #nested/tag anywhere in notebooks • More flexible than folders; Notes can be organised by subjects, by topics or by priorities • Browse notebooks or pages by tags • Rename, delete or re-assign tags to easily re-organise your library Layers in Notebook • Add annotation on separate layers without changing original content* • Hide or show layers independently • Rearrange layers • Make it possible to composite complex layout* All Your Notes, All the Time • Sync to all your iPhone and iPad devices* • Take textbooks, slides, handwritten notes and PDF documents with you wherever you go • Notebooks synced with iCloud are encrypted via account-based keys Powerful Editing • Erase strokes with eraser • Double tap on Apple Pencil to switch to eraser tool • Move and resize annotations with lasso tool • Unlimited undo, redo • Support Split View for multitasking Audio Record Notes • Record audio while you take notes • Audio playback position synced with the notes Modern App Design • A minimalist UI that maximizes content space • Streamlined design that requires fewer taps for common functions • Different orientations are available for the main toolbar • A clean UI that lets you focus on note-taking and the content We will be adding new features so please stay tuned for future updates. — Noteful is free to use without time limit but with certain features (marked with*) only available to users who upgrade to Noteful Pro via In-app purchase. Noteful Pro is available for one-time purchase and the features will be unlocked forever. — If you have support questions or product suggestions, please contact us by support. Wishing you happy note-taking! Customer Support: support@getnoteful.com Privacy Policy: https://www.getnoteful.com/privacy

Screenshots

Kilonotes4 screens
Noteful4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Noteful at none against Kilonotes's shown. Noteful also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 71%) and ratings volume (24K vs 5K). Kilonotes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, 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. Kilonotes sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Noteful sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Kilonotes against 4.8 for Noteful. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5K and 24K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Kilonotes's written reviews are positive against 87% of Noteful's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kilonotes ships an update weekly, Noteful fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kilonotes versus Noteful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKilonotesNoteful
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5K ratings)4.8 (24K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews86.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5K24K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size482 MB157 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHefei T-Stack Information Technology Co., Ltd.Noteful Technologies Ltd

Customer experience

Kilonotes

All ratings4,961 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews873 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral10.9%
Negative18.2%

Noteful

All ratings23,951 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,239 reviews
Positive86.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative6.6%

User reviews

Kilonotes

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Noteful

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth writing experience
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Layers feature
  • 👍 Affordable one-time purchase
  • 🚀 Efficient and lightweight

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
  • 🔍 No handwriting recognition or search
  • 🔍 Limited text editing options
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced features like math conversion
  • 🔍 Exporting PDFs loses some formatting

Bugs and requests

Kilonotes

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Allow more customization of notebooks and pages

Noteful

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Lasso tool not working properly with PDFs
  • Eraser tool not functioning as expected

Requested features

6 requests
  • Handwriting recognition and search
  • More text editing options (bullet lists, etc.)
  • Improved PDF handling and annotations
  • Custom templates and sticker support
  • Expanded cloud storage options (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
Show 1 more
  • Customizable pen pressure and smoothing

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Kilonotes

Subscriptions7
  • Cloud space monthly membership$0.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Quarterly Plan$4.993 Months
Show 4 more
  • AIChat$5.991 Month
  • Year Subscription1 Year trial$8.991 Year
  • Annual Plan$9.991 Year
  • Cloud space annual membership$9.991 Year
One-time13
  • ExamPolitics_2019_2023_testFree
  • Summer Forest 2022 Handbook$0.99
  • Xiaofen Diary 2022 Handbook$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Fresh 2022 Handbook$0.99
  • 康奈尔笔记$0.99
  • Cartoon mistake book$0.99
  • Paid Notebook$0.99
  • Alice$1.99
  • 咸鱼日常$1.99
  • AI Points Products$1.99
  • 月亮兔$1.99
  • Paid Notebook$2.99
  • Lifetime Access$19.99
1 purchases

Noteful

One-time1
  • Noteful Pro, Lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is Kilonotes free?
Kilonotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Noteful free?
Noteful is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kilonotes or Noteful?
Noteful is rated higher. Kilonotes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5K ratings, while Noteful averages 4.8 from 24K ratings.
Do Kilonotes or Noteful have ads?
Kilonotes shows ads; Noteful does not.
Which is updated more often, Kilonotes or Noteful?
Kilonotes ships an update weekly, and Noteful fortnightly. Most recently, Kilonotes was updated on October 21, 2026 and Noteful on October 22, 2026.

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