# Kilonotes vs Element Note

The clearest difference is ads: Element Note at none against Kilonotes's shown. Kilonotes's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kilonotes sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Kilonotes against 4.6 for Element Note. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.9K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Kilonotes's written reviews are positive against 68% of Element Note's.

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, Element Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kilonotes | Element Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kilonotes-notes-and-mark-up-pdf/id1514322479/reviews) | [4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.9K** | 2.6K |
| Positive reviews | **71.2% of reviews** | 68.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 481 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hefei T-Stack Information Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514322478) | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) |

## 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


### 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 Kilonotes free?

Kilonotes 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, Kilonotes or Element Note?

Kilonotes and Element Note are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4.9K and 2.6K ratings respectively.

### Do Kilonotes or Element Note have ads?

Kilonotes shows ads; Element Note does not.

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

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Element Note fortnightly. Most recently, Kilonotes was updated on October 1, 2026 and Element Note on September 30, 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.*