# Kilonotes vs Noteshelf 3

The clearest difference is ads: Noteshelf 3 at none against Kilonotes's shown. Noteshelf 3 also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Kilonotes's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 55%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Kilonotes sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Noteshelf 3 sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. 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 Noteshelf 3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.9K and 6.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Kilonotes's written reviews are positive against 55% of Noteshelf 3's.

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, Noteshelf 3 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kilonotes | Noteshelf 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kilonotes-notes-and-mark-up-pdf/id1514322479/reviews) | [4.6 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-3-ai-digital-notes/id6458735203/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4.9K | **6.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **71.2% of reviews** | 55.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 481 MB | 462 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hefei T-Stack Information Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514322478) | [Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318004740) |

## 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


### Noteshelf 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-3-ai-digital-notes/id6458735203)

Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note creation, PDF annotation and markup, Audio recording with notes, AI-powered summarization and translation, Customizable notebooks and templates, Handwriting to text conversion, Document scanning and import

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium for Noteshelf 2 users | $9.99 | one-time |
| Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📚 Versatile note-taking features
- 🎨 Customizable templates and covers
- 🔍 Accurate handwriting recognition
- 💻 Seamless integration across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices
- 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🔧 Buggy or missing features from previous versions

**Reported bugs**

- Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
- Unexpected loss of data or notes
- Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create folders within notebooks
- Improve page organization and navigation
- Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
- Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
- Add support for custom stickers and templates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kilonotes free?

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

### Is Noteshelf 3 free?

Noteshelf 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Kilonotes or Noteshelf 3?

Kilonotes and Noteshelf 3 are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4.9K and 6.7K ratings respectively.

### Do Kilonotes or Noteshelf 3 have ads?

Kilonotes shows ads; Noteshelf 3 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Kilonotes or Noteshelf 3?

Kilonotes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Noteshelf 3 every 5 days. Most recently, Kilonotes was updated on October 1, 2026 and Noteshelf 3 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.*