# Whiz Reader vs MarginNote 4

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MarginNote 4 at 59% against Whiz Reader's 0%. MarginNote 4 also leads on ratings volume (716 vs 1). Whiz Reader's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Whiz Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Whiz Reader holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 4 has 716 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Whiz Reader's written reviews are positive against 59% of MarginNote 4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Whiz Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, MarginNote 4 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 13, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Whiz Reader | MarginNote 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whiz-reader/id1514342771/reviews)** | [4.5 (716 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **716** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **58.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 330 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yesheng Liang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1514342770) | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) |

## What reviewers say

### Whiz Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whiz-reader/id1514342771)

This app helps you read foreign language content by providing instant word definitions and text translation. It supports PDF annotation, OCR, document scanning, and clipboard translation for a seamless reading experience.

**Highlights:** Word definition lookup, Text translation, Real-time split-screen translation, PDF annotation with Apple Pencil, OCR and document scanning, Clipboard translation, Web page to PDF conversion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 高级功能 | $0.99 | one-time |


### MarginNote 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app integrates reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards into a unified study environment. It supports active learning with features like study sets, book compilation, and dual-article views. Enhance your understanding with visual learning tools and AI-powered content extraction for long-term memory retention.

**Highlights:** Integrated reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards, Quick Extend Note and Handwriting Layers for annotation, Study Set for organizing PDFs, EPUBs, videos, and audio, Mind Map and Concept Diagram for visual learning, AI Content Detection for formula and chart extraction, FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm for reviews, iCloud sync across Apple devices

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Subscription to MAX (6 months) | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Subscription to MAX (Annually) | $12.99 | per year |
| MarginNote Max Annual | $16.99 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock PRO Forever (New) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO (New) | $40.00 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX Forever (New) | $51.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 📚 Great for academic/research use
- 👍 Useful note-taking and organization
- 🖊️ Improved handwriting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🕰️ Slow and laggy sync between devices
- 🤯 Steep learning curve, poor documentation
- 💰 Expensive upgrade from previous version

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing annotations when using extend function
- Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
- Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management

**Requested features**

- Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
- More intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Better support for external document libraries
- Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Whiz Reader free?

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

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

MarginNote 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Whiz Reader or MarginNote 4?

Whiz Reader is rated higher. Whiz Reader averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 from 716 ratings.

### Do Whiz Reader or MarginNote 4 have ads?

Neither Whiz Reader nor MarginNote 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Whiz Reader or MarginNote 4?

Whiz Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and MarginNote 4 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Whiz Reader was updated on August 13, 2026 and MarginNote 4 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.*