Comparison

MXTNote vs Nodebook

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

Head to head
About

MXTNote

This app helps organize research and study materials by linking PDFs, notes, and web pages. It offers PDF reading, text and handwriting notes, and an arXiv explorer for academic papers. Create a knowledge graph to visualize connections between your research fragments.

Highlights
  • PDF reader with link navigation
  • Text and handwriting note-taking
  • Link notes and PDFs to create a knowledge graph
  • ARXIV explorer for academic papers
  • Web page import (HTML to PDF)
  • OCR and image search for PDFs
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

MXTNote is a free PDF reader and note taking app. When we study for a subject, we start by collecting reference, document idea fragments, then we expand our knowledge structure by creating links between these fragments, or add more content around them. MXTNote provide ways to simplify some of these steps Here are some examples: - A PDF references another PDF, you can select the two location and link them. - After embedding a selection from PDF to notebook, a two way link is automatically created between PDF and notebook. - Link can be created between notes to form a graph, to capture a knowledge/task dependency At block level, MXTNote consists of the following: - PDF reader - Text note taking - Handwriting note taking - Graph view - ARXIV explorer - Calendar Here are the detail features: (those marked with (*) requires MXTNote account, free signup) Reading: - PDF reader with thumbnail index, link navigation - Import web page (HTML will be converted to PDF) - support DJVU/MOBI (*)(file will be converted to PDF) - Text search (using text in PDF, or OCR) - Image search (useful for searching math symbols) - Translate selected text into English Notes: - Simple text note - Write on PDF or select box from PDF - Support links between notes, attach tags to notes. - Search notes by original PDF, tags, or text - Built-in split screen to copy note to notebook - Multiple page notebook with text or handwriting. - Support pressure sensitive input (Apple pencil). - Print notebook to PDF file or printer - Use Latex input for math formula or use the Math formula editor ARXIV: - Search ARXIV and download paper - Monitor ARXIV for new papers matching predefined query Sync: - Sync across all your device (*) - Available as web app Other: - In-app tutorial available for major functions please visit our website for details: https://note.mxtsoft.com/doc

About

Nodebook

Read full description

Nodebook combines a document reader with an infinite mind map. Highlight a passage in a PDF, EPUB, video, audio file or web page, and it appears on your canvas as a node, linked to the exact place it came from. There is nothing to set up. You read, you select a passage, you choose a colour — and the map builds itself. For students, researchers, writers and teachers working with more sources than anyone can keep in their head. READ EVERY FORMAT · Free • Open PDFs, EPUBs, text files and imported web pages, as well as video and audio. • Read continuously or page by page, with chapters and bookmarks. • Every document reopens exactly where you left it. • Documents live on your device. ANNOTATE THE PAGE · Free • Built-in OCR reads scanned books word by word in 12 languages, so a scan highlights like any PDF. • Select an equation, handwritten or printed, and Nodebook renders it as LaTeX. • Write, underline and draw on the page with a stylus, finger or mouse. • Crop any part of a page — diagram, table, photo — and send it to the map. • Insert a notepad mid-page: the PDF opens up for a comment that stays attached to that paragraph. • Six highlight colours let you follow six separate threads. BUILD THE MAP · Nodebook Plus • An infinite canvas with no templates and no limit on nodes or depth. • Drag a single node or a whole branch to reorganise your thinking. • Drop one node onto another to merge them, and separate them later. • Set snippets aside in the drawer, and keep a mini-map in view as you read. • Export the map as a PDF or a FreeMind file, and the outline as a Word document. • Back everything up into one .nodebook file and pick what to restore. OUTLINE AND SEARCH · Nodebook Plus • View the same map as a classic indented outline, and edit titles and text in it. • Search the full text of every snippet, filter by tag or colour, and retag or recolour in bulk. CONNECT YOUR NOTES · Nodebook Plus • Create wiki-links between notes: start typing a title and Nodebook suggests matches. • Click one and a preview shows you the target without losing your place. REVISE WITH FLASHCARDS · Nodebook Plus • Turn any snippet into a flashcard and review it with spaced repetition. • Group cards by area, tag or source, or build your own sets. WRITE YOUR OWN DOCUMENTS · Nodebook Plus • A rich-text editor with headings, lists and quotations. • Draw vector diagrams inside the text, erase single strokes and undo freely. WORK TOGETHER · Nodebook Max • Share a project as a viewer or an editor, and watch the other person's highlights appear live as you work. • Send a file to another account with all your highlights and drawings intact. • Every project keeps a version history with dates and authors, and restores to any point. PLANS • Nodebook is free to install, with the reader and its annotation tools included. • Buy Nodebook Plus once — $39.99 — for full offline functionality, including mind maps creating and editing, flashcards and more. • Subscribe to Nodebook Max for the cloud: sync across your devices, collaboration and version history. $8.99 a month, or $89.99 a year. Max renews automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, and again within 24 hours before each period ends, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours earlier. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Prices are shown in your local currency. Terms of Use: https://nodebook.me/terms Privacy Policy: https://nodebook.me/privacy

Screenshots

MXTNote4 screens
Nodebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MXTNote at none against Nodebook's 3. MXTNote also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Nodebook's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Nodebook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. MXTNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MXTNote ships an update every 2 weeks, Nodebook daily. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
MXTNote versus Nodebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMXTNoteNodebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB143 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperTao MaKamil Zabiegala

In-app purchases

None

MXTNote

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Nodebook

Subscriptions2
  • Nodebook Max - Monthly14 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Nodebook Max - Yearly14 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • Nodebook Plus$39.99

Questions

Is MXTNote free?
MXTNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nodebook free?
Nodebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MXTNote or Nodebook have ads?
Neither MXTNote nor Nodebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MXTNote or Nodebook?
MXTNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nodebook daily. Most recently, MXTNote was updated on September 24, 2026 and Nodebook on October 3, 2026.

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