# Widgetsmith vs Freenotes®

The clearest difference is ads: Freenotes® at none against Widgetsmith's shown. Widgetsmith's advantage is ratings volume (778K vs 64K) and review sentiment (73% vs 59%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Widgetsmith sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Freenotes® sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 Widgetsmith against 4.7 for Freenotes®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Widgetsmith has 778K ratings behind it against 64K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Widgetsmith's written reviews are positive against 59% of Freenotes®'s.

Widgetsmith ships an update every 2 weeks, Freenotes® weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Widgetsmith | Freenotes® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (778K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319/reviews) | **[4.7 (64K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **778K** | 64K |
| Positive reviews | **72.6% of reviews** | 59.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#40** | — |
| Size | 183 MB | 660 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cross Forward Consulting, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/295660206) | [Free Notes AI Note Taker LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775767870) |

## What reviewers say

### Widgetsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319)

**Currently charting:** #40 Top Free · Productivity, #120 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Personalize your device with highly customizable widgets for your home and lock screens. Showcase photos, track events, display weather, and launch apps directly from your widgets. Includes a wallpaper library and tools for theming.

**Highlights:** Customizable widgets, Home and lock screen personalization, Photo display, Event countdowns, Weather forecasts, App launching widgets, Theming tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable widgets
- 💡 Allows for aesthetic home screen design
- 🤩 Great for organizing and personalizing
- 🥰 Helpful for improving phone appearance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widgets turning grey or not working
- 🤔 Inability to remove 'Widgetsmith' label
- 🤨 Limited customization options for free users
- 😕 Inconsistent widget behavior

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets randomly turning grey or blank
- Calendar and time widgets not updating correctly
- App crashing or not opening
- Issues with photo widgets not displaying images

**Requested features**

- Ability to choose specific photos for widgets
- Option to adjust photo rotation interval
- Custom color selection tool
- Customizable widget labels
- Transparent widget backgrounds


### Freenotes®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904)

This AI-powered digital notepad transforms your device into an intelligent workspace. It offers handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and AI assistance for summarizing documents, answering questions, and aiding in study. Organize notes, sketch ideas, and sync across devices for a seamless paperless experience.

**Highlights:** AI Summaries and Chat with PDFs, AI Homework and Study Helper, Handwritten Note Organization, OCR Search and PDF Annotation, Infinite Canvas and Shape Recognition, Active Recall Tape and Flashcards, Picture-in-Picture Video Note-Taking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Freenotes Weekly Plus Member | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Weekly Pro Member | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Freenotes AI Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Monthly Pro Member Promotion | $19.99 | per month |
| Freenotes Monthly Pro Member | $19.99 | per month |
| Premium Freenotes AI Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Marketplace Content | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $2.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $3.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $9.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $10.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Remove Ads | $29.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Completely free app with no ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 📚 Comprehensive note-taking features (layers, templates, stickers, etc.)
- 🎨 Highly customizable (colors, fonts, covers, etc.)
- 🗂️ Excellent organization tools (folders, notebooks, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with syncing and iCloud backup
- 🖌️ Limited customization options for pen/pencil settings
- 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition and search
- 🔗 No support for external links or clickable content
- 🔀 Difficulty in rearranging or splitting notebooks

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional freezing or lagging when writing/drawing
- Issues with the shape recognition tool not working as expected
- Problems with the eraser tool not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting recognition and search functionality
- Improve iCloud sync and backup capabilities
- Expand pen/pencil customization options
- Implement support for external links and clickable content
- Introduce features for easier notebook organization and splitting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Widgetsmith free?

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

### Is Freenotes® free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Widgetsmith or Freenotes®?

Freenotes® is rated higher. Widgetsmith averages 4.6 out of 5 from 778K ratings, while Freenotes® averages 4.7 from 64K ratings.

### Do Widgetsmith or Freenotes® have ads?

Widgetsmith shows ads; Freenotes® does not.

### Which is updated more often, Widgetsmith or Freenotes®?

Widgetsmith ships an update every 2 weeks, and Freenotes® weekly. Most recently, Widgetsmith was updated on October 31, 2026 and Freenotes® on October 31, 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.*