Comparison

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader vs Element Note

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

Head to head
About

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for note-taking, PDF editing, and digital journaling. It allows users to annotate documents, record audio, and organize study materials with intuitive gesture controls and Apple Pencil support. Enhance your productivity and creativity with this all-in-one study companion.

Highlights
  • Edit and annotate PDF pages
  • Gesture-based highlighting and image capture
  • Record and playback audio notes
  • Bullet journaling with custom templates
  • Multitasking with split-screen view
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Masking pen for precise annotations
Features
Read full description

Flexcil: The world’s ultimate iOS note-taking app Loved by Apple Editors - Editor's Choice, App of the Day, Note-taking on the next level, College Life, Apple Pencil Enhanced, New Apps We Love, Noteworthy Apps & Game, Productivity Boost for teachers Whether you’re taking notes, bullet journaling, reading documents, or editing pages from textbooks ー use Flexcil! It’s the #1 note-taking tool for any Apple device. Simply highlight by pen gestures and capture images and text on the study-note by pen gestures! Save time transcribing summaries by gestures on study-note with your Apple pencil. ALL IN ONE NOTE TAKING • Edit PDF pages • Annotate almost anything • Endless pen colors, sizes, and fonts • Seamlessly highlight and underline text with GESTURE • Summarize and organize your thoughts, texts and notes • Instantly open any PDF for reading and studying • Zoom to read small text • Organize and manage your books AND notes EASY AND INTUITIVE • Drag and paste text flawlessly • Add text and annotate with ease • Smooth Image selection • Reading and pen gesture mode - FLEXCIL EXCLUSIVE • Search the dictionary for any definitions you need • Improved the tiring, old-fashioned way of writing which results in wrist/palm pain BULLET JOURNAL & TAKE BETTER NOTES • Easily create bullet journal pages • Hundreds of colors and pen stroke sizes • Colorful covers & templates • Endless creativity ー perfect for artists, hobbyists, or anyone that wants to make studying more fun • Proven to boost productivity & happiness RECORD & PLAYBACK AUDIO • Record everything you hear whenever you take class notes or writing meeting notes • Replay audio recording and review what you wrote during the class or in the meeting • Tab on your note and hear what was said at the moment MULTITASK • Use Flexcil while other apps are open - take notes during lectures! • Edit 2 PDFs at once • Advanced viewing: full screen view, vertical scroll, 4-page view, and so much more COMPATIBLE WITH: • Zoom • Google Classroom • Google Drive • Dropbox • Box • iCloud • Notes • Digital textbooks • ebooks • PDFs and more! APPLE PENCIL • Simulate real-life note-taking by using your Apple Pencil - easy to use for all ages • Guaranteed ZERO touch malfunctions • Support Apple pencil 2nd generation & double tap Plus, enjoy these NEW FEATURES! • Cloud sync: Access your notes from anywhere, and seamlessly sync across devices. • Masking pen: Enhance your annotations with precision using the masking pen. Take your note-taking to the next level with Flexcil. Download the most comprehensive, easy to use, and innovative study tool on the App Store today! * Support: https://support.flexcil.com * Website: https://www.flexcil.com * Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/flexcil * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flexcil * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjro4WpiFnxqKxAXQmASNwg [Access Permission Guide] • Storage (Photos and Videos): Used for adding images to documents in Flexcil, accessing PDF files, purchasing and downloading store content. • Music and Audio: Used for voice recording features, purchasing and downloading store content. • Microphone: Used for voice recording. • Camera: Used for taking pictures when adding photos. • Notifications: Used to display important notification content.

About

Element Note

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
Read full description

Element Note is the next-gen note taking, PDF annotation, and light sketching app. We stripped down the unnecessaries and carefully polished the elemental functions for a digital notebook. With a modern look and powerful features, Element Note strives to provide an elegant writing space free of distractions. Features: Unique brushes - Pencil (HB Pencil, Mechanical Pencil) - Pen (Pen, Line Pen, Fountain Pen) - Brush (Art Brush, Round Brush) - Marker (Marker, Round Marker) Best-in-class note rendering engine - Smooth and fluid drawing powered by Metal technology - Support gradient ink for more expressive notes Powerful attachments - Text - Shape - Sticker - Image Universal Search - Search through your PDF & Handwritting using on device OCR Smart Darkmode - Smartly adapts all of your notes to the system darkmode without changing the paper or stroke colors. iCloud Sync & Collaboration - Sync via your personal iCloud (No data is passed to our server) - Collaborate through iCloud collaboration for up to 100 users. Desktop class organization - Intuitive multi-select drag and drop gesture to organize your notes or pages Element Note is free to try for up to 3 notes. Unlock the full app with an in app purchase to create unlimited notes. Terms and Conditions https://elementnote.app/terms Privacy Policy https://elementnote.app/privacy

Screenshots

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader4 screens
Element Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Element Note at none against Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's shown. Element Note also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 59%) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 413). Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Element Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader against 4.6 for Element Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element Note has 2.6K ratings behind it against 413, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 70% of Element Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader ships an update weekly, Element Note fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader versus Element Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlexcil Note & Good PDF ReaderElement Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (413 ratings)4.6 (2.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews69.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4132.6K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlexcil Inc.Soysauce Lab

Customer experience

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

All ratings413 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews772 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral11.9%
Negative28.8%

Element Note

All ratings2,625 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews361 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral11.4%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

From 413 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best Apps for STUDENTS!!! 😀😀
  • 👍 Love this app
  • 🚀 Powerful multi-page PDF viewer
  • 👍 Great for studying
  • 👍 Excellent app for note taking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🐛 Syncing and backup problems
  • 🐛 Buggy handwriting recognition
  • 🐛 Unreliable palm rejection
  • 🐛 Missing key features from previous version

Element Note

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 💡 Customizable pens and colors
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
  • 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sudden data loss and file deletion
  • Inability to restore purchases
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior of undo/redo functions
  • Annotations not exporting correctly

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add iCloud sync and backup
  • Improve handwriting search and recognition
  • Bring back reading mode and one-page scrolling
  • Add more pen and brush options
  • Allow customizing notebook paper styles
Show 1 more
  • Implement auto-save and version control

Element Note

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Seasonal or custom sticker packs

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader

One-time10
  • Upgrade product for old usersFree
  • Premium$9.99
  • Flexcil Standard$9.99
Show 7 more
  • 2021-2022 Color Planner$11.99
  • Flexcil NEW Design Planner 22$11.99
  • Premium & Toolbar Skin Pack$12.99
  • Hello Kitty Planner 2022$13.99
  • Standard & 21-22 Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & Design Planner Pack$14.99
  • Standard & 2023 Planner Pack$14.99
3 purchases

Element Note

Subscriptions2
  • Element Note Yearly$3.491 Year
  • Element Note Yearly$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader free?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader 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, Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader or Element Note?
Element Note is rated higher. Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 413 ratings, while Element Note averages 4.6 from 2.6K ratings.
Do Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader or Element Note have ads?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader shows ads; Element Note does not.
Which is updated more often, Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader or Element Note?
Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader ships an update weekly, and Element Note fortnightly. Most recently, Flexcil Note & Good PDF Reader was updated on November 7, 2026 and Element Note on November 7, 2026.

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