# MarginNote 4 vs flomo浮墨

The clearest difference is review sentiment: flomo浮墨 at 92% against MarginNote 4's 58%. flomo浮墨 also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and flomo浮墨 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

flomo浮墨 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 716 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of MarginNote 4's written reviews are positive against 92% of flomo浮墨's.

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, flomo浮墨 weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 4 | flomo浮墨 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (716 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flomo/id1552314395/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 716 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **92.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 330 MB | 147 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) | [Shanghai Xiandi Network Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541674282) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### flomo浮墨

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flomo/id1552314395)

Capture fleeting thoughts and ideas with a minimalist note-taking tool designed for quick entry and organization. Review past entries, discover related notes, and quantify your daily records without intrusive ads or privacy concerns.

**Highlights:** Easy typing, Full platform sync, Organize with #tags, Daily review of past notes, Relevant note suggestions, Quantify daily records, Quick entry via API

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly Max subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro subscription | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Max subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Max subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| 3,000 Agent Points | $0.99 | one-time |
| 10,000 Agent Points | $3.99 | one-time |
| 30,000 Agent Points | $9.99 | one-time |
| flomo Pro 年度会员-教育优惠 | $14.99 | one-time |
| flomo Max 年度会员-教育优惠 | $34.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient and convenient note-taking
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 💡 Powerful tag and sub-tag system
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 📚 Great for organizing thoughts and ideas

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Some bugs and glitches reported
- 💰 Concerns about excessive paid features
- 📱 Needs better iPad support
- 🌐 Translation issues for non-Chinese users

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent behavior with list indentation
- Issues with text scanning functionality
- Problems with time stamp recognition

**Requested features**

- Expand note-taking window size
- Add support for Markdown syntax
- Integrate with more apps and services
- Implement dark mode option
- Add sorting by time/date


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

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

### Is flomo浮墨 free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MarginNote 4 or flomo浮墨?

flomo浮墨 is rated higher. MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 716 ratings, while flomo浮墨 averages 4.9 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do MarginNote 4 or flomo浮墨 have ads?

Neither MarginNote 4 nor flomo浮墨 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 4 or flomo浮墨?

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, and flomo浮墨 weekly. Most recently, MarginNote 4 was updated on October 17, 2026 and flomo浮墨 on October 20, 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.*