# MarginNote 5 vs flomo浮墨

The clearest difference is review sentiment: flomo浮墨 at 92% against MarginNote 5's 58%. flomo浮墨 also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 5 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 — 736 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of MarginNote 5's written reviews are positive against 92% of flomo浮墨's.

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, flomo浮墨 every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 5 | flomo浮墨 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (736 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) | **[4.9 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flomo/id1552314395/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 736 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **92.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 371 MB | 137 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 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app enhances reading and study with integrated note-taking and flashcard creation. It offers task-based templates for focused learning, AI assistance for content breakdown, and spaced repetition for effective review. Organize your research and master material efficiently.

**Highlights:** Task-based reading templates, AI-powered content breakdown and question extraction, Integrated flashcard creation and spaced repetition, Mind-map organization of notes, PDF and EPUB import, Handwriting and annotation tools, Sync across devices

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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 5 free?

MarginNote 5 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 5 or flomo浮墨?

flomo浮墨 is rated higher. MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 736 ratings, while flomo浮墨 averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do MarginNote 5 or flomo浮墨 have ads?

Neither MarginNote 5 nor flomo浮墨 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 5 or flomo浮墨?

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, and flomo浮墨 every 9 days. Most recently, MarginNote 5 was updated on October 30, 2026 and flomo浮墨 on October 29, 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.*