# MarginNote 5 vs 上海律师

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 上海律师 at none against MarginNote 5's 10. 上海律师 also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months. 上海律师 asks for nothing beyond the download.

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, 上海律师 monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 5 | 上海律师 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (739 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **739** | — |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 372 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) | [上海市律师协会](https://appshunter.io/developer/1245042008) |

## 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 (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 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 (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


### 上海律师

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id6446989518)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 5 free?

MarginNote 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 上海律师 free?

上海律师 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do MarginNote 5 or 上海律师 have ads?

Neither MarginNote 5 nor 上海律师 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 5 or 上海律师?

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, and 上海律师 monthly. Most recently, MarginNote 5 was updated on November 3, 2026 and 上海律师 on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*