MarginNote 4 vs EchoRead
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MarginNote 4
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.
- 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
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MarginNote is the PDF study tool for deep readers. One excerpt is a PDF highlight, a mind map node, and a flashcard — one capture, three places. This is the Card Axis architecture, so you stop ferrying content between a PDF reader, a notes app, and a flashcard tool. A decade of iteration. 188K+ App Store ratings. 【Four Featured Mechanics】 ▸ Card Axis — One excerpt, three renders. Document highlight, mind map node, and flashcard are the same card seen from three angles. ▸ Title Link — Old notes auto-surface in new documents. When a familiar concept appears in what you're reading, your past annotation lights up on the page. ▸ Extended Note — Long-press anywhere on a PDF to open writing space. No anchored text required; three display modes (inline / margin / collapsed). ▸ Immersive Mode (4.4) — Three-state toggle: Read / Write / Recall. UI folds away. Recall blurs excerpts with Gaussian blur — tap to reveal only after you've actually recalled. 【AI Capabilities (introduced in 4.2)】 AI book breakdown · AI OCR templates · AI translation · AI Q&A · AI flashcard generation Our stance is AI as assistant, not replacement — every suggestion can be saved as your own thinking node, never thinking for you. 【Apple Intelligence (iOS 26+)】 Recall Mode hints can run on-device via Apple Intelligence — pick "Apple AI" or "cloud LLM" in Settings. With Apple AI selected, three tiers of help — Neighbor Coordinate · Reasoning Prompt · Key Distinction — are generated by Apple Foundation Models right on your device: no network calls, no AI credits used, your notes never leave your device. Even if you've selected cloud LLM, going offline auto-falls back to Apple Intelligence (provided your device supports it) — so libraries, planes, and exam-day silent rooms never break your hint loop. 【Full Workflow】 Fast OCR · Study Sets (PDF / EPUB / video / audio) · direct read from Zotero / cloud drives / USB · 10 mind map styles · book recomposition · dual-document compare · concept maps · handwriting layers 【FSRS Spaced Repetition】 Built on the open-spaced-repetition project's algorithm (paper accepted by ACM SIGKDD; Anki has used FSRS as its default scheduler since v23.10). Push short-term memory into long-term. 【Built For】 Anyone re-reading a single document until it sticks — med school (USMLE / MCAT) · law school (LSAT / bar exam) · grad prep (GRE / GMAT / CFA) · researchers · language learners (IELTS / TOEFL) · serious readers. 【All Apple Platforms】 iPhone + iPad + Mac under one Apple ID. iCloud syncs Study Sets, notes, and review progress. Native Apple Pencil support on iPad. — Questions? Email service@marginnote.com Terms: https://dist.marginnote.com/MarginNote_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf Privacy: https://dist.marginnote.com/MarginNote_Privacy_Policy.pdf
EchoRead
This app transforms reading highlights into visual mind maps and uses AI with the Feynman learning method to deepen understanding. It helps organize notes from various sources, connect ideas, and create personalized learning experiences like reading podcasts and summaries.
- Convert highlights to mind maps
- AI-powered Q&A and note linking
- Automatic idea connections
- Feynman learning modes
- Generate reading podcasts
- Create structured summaries
- Card notes with cross-linking
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Turn your book highlights into visual mind maps — powered by AI. EchoRead transforms how you read, think, and remember. Import highlights from Kindle, WeRead, and PDFs, then watch AI organize them into beautiful mind maps. With the Feynman learning method built in, you don’t just collect notes — you truly understand them. Rated 4.88 on the App Store --- HIGHLIGHTS TO MIND MAPS, INSTANTLY Import reading highlights from Kindle, WeRead (微信读书), and PDFs. EchoRead’s AI automatically structures them into clear, visual mind maps — no manual organizing needed. See the big picture of any book at a glance. LEARN DEEPER WITH THE FEYNMAN METHOD Go beyond passive highlighting with three AI-powered learning modes: - Concept Learning — Break down complex ideas into simple explanations - Reading Partner — Discuss books with an AI companion - Quiz Me — Test your understanding and strengthen recall DISCOVER HIDDEN CONNECTIONS EchoRead automatically finds related notes across all your books using deep learning. See how ideas from different authors connect — without lifting a finger. TURN YOUR NOTES INTO PODCASTS Transform your book highlights and reflections into engaging, conversational podcasts. Listen to your reading insights on the go — a feature no other reading app offers. CAPTURE EVERY INSIGHT - Sentence Analysis — Annotate any highlight with AI-powered Q&A - Card Notes — Record quick ideas with automatic cross-book linking - Personal Summaries — Write chapter-level and book-level reflections - Full Book Notes — Generate complete mind map or document summaries --- IMPORT FROM YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORMS - Amazon Kindle highlights - WeRead (微信读书) - PDF highlights & annotations - XMIND mind maps - Manual input --- BUILT FOR READERS WHO WANT TO REMEMBER Most reading apps help you collect highlights. EchoRead helps you understand them. From highlight to mind map to deep learning — EchoRead closes the loop between reading and true knowledge. Start for free. Download EchoRead and import your first book today. --- Subscription Information: - Payment: Your iTunes account will be charged after purchase confirmation. - Cancellation: Turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the current period ends to avoid being charged. - Renewal: Your account will be charged within 24 hours before the period ends for renewal.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: EchoRead at 100% against MarginNote 4's 59%. EchoRead also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). MarginNote 4's advantage is ratings volume (716 vs 4). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and EchoRead sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
EchoRead holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 4 has 716 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of MarginNote 4's written reviews are positive against 100% of EchoRead's.
MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, EchoRead weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MarginNote 4 | EchoRead |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (716 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 716 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 330 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd | Wei Lai Zhi Tu Tech Inc |
Customer experience
MarginNote 4
EchoRead
Bugs and requests
MarginNote 4
Reported bugs
3 issues- Disappearing annotations when using extend function
- Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
- Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management
Requested features
4 requests- Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
- More intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Better support for external document libraries
- Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection
EchoRead
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MarginNote 4
- Subscription to MAX (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Subscription to MAX (3 months)7 Days trial$4.993 Months
- Subscription to MAX (6 months)7 Days trial$7.996 Months
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- Subscription to MAX (Annually)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
- MarginNote Max Annual1 Month trial$16.991 Year
- 14 days Free Trial2 variantsFree
- Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS)$4.99
- Unlock PRO Forever (New)$12.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS)$19.99
- Unlock MAX based on PRO$39.99
- Unlock MAX based on PRO (New)$40.00
- Unlock MAX Forever (New)$51.99
EchoRead
- 1 Month Membership$4.991 Month
- 1 Month Pro Member$8.991 Month
- 3 Month Membership$12.993 Months
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- 3 Month Pro Membership$25.993 Months
- 1 Year Memebership$49.991 Year
- 1 year Pro Member$89.991 Year
- Quota package$2.99
- 100 Import Quota$8.99









