Comparison

MarginNote 5 vs Plando

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

Head to head
About

MarginNote 5

This app enhances reading and studying 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 with a comprehensive study workflow.

Highlights
  • Task-based reading templates
  • AI-powered content breakdown
  • Integrated flashcard creation
  • Spaced repetition review
  • Mind map organization
  • PDF and EPUB import
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

MarginNote is a PDF tool for in-depth reading and study. Keep PDF highlights linked to mind-map cards, then add those cards to review. MarginNote 5 introduces task-based templates for reading, question practice, and vocabulary. MarginNote has evolved since 2013. The upgrade from MarginNote 4 is free. Your study sets, notes, and purchases remain intact. MARGINNOTE 5: ONE TASK, ONE SETUP • Templates — a template sets the bottom tools, menus, pens, and excerpt colors. The "Standard" template has four modes: Excerpt, Handwrite, Organize, and Recall. Each mode groups tools for that task. • Template Gallery — install official templates in one tap. Some templates include examples to help you get started: – Card Practice: write answers by hand on question cards, check your answers, and focus your next review on questions you haven't mastered yet. AI can split a whole workbook into cards. – Reading Vocabulary: collect words while reading English; an offline dictionary provides base forms, pronunciation, and definitions, and finished cards join review when automatic review is enabled. • Make it yours — the corresponding controls are highlighted as you edit. Find features and settings with Feature Search, and export or share your templates. • Traditional Interface — open the template menu and choose "Traditional Interface" (except on iPhone Duo). SYNC YOU CAN SEE The home screen shows where sync stands. The Sync Center lists notes and original documents separately and tells you when a document is still downloading. Manual sync reports results and offers a protective snapshot. Applying cloud changes also protects local study data. THE CARD AT THE CENTER • Organize excerpts by chapter; for books without a table of contents, AI can build one. • Title Links — notes on concepts you've studied resurface as you read new documents. • Extend — open writing space anywhere on a PDF: inline, in the margin, or folded away. AI AS AN ASSISTANT, NOT A SUBSTITUTE AI Breakdown · Question Extraction · AI TOC · AI OCR card templates · translation · chat. Save any answer as a card, or turn its outline into mind-map branches. Online AI sends task text or images to the service provider used for the request. REVIEW: THINK FIRST, THEN LOOK Use Recall mode to hide and reveal answers in the mind map. Add cards to a review deck for FSRS spaced repetition. Write directly on card snapshots while you review. On iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26+, when Apple Intelligence is enabled and its model is available on a supported device and in a supported region, on-device recall hints work offline without MarginNote credits. THE FULL WORKFLOW PDF, EPUB, Office-to-PDF import (online), video and audio · Zotero, cloud drives and external folders · side-by-side documents · handwriting layers and mind-map backgrounds · mind-map PDF export (structure or card flow) · read aloud · fast OCR WHO IT IS FOR Anyone who rereads material and needs to remember it: medical and law students, exam takers, researchers, language learners, serious readers. ACROSS YOUR DEVICES iPhone, iPad and Mac with one Apple Account; iCloud syncs study sets, notes and review progress. Native Apple Pencil handwriting on iPad. Also adapted for iPhone Duo. ABOUT PURCHASES Free to download. Some features require Pro (one-time unlock) or Max (subscription or one-time unlock). MarginNote Agent requires Max and uses MarginNote credits. Some online AI uses MarginNote credits; external AI is billed by its provider. A Max subscription includes 500 credits/month while active. Questions: service@marginnote.com Terms of Use: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf Privacy Policy: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Privacy_Policy.pdf

About

Plando

Read full description

Plando is a calm task planner for people who want to plan with energy, not just urgency. Create tasks, organise them by category, add notes and due dates, and use the Energy Matrix to understand which work is draining, neutral, or energising. Plando also supports shared task groups, completion notifications, proof-of-completion photos, widgets, cloud sync, and AI-powered report insights. Use Plando to: - Plan daily, weekly, and monthly tasks - Balance effort, importance, and enjoyment - Group related tasks and subtasks - Collaborate through shared groups - Track completed work and task history - Generate Energy Matrix reports - Unlock Pro for higher collaboration and insight limits Plando is built for lightweight personal planning, family coordination, and small-team accountability. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MarginNote 54 screens
Plando4 screens

Verdict

The call

MarginNote 5 and Plando are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. MarginNote 5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months and Plando sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, Plando fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
MarginNote 5 versus Plando: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarginNote 5Plando
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (740 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings740 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size372 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., LtdJIACHENG YAO

Bugs and requests

MarginNote 5

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

Plando

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

MarginNote 5

Subscriptions3
  • Subscription to MAX (3 months)7 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Subscription to MAX (Annually)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
  • MarginNote Max Annual1 Month trial$16.991 Year
One-time6
  • 14 days Free Trial2 variantsFree
  • Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS)$4.99
  • Unlock PRO Forever (New)$12.99
Show 3 more
  • Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS)$19.99
  • Unlock MAX based on PRO (New)$40.00
  • Unlock MAX Forever (New)$51.99
2 purchases

Plando

Subscriptions2
  • Plando Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Plando Pro Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is MarginNote 5 free?
MarginNote 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plando free?
Plando is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MarginNote 5 or Plando have ads?
Neither MarginNote 5 nor Plando shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MarginNote 5 or Plando?
MarginNote 5 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plando fortnightly. Most recently, MarginNote 5 was updated on November 7, 2026 and Plando on October 25, 2026.

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