# MarginNote 4 vs Digital Reflective Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Digital Reflective Journal at none against MarginNote 4's 13. Digital Reflective Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). MarginNote 4's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Digital Reflective Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, Digital Reflective Journal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 4 | Digital Reflective Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (736 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **736** | — |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 330 MB | 38 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) | [Kateina ebova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887059676) |

## 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


### Digital Reflective Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-reflective-journal/id6760963728)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

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

### Is Digital Reflective Journal free?

Digital Reflective Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do MarginNote 4 or Digital Reflective Journal have ads?

Neither MarginNote 4 nor Digital Reflective Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 4 or Digital Reflective Journal?

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Digital Reflective Journal every 2 months. Most recently, MarginNote 4 was updated on October 24, 2026 and Digital Reflective Journal on October 13, 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.*