# MarginNote 4 vs TextMeter

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TextMeter at 100% against MarginNote 4's 58%. TextMeter 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) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and TextMeter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

TextMeter 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: 58% of MarginNote 4's written reviews are positive against 100% of TextMeter's.

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, TextMeter weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MarginNote 4 | TextMeter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (716 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textmeter/id6799174085/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **716** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 330 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) | [Andreas Beyer-Bowden](https://appshunter.io/developer/6799174087) |

## 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


### TextMeter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textmeter/id6799174085)

This app analyzes text to provide insights into sentence length, vocabulary difficulty, and frequently used words and phrases. It visualizes this data through interactive graphs and a word cloud generator, all processed offline on your device.

**Highlights:** Offline text analysis, Word cloud creation, Sentence length analysis, Vocabulary difficulty assessment, Interactive graphs, Batch importing and exporting (paid)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TextMeter Pro | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

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

### Is TextMeter free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MarginNote 4 or TextMeter?

TextMeter is rated higher. MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 out of 5 from 716 ratings, while TextMeter averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do MarginNote 4 or TextMeter have ads?

Neither MarginNote 4 nor TextMeter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MarginNote 4 or TextMeter?

MarginNote 4 ships an update every 3 weeks, and TextMeter weekly. Most recently, MarginNote 4 was updated on October 15, 2026 and TextMeter on October 14, 2026.

---

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