Comparison

CollaNote vs Element Note

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

Head to head
About

CollaNote

This app offers a comprehensive note-taking experience with advanced tools for digital planning, PDF markup, and flashcard creation. It features a wide array of pens, handwriting stabilization, and AI-powered assistance for enhanced productivity and creativity. Organize, secure, and share your notes seamlessly across devices.

Highlights
  • 25+ pens and brushes
  • PDF, PPT, DOC markup
  • Flashcard creation
  • Translation tool
  • Audio recording
  • AI-powered tools
  • Real-time collaboration
Features
Read full description

CollaNote: Powerful note-taking app packed with a wide range of tools. Note-taking, PDF markup, digital planning, and flashcards - all in one place! BUILT FOR APPLE PENCIL WITH AN ENHANCED WRITING EXPERIENCE: - 25+ different pens and brushes to transform your notes into artwork. - Handwriting stabilizer for beautiful, smooth writing. - Enjoy a calming ASMR note-taking experience. - Infinite Arc Menu available for both Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil Gen 2. IMPORT, MARK-UP, AND EXPORT PDF: - Import and mark up PDFs, PPTs, DOCs, and Images effortlessly. - In-built scanner to digitize your physical documents. - Export notes to PDF and share with ease. POWERFUL TOOLS: - Translation tool to learn new languages, supporting over 90 languages. - Create flashcards with audio and images, or use our extensive library. - Beautiful Planners for tracking tasks, deadlines, and schedules. - Record and sync audio directly within your notes. UNLIMITED PAPERS AND NOTEBOOKS: - Unlimited paper with versatile grids/lines and 150+ colorful templates. - Keep all your notes organized and easily accessible from anywhere. - Automatically back up to iCloud and sync across iOS devices. - Smart Dark Mode for optimal visibility in any lighting. - Password protection for ultimate note security. AI POWERED: - Built-in AI Calculator for complex calculations. - AI drawing tools for perfect shapes. - Get intelligent writing and note-taking assistance. - Generate unique stickers with AI. ENGAGING CREATIVE COMMUNITY: - Join the Public Room to connect with creators worldwide. - Real-time collaboration function (unlimited participants). CollaNote's journey began with a student at Hamburg University, who now leads a dedicated team of individuals devoted to delivering the finest digital paper experience. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our users for their unwavering support since the early days of CollaNote. Download CollaNote now to discover even more surprises!

About

Element Note

This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Unique handwriting brushes
  • Smooth drawing engine
  • PDF annotation
  • Text, shape, and image attachments
  • On-device OCR search
  • Smart dark mode
  • iCloud sync and collaboration
Features
Read full description

Element Note is the next-gen note taking, PDF annotation, and light sketching app. We stripped down the unnecessaries and carefully polished the elemental functions for a digital notebook. With a modern look and powerful features, Element Note strives to provide an elegant writing space free of distractions. Features: Unique brushes - Pencil (HB Pencil, Mechanical Pencil) - Pen (Pen, Line Pen, Fountain Pen) - Brush (Art Brush, Round Brush) - Marker (Marker, Round Marker) Best-in-class note rendering engine - Smooth and fluid drawing powered by Metal technology - Support gradient ink for more expressive notes Powerful attachments - Text - Shape - Sticker - Image Universal Search - Search through your PDF & Handwritting using on device OCR Smart Darkmode - Smartly adapts all of your notes to the system darkmode without changing the paper or stroke colors. iCloud Sync & Collaboration - Sync via your personal iCloud (No data is passed to our server) - Collaborate through iCloud collaboration for up to 100 users. Desktop class organization - Intuitive multi-select drag and drop gesture to organize your notes or pages Element Note is free to try for up to 3 notes. Unlock the full app with an in app purchase to create unlimited notes. Terms and Conditions https://elementnote.app/terms Privacy Policy https://elementnote.app/privacy

Screenshots

CollaNote4 screens
Element Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: CollaNote at 14K against Element Note's 2.6K. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. CollaNote sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for CollaNote against 4.6 for Element Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CollaNote has 14K ratings behind it against 2.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of CollaNote's written reviews are positive against 68% of Element Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CollaNote ships an update every 11 days, Element Note fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
CollaNote versus Element Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCollaNoteElement Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (14K ratings) — better4.6 (2.6K ratings)
Positive reviews70.3% of reviews — better68.1% of reviews
Number of ratings14K — better2.6K
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size209 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZauberberg Lab Company LimitedSoysauce Lab

Customer experience

CollaNote

All ratings13,765 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.2%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews2,940 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral8.2%
Negative21.5%

Element Note

All ratings2,591 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews335 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral11.6%
Negative20.3%

User reviews

CollaNote

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Very good writing app
  • 🚀 Great app and easy to navigate
  • 🚀 Excellent note taking app
  • 👍 Amazing free note taking app
  • 👍 Fantastic for teaching

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitching, crashing, and issues with writing tools
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance and bugs
  • 🐛 Issues with PDF annotations and exports
  • 🐛 Problems with organization and navigation
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss

Element Note

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 💡 Customizable pens and colors
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
  • 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Search function not working
  • 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
  • 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
  • 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes

Bugs and requests

CollaNote

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Pen and eraser issues after updates
  • Freezing and crashing when deleting or moving notes
  • Inconsistent behavior of favorite pen settings
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Login screen freezes
Show 1 more
  • Random deletion of notes and files

Requested features

12 requests
  • Add landscape mode support
  • Improve text editing and formatting
  • Enhance organization with nested folders
  • Implement better backup and sync options
  • Add more pen/pencil customization
Show 7 more
  • Improve collaboration and sharing features
  • Introduce a zoom window and auto-advance function
  • Add more paper style options
  • Implement undo/redo functionality
  • Allow resizing and manipulating of selected content
  • Provide a dark mode option
  • Add advanced analytics and dashboard

Element Note

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes and files randomly disappearing
  • Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
  • Handwriting recognition not working as expected
  • Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ruler tool
  • Ability to resize/rotate selections
  • Improved text editing and formatting
  • Presentation mode for connecting to displays
  • Ability to import/export multiple files at once
Show 1 more
  • Seasonal or custom sticker packs

In-app purchases

4 purchases

CollaNote

One-time4
  • Lifetime Premium Loyal Users$6.95
  • Premium: Time Limited Sale$6.95
  • Lifetime Premium Welcome Offer$9.69
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Premium$13.90
5 purchases

Element Note

Subscriptions2
  • Element Note Yearly$3.491 Year
  • Element Note Yearly$4.991 Year
One-time3
  • Lifetime Launch Special$4.99
  • Lifetime$9.99
  • Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is CollaNote free?
CollaNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Element Note free?
Element Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CollaNote or Element Note?
CollaNote is rated higher. CollaNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Element Note averages 4.6 from 2.6K ratings.
Do CollaNote or Element Note have ads?
Neither CollaNote nor Element Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CollaNote or Element Note?
CollaNote ships an update every 11 days, and Element Note fortnightly. Most recently, CollaNote was updated on September 30, 2026 and Element Note on September 30, 2026.

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