# The Smart Notebook vs AI Note Taker

The clearest difference is rating: AI Note Taker at 4.5 against The Smart Notebook's 2.7. AI Note Taker also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 12%) and ratings volume (595 vs 13). The Smart Notebook's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AI Note Taker sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. The Smart Notebook asks for nothing beyond the download.

AI Note Taker holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AI Note Taker has 595 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of The Smart Notebook's written reviews are positive against 33% of AI Note Taker's.

The Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, AI Note Taker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Smart Notebook | AI Note Taker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-smart-notebook/id1569498072/reviews) | **[4.5 (595 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-note-taker-notebookai/id6670445252/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **595** |
| Positive reviews | 11.8% of reviews | **33.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 93 MB | 117 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Virtual-Tec](https://appshunter.io/developer/498369221) | [APPNATION YAZILIM HIZMETLERI TICARET ANONIM SIRKETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560806519) |

## What reviewers say

### The Smart Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-smart-notebook/id1569498072)

Digitize your handwritten notes by scanning them with your smartphone. This app uses OCR technology to make your notes searchable and allows for quick sharing to cloud services. Organize and access your notes from anywhere, anytime.

**Highlights:** Scan handwritten notes, OCR for searchable text, Organize and store notes, Share to cloud services, Quick sharing shortcuts, Convert notes to text

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### AI Note Taker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-note-taker-notebookai/id6670445252)

This AI-powered tool captures, organizes, and transforms audio and media into structured notes, flashcards, and quizzes. It automates summarization of meetings and lectures, offering interactive learning tools and multilingual support.

**Highlights:** AI-powered audio summarization, Organize notes by topic/date, Generate quizzes and flashcards, Media file integration, Multilingual note-taking, Customizable notes with reminders

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Notebook AI - Weekly Subscription | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| Notebook AI - Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Pro Access | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Pro Access | $69.99 | per year |
| Yearly Pro Access | $89.99 | per year |
| Pro Access | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Useful
- 👍 Amazing application
- 👍 Great concept
- 👍 Exceeded expectations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Not working
- 🐛 Limits recording time/size
- 🐛 Formatting issues with exports
- 🐛 Unreliable for longer recordings
- 🐛 Requires payment for full functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings get deleted when exceeding size limit
- App stops working when screen is locked
- Inconsistent behavior with paid 'Pro' version

**Requested features**

- Ability to organize notes into folders
- Increase recording time/size limit
- Improve compatibility with longer recordings
- Offer a true unlimited recording option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Smart Notebook free?

The Smart Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AI Note Taker free?

AI Note Taker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, The Smart Notebook or AI Note Taker?

AI Note Taker is rated higher. The Smart Notebook averages 2.7 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while AI Note Taker averages 4.5 from 595 ratings.

### Do The Smart Notebook or AI Note Taker have ads?

AI Note Taker shows ads; The Smart Notebook does not.

### Which is updated more often, The Smart Notebook or AI Note Taker?

The Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, and AI Note Taker every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Smart Notebook was updated on October 24, 2026 and AI Note Taker on October 23, 2026.

---

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