# The Smart Notebook vs Noteflow

The clearest difference is rating: Noteflow at 4.6 against The Smart Notebook's 2.5. Noteflow also leads on ratings volume (592 vs 11) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). The Smart Notebook's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noteflow sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. The Smart Notebook asks for nothing beyond the download.

Noteflow holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteflow has 592 ratings behind it against 11, 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 25% of Noteflow's.

The Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, Noteflow fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Smart Notebook | Noteflow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-smart-notebook/id1569498072/reviews) | **[4.6 (592 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteflow-ai-notes-taking/id6737990701/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **592** |
| Positive reviews | 11.8% of reviews | **25.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 93 MB | 200 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Virtual-Tec](https://appshunter.io/developer/498369221) | [DIGITAL LIONS APPS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1801715567) |

## 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


### Noteflow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteflow-ai-notes-taking/id6737990701)

Effortlessly capture, transcribe, and organize spoken content into searchable notes. This AI-powered tool transforms voice memos, meetings, and lectures into concise, highlighted summaries, saving you time and ensuring no detail is lost.

**Highlights:** AI-powered transcription, Real-time summaries, High-accuracy voice-to-text, Automatic note organization, Audio file uploads, Flashcards and quizzes, Interactive AI chat

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteflow Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteflow Premium | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| premium | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Plan | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Plan | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Plan | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteflow Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteflow Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Noteflow Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Noteflow Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteflow Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteflow Premium | $499.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking and summarization
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Brilliant concept
- 🚀 Best in class

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sharing/exporting issues with formatting
- 🐛 Unreliable recording, stops when phone locked
- 🔒 Unclear trial and subscription policies

**Reported bugs**

- Sharing transcript feature not working
- Recording stops when phone locked
- Support email bouncing

**Requested features**

- Ability to change transcription name
- Highlight words in full transcription
- Search function for long transcriptions
- Cleaner summary formatting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Smart Notebook free?

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

### Is Noteflow free?

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

### Which has better reviews, The Smart Notebook or Noteflow?

Noteflow is rated higher. The Smart Notebook averages 2.5 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Noteflow averages 4.6 from 592 ratings.

### Do The Smart Notebook or Noteflow have ads?

Neither The Smart Notebook nor Noteflow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Smart Notebook or Noteflow?

The Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, and Noteflow fortnightly. Most recently, The Smart Notebook was updated on October 4, 2026 and Noteflow 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.*