Comparison

Defter Notes vs Folia

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

Head to head
About

Defter Notes

This app provides an infinite canvas for spatial thinking, allowing users to capture, connect, and explore ideas through handwriting, drawing, and text. Organize thoughts with flexible tools and intuitive navigation for enhanced creativity and productivity.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for spatial thinking
  • Handwritten notes, sketches, and typed text
  • Connect and layer ideas
  • Organize with Stacks
  • Deft movement with gestures
  • Cross-reference and multitask documents
  • Supports links and files
Features
Read full description

Defter Notes is loved by academics, students, teachers, researchers, journal keepers, knowledge workers, designers, architects, engineers, writers, and anyone who thinks best with their hands and eyes.  It’s built for people who see ideas as living things: connected, evolving, and worth exploring. Think without boundaries Defter Notes gives you an infinite canvas for spatial thinking. Drop ideas anywhere. Draw connections. Expand as far as your thoughts take you. Enjoy pure creative flow. Capture ideas your way Whether it starts as a quick sketch, a handwritten note, or a PDF you’re diving into, Defter Notes adapts to your process. Write, draw, or type; then move, link, and layer it all together. Your ideas stay flexible and alive. Work the way your brain works Move items freely. Zoom in and out of context. Build hierarchies of Spaces that let you go deeper into your projects. Defter Notes stays out of the way so your focus stays on thinking. Top features * Stacks for deep work: Ideal for reading, studying, or comparing multiple resources. * Deft movement with gestures: Drag pages or extract text directly out of PDFs. * Cross-reference and multitask: View, resize, and reorder documents side by side. * Handwriting and text tools: Combine pen, pencil, marker, and text boxes using Apple Pencil or Scribble. * Fluid editing: Double-tap any item to edit or share. * Intuitive navigation: Use the mini-map, navigation bar, gestures, and select tool to move effortlessly through infinite spaces. * Supports links and files: Drop in PDFs, images, URLs, and attachments right onto your canvas. Join the community: https://discord.com/invite/GjS5tJSmBW Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.defternotes.com/touprivacypolicy https://defternotes.com

About

Folia

This app allows users to annotate any document type from any device, organize work into projects, and capture ideas with intuitive tools. It facilitates real-time sharing with collaborators and recording ideas on the go.

Highlights
  • Annotate any document type
  • Organize work into projects
  • Capture ideas with intuitive tools
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Integrates with cloud storage
  • Cross-device support
Features
Read full description

Folia is the all-in-one way to annotate any document, from any device. Open a single file and start marking it up, or organize your work into projects and share with collaborators in real time. Folia lets you record your ideas wherever you are, whether at your desk or on the go. Use Folia to: - Open recent and favorited documents right from Home. - Work with individual documents on their own, or group them into projects. - Pull in files from any storage connection like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box. - Annotate files of any type — PDFs, MS Office documents, images, and more. - Scan and OCR paper documents with your camera. - Record audio annotations from your microphone. - Share securely between colleagues. - Record ideas from desktop, phone or tablet. Learn more at www.folia.com Privacy Policy: https://www.folia.com/legal/privacy Support: help@folia.com

Screenshots

Defter Notes4 screens
Folia4 screens

Verdict

The call

Defter Notes and Folia both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 75% of Defter Notes's written reviews are positive against 0% of Folia's. Defter Notes also leads on ratings volume (74 vs 2). Folia's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Defter Notes sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Folia asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Defter Notes against 4.5 for Folia. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Defter Notes has 74 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Defter Notes's written reviews are positive against 0% of Folia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Defter Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Folia monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Defter Notes versus Folia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDefter NotesFolia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (74 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings74 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeft Works ApSBranchfire, Inc.

Customer experience

Defter Notes

All ratings74 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative12.2%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive75.3%
Neutral11.1%
Negative13.6%

Folia

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Defter Notes

Subscriptions5
  • Monthly Plan$2.991 Month
  • Mini Supporter$2.991 Month
  • Supporter$7.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Yearly Plan$17.991 Year
  • Big Supporter$29.991 Month
One-time2
  • Lifetime Access - Welcome Offer$29.99
  • Lifetime Access$39.99
None

Folia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Defter Notes free?
Defter Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folia free?
Folia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Defter Notes or Folia?
Folia is rated higher. Defter Notes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 74 ratings, while Folia averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Defter Notes or Folia have ads?
Neither Defter Notes nor Folia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Defter Notes or Folia?
Defter Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Folia monthly. Most recently, Defter Notes was updated on October 12, 2026 and Folia on October 6, 2026.

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