Comparison

Noteful vs Deckly

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

Head to head
About

Noteful

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Layers for annotations
  • Audio recording synced with notes
  • Import PDFs and MS Office documents
Features
Read full description

Noteful is your one-stop note-taking app to experience the new paperless revolution on iPad. Perfect for annotating documents, taking class notes or even building your personal knowledge system. It is time to put aside the paper clutter, as Noteful is a versatile tool that helps you to accelerate your learning and knowledge work. Take Beautiful Handwritten Notes • Natural, fluid and precise handwriting experience • Precise handwriting on iPad with Apple Pencil native support • Custom-built ink engine InfiniteStroke that captures and converts your strokes into high-resolution vector ink • 3 brushes available: ballpoint pen, fountain pen and highlighter • Switch between pen sizes and colours • Recognise geometrical shapes Markup, Highlight, Annotate • Import PDFs, MS Office documents to a notebook • Add images, shapes and typed text to notes • Use multiple paper templates in a single notebook • Export and share handwritten annotations as PDF • Use Quick Create to create a new notebook for quick sketching Powerful Tagging • Organise quickly by tagging with #tag or even #nested/tag anywhere in notebooks • More flexible than folders; Notes can be organised by subjects, by topics or by priorities • Browse notebooks or pages by tags • Rename, delete or re-assign tags to easily re-organise your library Layers in Notebook • Add annotation on separate layers without changing original content* • Hide or show layers independently • Rearrange layers • Make it possible to composite complex layout* All Your Notes, All the Time • Sync to all your iPhone and iPad devices* • Take textbooks, slides, handwritten notes and PDF documents with you wherever you go • Notebooks synced with iCloud are encrypted via account-based keys Powerful Editing • Erase strokes with eraser • Double tap on Apple Pencil to switch to eraser tool • Move and resize annotations with lasso tool • Unlimited undo, redo • Support Split View for multitasking Audio Record Notes • Record audio while you take notes • Audio playback position synced with the notes Modern App Design • A minimalist UI that maximizes content space • Streamlined design that requires fewer taps for common functions • Different orientations are available for the main toolbar • A clean UI that lets you focus on note-taking and the content We will be adding new features so please stay tuned for future updates. — Noteful is free to use without time limit but with certain features (marked with*) only available to users who upgrade to Noteful Pro via In-app purchase. Noteful Pro is available for one-time purchase and the features will be unlocked forever. — If you have support questions or product suggestions, please contact us by support. Wishing you happy note-taking! Customer Support: support@getnoteful.com Privacy Policy: https://www.getnoteful.com/privacy

About

Deckly

Features
Read full description

Plan your entire day in under a minute. Then go live it. Most planners make you work for them. Deckly works for you. In less than 60 seconds you set up your day's routines, tasks and projects, turning everyday actions into streaks you won't want to break. • One-minute planning. Build your full day in seconds, not hours. Open the app, set your plan, get on with your life. • Routines that build habits. Add the things you do daily or weekly. Pick a name, a frequency, a color, done. Deckly keeps the rhythm so you don't have to remember. • Tasks that get done. Capture short-term to-dos with target dates and check them off without the friction. • Projects, broken down. Turn bigger goals into clear stages and watch them move forward, step by step. • Streaks that keep you going. A clean activity heatmap shows every day you showed up. Watch your consistency grow and feel the pull to keep it alive. • Reminders that nudge, not nag. Gentle notifications keep your routines on track. • Works offline, syncs everywhere. Plan on the subway, in a tunnel, anywhere. Your data syncs across devices the moment you're back online. Consistency has never felt this effortless. Whether you're building better habits, staying on top of work, or finally finishing that project, Deckly turns intention into action, one day at a time. Download Deckly and plan your best day in under a minute. Terms of Use (EULA): https://deckly.cards/terms Privacy Policy: https://deckly.cards/privacy

Screenshots

Noteful4 screens
Deckly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Noteful at fortnightly against Deckly's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Noteful sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Deckly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Noteful ships an update fortnightly, Deckly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Noteful versus Deckly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotefulDeckly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (24K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings24K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNoteful Technologies LtdTAHA C BASKIN

Bugs and requests

Noteful

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Lasso tool not working properly with PDFs
  • Eraser tool not functioning as expected

Requested features

6 requests
  • Handwriting recognition and search
  • More text editing options (bullet lists, etc.)
  • Improved PDF handling and annotations
  • Custom templates and sticker support
  • Expanded cloud storage options (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
Show 1 more
  • Customizable pen pressure and smoothing

Deckly

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Noteful

One-time1
  • Noteful Pro, Lifetime$6.99
2 purchases

Deckly

Subscriptions2
  • Deckly Aylık Abonelik7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Deckly Yıllık7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Noteful free?
Noteful is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Deckly free?
Deckly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Noteful or Deckly have ads?
Neither Noteful nor Deckly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Noteful or Deckly?
Noteful ships an update fortnightly, and Deckly every 2 months. Most recently, Noteful was updated on November 4, 2026 and Deckly on October 31, 2026.

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