Noteful vs Protekto
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Protekto
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Protekto is your personal App Lock Companion. Protekto helps you guard your focus, sleep, battery habits, and daily routines by locking distracting apps during the moments you choose. Whether you want to read before scrolling, finish a work session, protect your sleep hours, complete a to-do list, or move before opening distracting apps again, Protekto gives you gentle structure without making your phone feel stressful. Your App Store purchase includes every Protekto feature—no subscriptions or additional in-app purchases. No Subscriptions. No ads. Access to ALL Modes. Future Updates. Key features: • App protection with Screen Time Choose apps to guard during focus, reading, sleep, work, workout, battery, and to-do routines. • Battery protection habits Get helpful reminders when your battery is low, when it is time to charge, and when it is time to unplug based on your settings. • Reading Mode Lock selected apps while you complete your reading time. You can optionally connect reading apps as part of your routine. • Work or Study Mode Protect your focus during a timed session and celebrate when the session is complete. • Sleep Mode Guard selected apps during sleep hours and choose whether to unlock them when you wake up. • To-Do List Mode Lock distracting apps until your selected tasks are completed. • Step Count Mode Use step progress from Apple Health to unlock selected apps after reaching your step goal. • Smart mode priority When multiple protections are active, Protekto decides which lock screen message should appear based on your mode priority. • Emergency bypass Unlock protected apps when needed, with safeguards. • Insights and streaks See simple summaries of how Protekto helped you protect focus time, sleep time, routines, and battery habits. • Playful onboarding A friendly walkthrough helps you set up permissions, app locks, automations, and Protekto’s core features. Protekto is designed to feel encouraging, not punishing. It helps you create small boundaries around your phone so your attention, rest, movement, and battery habits are easier to protect. Important: Protekto uses Apple Screen Time APIs to help users select and shield apps. Workout Mode uses Apple Health step data only when you grant permission. Protekto does not provide medical advice and does not guarantee battery health improvement.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Noteful at Free against Protekto's $4.99. Protekto's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Noteful is free to download; Protekto costs $4.99 up front. Noteful sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Protekto asks for nothing beyond the download.
Noteful ships an update fortnightly, Protekto every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Noteful | Protekto |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (24K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 86.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 157 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Noteful Technologies Ltd | Jethro Shy Gonzales |
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.)
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- Customizable pen pressure and smoothing
Protekto
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Noteful
- Noteful Pro, Lifetime$6.99
Protekto
No in-app purchases









