Comparison

SideNotes Mobile vs Freenotes®

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

Head to head
About

SideNotes Mobile

Capture thoughts and to-dos on the go with this mobile note-taking app. It offers iCloud sync, Markdown formatting, and customizable themes for a personalized experience. Easily access notes from other applications.

Highlights
  • iCloud Synchronization
  • Markdown Formatting
  • Task Management
  • Customizable Themes
  • Note and Folder URLs
  • Note Colors
Features
Read full description

SideNotes Mobile is a fast notes app for iPhone and iPad. Capture notes, tasks, links, and snippets in seconds, then access them across devices with iCloud sync. Version 1.2 brings a major upgrade: - A new editor with hidden Markdown markup - the same as in SideNotes for macOS - Refreshed iOS 26-style interface (Liquid Glass look) - Note folding - Note & Folder pinning - Simple drag-and-drop reordering - New contextual menu - New formatting options - Add Note action for the iPhone Action Button - New translations: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Spanish - UI polish, bug fixes, and quality improvements Core features: - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Themes and note colors for personalization - Tasks and checklists for daily work - Folder organization and quick search - Note and folder URLs for fast access from other apps - Text settings for comfortable writing and reading - One-time purchase (paid per major version). No subscription. Note: SideNotes Mobile is a companion app to SideNotes for macOS. SideNotes for macOS is sold separately.

About

Freenotes®

This AI-powered digital notepad transforms your device into an intelligent workspace. It offers handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and AI assistance for summarizing documents, answering questions, and aiding in study. Organize notes, sketch ideas, and sync across devices for a seamless paperless experience.

Highlights
  • AI Summaries and Chat with PDFs
  • AI Homework and Study Helper
  • Handwritten Note Organization
  • OCR Search and PDF Annotation
  • Infinite Canvas and Shape Recognition
  • Active Recall Tape and Flashcards
  • Picture-in-Picture Video Note-Taking
Features
Read full description

Freenotes: Freedom to write, organize, and shine Transform your iPad into a powerful AI-driven digital notepad. Freenotes is an all-in-one workspace designed for students and professionals who want the natural feel of handwriting with the power of artificial intelligence. Whether you are annotating a complex PDF, planning your week, or recording a lecture, Freenotes helps you stay organized with seamless, free-form experience. AI Summary Quickly find key points and action items from long recordings or documents. AI Chat with PDF Ask questions directly to your imported files to get instant answers. AI Homework Helper Take a screenshot or upload a document (PDF or photo) to instantly get answers. AI Study Companion Clarify concepts, define terms, and check your handwritten notes for accuracy, turning passive review into active recall. Organize Notes Categorize and organize your notes by projects, courses, or topics, automating the organization of your note library. Quick Search via OCR Search through your handwritten scripts easily using accurate text recognition. PDF Annotation Highlight, underline, and add comments to documents with custom pen styles. Infinite Canvas Sketch ideas or mind map on a whiteboard that expands as you work. Apple Pencil Pro Support Experience low-latency writing that feels like real paper. Shape Recognition Turn rough drawings into clean, perfect geometric shapes for diagrams. Hyperlink Support Navigate through digital planners using clickable internal and external links. Active Recall Tape Hide specific parts of your notes to test your memory and study better. Paper Templates Access various backgrounds including grid, Cornell, and dotted paper. Flashcards Build study sets directly from your pages to help with exam prep. Seamless Video Learning Use Picture-in-Picture (PiP) to take notes while watching online videos (YouTube, lecture recordings), and instantly capture relevant screenshots directly into your notes. iCloud & Google Drive Sync Securely back up your digital notebook to access your data anywhere. Who is Freenotes For? Students: Create study guides, annotate lecture slides, and use the "Active Recall" tape tool for exam prep. Professionals: Record meetings, organize projects into folders, and sign PDF documents on the go. Creatives: Sketch ideas on an infinite whiteboard and export high-quality files to share with your team. Join over 1 million happy users transitioning to a smarter, paperless future. Try Freenotes today and experience the next era of AI note-taking. Privacy Policy: https://www.freenotetech.com/policy/ Terms of Service: https://www.freenotetech.com/terms/

Screenshots

SideNotes Mobile4 screens
Freenotes®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Freenotes® at Free against SideNotes Mobile's $9.99. Freenotes® also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (65K vs 29). SideNotes Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (88% vs 60%). On ads 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

Freenotes® is free to download; SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99 up front. Freenotes® sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. SideNotes Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Freenotes® holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freenotes® has 65K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of SideNotes Mobile's written reviews are positive against 60% of Freenotes®'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SideNotes Mobile ships an update monthly, Freenotes® weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
SideNotes Mobile versus Freenotes®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideNotes MobileFreenotes®
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (29 ratings)4.7 (65K ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.4% of reviews — better59.5% of reviews
Number of ratings2965K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#120 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1715.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB660 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApptoriumFree Notes AI Note Taker LTD

Customer experience

SideNotes Mobile

All ratings28 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive88.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.6%

Freenotes®

All ratings63,781 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews2,498 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative34.7%

Bugs and requests

SideNotes Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Freenotes®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional freezing or lagging when writing/drawing
  • Issues with the shape recognition tool not working as expected
  • Problems with the eraser tool not functioning properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting recognition and search functionality
  • Improve iCloud sync and backup capabilities
  • Expand pen/pencil customization options
  • Implement support for external links and clickable content
  • Introduce features for easier notebook organization and splitting

In-app purchases

None

SideNotes Mobile

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Freenotes®

Subscriptions6
  • Freenotes Weekly Plus Member$1.997 Days
  • Freenotes Weekly Pro Member$6.997 Days
  • Freenotes Yearly Plus Member$9.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • Freenotes Yearly Plus Member1 Year trial2 variants$9.991 Year
  • Freenotes Yearly Pro Member1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Freenotes Yearly Pro Member$39.991 Year
One-time2
  • Freenotes Remove Ads$29.99
  • Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is SideNotes Mobile free?
SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Freenotes® free?
Freenotes® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SideNotes Mobile or Freenotes®?
Freenotes® is rated higher. SideNotes Mobile averages 4.2 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Freenotes® averages 4.7 from 65K ratings.
Do SideNotes Mobile or Freenotes® have ads?
Neither SideNotes Mobile nor Freenotes® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SideNotes Mobile or Freenotes®?
SideNotes Mobile ships an update monthly, and Freenotes® weekly. Most recently, SideNotes Mobile was updated on November 3, 2026 and Freenotes® on November 5, 2026.

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