# SideNotes Mobile vs Freenotes®

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | SideNotes Mobile | Freenotes® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.2 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidenotes-mobile/id1607089308/reviews) | **[4.7 (65K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 29 | **65K** |
| Positive reviews | **88.4% of reviews** | 59.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#120** | — |
| Size | 10 MB | 660 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apptorium](https://appshunter.io/developer/551772156) | [Free Notes AI Note Taker LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775767870) |

## What reviewers say

### SideNotes Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidenotes-mobile/id1607089308)

**Currently charting:** #120 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Freenotes®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Freenotes Weekly Plus Member | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Weekly Pro Member | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Remove Ads | $29.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Completely free app with no ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 📚 Comprehensive note-taking features (layers, templates, stickers, etc.)
- 🎨 Highly customizable (colors, fonts, covers, etc.)
- 🗂️ Excellent organization tools (folders, notebooks, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with syncing and iCloud backup
- 🖌️ Limited customization options for pen/pencil settings
- 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition and search
- 🔗 No support for external links or clickable content
- 🔀 Difficulty in rearranging or splitting notebooks

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*