# SmartPal vs AI Note Taker

The clearest difference is rating: AI Note Taker at 4.8 against SmartPal's 3.3. AI Note Taker also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 50%). SmartPal's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AI Note Taker sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. SmartPal asks for nothing beyond the download.

AI Note Taker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AI Note Taker has 548 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of SmartPal's written reviews are positive against 75% of AI Note Taker's.

SmartPal ships an update every 6 months, AI Note Taker monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartPal | AI Note Taker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartpal/id1619687085/reviews) | **[4.8 (548 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-note-taker-notesai/id6504924859/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **548** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 29 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.4** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [De Liu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789377295) | [Akash Jain](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473155604) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartPal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartpal/id1619687085)

This AI-powered chatbot assists university students by answering course-related questions, providing personalized reminders, feedback, and encouragement to support their learning journey. It integrates with Canvas to offer timely academic assistance.

**Highlights:** AI-powered chatbot, Canvas integration, Course-related Q&A, Personalized reminders, Academic feedback, Learning lifecycle support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### AI Note Taker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-note-taker-notesai/id6504924859)

This app leverages AI to streamline note-taking for lectures, meetings, and general voice recordings. It converts audio and video into text, automatically generating notes and meeting minutes for efficient information capture and organization.

**Highlights:** Automatic lecture notes generation, Voice to text conversion, Video to text note generation, Automatic meeting minutes, Smart note organization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NotesAI Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| NotesAI Weekly | $8.99 | per 7 days |
| NotesAI Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| NotesAI Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| NotesAI Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| NotesAI Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate transcription
- 👍 Helpful for ADHD/neurodivergent users
- 💡 Generates flashcards and quizzes
- 👍 Great customer support
- 👍 Useful for nursing/high school students

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Transcription errors, especially for complex topics
- 🔒 Difficult to contact support
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 🐛 Fails to upload/open recorded lectures

**Reported bugs**

- Transcription issues with non-English languages
- App not working in background
- Inability to delete/manage recorded lectures

**Requested features**

- Improved transcription of equations and formulas
- More inclusive and detailed summaries
- Automatic detection of important topics
- Better free version with more functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartPal free?

SmartPal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AI Note Taker free?

AI Note Taker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SmartPal or AI Note Taker?

AI Note Taker is rated higher. SmartPal averages 3.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while AI Note Taker averages 4.8 from 548 ratings.

### Do SmartPal or AI Note Taker have ads?

Neither SmartPal nor AI Note Taker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartPal or AI Note Taker?

SmartPal ships an update every 6 months, and AI Note Taker monthly. Most recently, SmartPal was updated on October 3, 2026 and AI Note Taker on October 12, 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.*