Comparison

BigPaper vs Genius Vault

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

Head to head
About

BigPaper

This app offers an infinite canvas for note-taking, PDF annotation, and mind mapping. Import various document formats and add text, handwriting, tables, and more. Efficiently organize and edit content without page limitations.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for freeform note-taking
  • Import and annotate PDFs and other documents
  • Mind mapping with element connections
  • Handwriting and drawing tools with Smart Shapes
  • Table creation and linking
  • Multi-format document import and export
  • Screenshot mode for quick content capture
Features
Read full description

BigPaper is a borderless note taking application. You can import and expand PDFs and other formats in BigPaper and freely take notes in an infinite canvas without being limited by the edges of the document. You can use BigPaper on both iPhone and iPad for efficient editing with iCloud data sync. Whether it's annotating PDFs, making handbooks, or creating mind maps, BigPaper is ready to go. BigPaper's features include multi-format document import, text input, handwriting, mind mapping, tables, scanned documents, free edge screenshots, containers, folder management, search for handwriting and text, etc. We welcome every rating, and we will read every piece of feedback and take notes to incorporate it in future updates. Your 5-star review will encourage us to continue to upgrade BigPaper and introduce new features. —— Introduction of functions —— 「Infinite canvas, freeform add elements」 Canvas can be zoomed and moved for editing. Add documents in multiple formats such as PDF, as well as multiple types of elements such as tables, text, drawings, handwriting, pictures, stickers, paper, scanned documents, and more. These elements can be scaled and rotated. 「Mind Mapping - Easily connect ideas」 Innovative mind mapping mode. Connect elements on the page (text, pictures, tables, etc.) to quickly generate mind maps from inspiration. Also support the step-by-step enlargement of the idea by expanding the mind map. 「Type anywhere」 Customize the font, size and color of the text. To-do list, bullets can be added to the text. 「Brush Tool - Handwritten and Drawings」 Customize brush presets including color, transparency, tip size. Full-screen drawing, freely annotated documents that are not limited by the edges of the document. Smart Shapes: Hold a stylus or fingertip after drawing a graphic on the screen, intelligently recognize and generate the perfect shape. 「Create Table」 Easy create forms. Add row, add column, move row, move column. Tables can be linked to mind maps. 「Import and Export」 Imported document formats: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, etc. Expand all pages of the document to easily read and highlight all the content. Select text in the document to copy. Export PDF, export image, and BigPaper format. WYSIWYG, everything can be displayed in the exported document. 「Reading Mode」 Customize the "scrolling direction" to realize the classic reading mode. 「Screenshot Mode - Quickly capture key points」 In screenshot mode, you can continuously select areas to take screenshots, these screenshots will be added to the canvas immediately, and can continue to be edited and added to the mind map. 「Stickers, Paper Templates」 The themes of stickers include weather, three-dimensional geometry, music, etc., saving creation time and improving note-taking efficiency. Use stickers and paper stencils in combination to create beautiful manuscripts. 「Multiple Selection Tool - Efficient Editing」 You can freely select an area on the canvas using the multi-selection tool. The selected content as a whole can be resized, rotated, moved, deleted, and exported.Draw borders to take screenshots freely. 「Manage files with folders」 You can create folders to manage files. Easy personalization includes folder editing, file moving, sticking to the top, and more. 「iCloud Sync」 Continue to create notes on different devices and capture inspiration anytime, anywhere. 「Scan」 Scan documents, OCR text recognition(Available in English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish.) 「Search and Jump Locations」 Search for handwriting, text, text in documents. Also: OCR text recognition results of scanned documents and recognition of text in pictures. Contact us and send feedback: bp_10happy@hotmail.com

About

Genius Vault

Organize research notes, ideas, URLs, and code snippets in a centralized digital vault. Easily save, categorize, and retrieve information across your Apple devices. Perfect for students and researchers seeking focused organization.

Highlights
  • Store research notes and ideas
  • Save URLs, instructions, and code snippets
  • Detect and paste from clipboard
  • Highlight, favorite, and pin records
  • URL validation and direct linking
  • Cloud sync across Apple devices
  • 7-day record restore
Features
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Genius Vault is a powerful app that helps you store and organise all your research project notes and ideas in one place. With Genius Vault, you can easily save information, URLs, instructions, and snippets of code or text. A VAULT of project data that can help you keep your mind in focus but not overloaded. Need a better way to Group and store useful data or research, Genius Vault is here to help. The app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so you can access your notes from anywhere. Whether you're a student, researcher, or just someone who likes to keep their ideas organised, Genius Vault is the perfect tool for you. Features *Ability to detect text and urls from clipboard when you open the app and paste them into new records *highlight, favourite, and pin records * Url validation check URLs that are saved are complete urls. *quickly jump to the url by tapping on the links *copy snippets of text to the clipboard from the app to easily smoothen your workflow *syncs in cloud between iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs *delete records and restore them within 7 days Search through your ideas, urls, instructions and snippets

Screenshots

BigPaper3 screens
Genius Vault4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Genius Vault at 5.0 against BigPaper's 4.0. BigPaper's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (20 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. BigPaper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Genius Vault sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Genius Vault holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BigPaper has 20 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BigPaper ships an update every 5 days, Genius Vault every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BigPaper versus Genius Vault: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBigPaperGenius Vault
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (20 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings20 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size253 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer10happy Technology Development(Dalian) Co.,Ltd.Oliver Rider

Customer experience

BigPaper

All ratings17 ratings
Positive64.7%
Neutral29.4%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive26.7%
Neutral46.7%
Negative26.7%

Genius Vault

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BigPaper

One-time1
  • BigPaper - Full Version Unlock$8.99
2 purchases

Genius Vault

One-time2
  • Buy me a coffee$1.99
  • Unlock Pro Access$2.99

Questions

Is BigPaper free?
BigPaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Genius Vault free?
Genius Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BigPaper or Genius Vault?
Genius Vault is rated higher. BigPaper averages 4.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Genius Vault averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BigPaper or Genius Vault have ads?
Neither BigPaper nor Genius Vault shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BigPaper or Genius Vault?
BigPaper ships an update every 5 days, and Genius Vault every 6 weeks. Most recently, BigPaper was updated on October 24, 2026 and Genius Vault on October 7, 2026.

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