Comparison

BigPaper vs Chronicler

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

Chronicler

Features
Read full description

Chronicler makes time tracking effortless. Tap a category to start, tap again to stop. It’s that simple. Whether you’re logging work hours, study sessions, workouts, creative projects, daily habits, or focused Pomodoro sessions, Chronicler helps you understand where your time goes without getting in your way. Your day is shown as a clean, visual timeline, making it easy to review every session at a glance. With powerful insights, weekly summaries, category breakdowns, and activity charts, Chronicler turns simple time entries into meaningful patterns. See your totals, spot your most time-consuming activities, and build a clearer picture of your routines over time. For moments when you want extra focus, Chronicler also offers Pomodoro timers, a simple way to structure work and breaks while keeping everything connected to your time tracking. Designed to be fast, intuitive, and beautiful, Chronicler is time tracking that feels natural.

Screenshots

BigPaper3 screens
Chronicler4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BigPaper at every 5 days against Chronicler's fortnightly. BigPaper also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. BigPaper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chronicler sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BigPaper ships an update every 5 days, Chronicler fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BigPaper versus Chronicler: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBigPaperChronicler
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (17 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews26.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings17 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size253 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer10happy Technology Development(Dalian) Co.,Ltd.MARIUS LANG

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BigPaper

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

Chronicler

One-time1
  • Unlimited Categories$12.99

Questions

Is BigPaper free?
BigPaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chronicler free?
Chronicler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BigPaper or Chronicler have ads?
Neither BigPaper nor Chronicler shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BigPaper or Chronicler?
BigPaper ships an update every 5 days, and Chronicler fortnightly. Most recently, BigPaper was updated on October 15, 2026 and Chronicler on October 7, 2026.

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