# J vs Notewise

The clearest difference is review sentiment: J at 100% against Notewise's 55%. J also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 16) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Notewise's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (271 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notewise sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. J asks for nothing beyond the download.

J holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notewise has 271 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of J's written reviews are positive against 55% of Notewise's.

J ships an update fortnightly, Notewise every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | J | Notewise |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/j-notes-notepad-lock-draw/id1634043414/reviews)** | [4.6 (271 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notewise-ai-notes-pdf-docs/id6480045936/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **271** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 54.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 427 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Robert Libsansky](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634043416) | [ZIIKR](https://appshunter.io/developer/1535317711) |

## What reviewers say

### J

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/j-notes-notepad-lock-draw/id1634043414)

This app helps you organize thoughts, sketch ideas, and manage tasks with a beautiful, intuitive interface. It offers rich text editing, smart organization, and flexible views for a personalized experience. Keep your data private with local storage and no cloud sync.

**Highlights:** Text and drawing notes, Rich text editing, Smart organization (pinning, color-coding), Trash and recovery system, Flexible display views, Calendar and map integration, Reminders and instant search

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Notewise

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notewise-ai-notes-pdf-docs/id6480045936)

This app offers a versatile digital canvas for note-taking, PDF annotation, and sketching. It leverages AI to summarize content, generate quizzes, and transcribe audio. Designed for students, professionals, and creators, it provides tools for organization, collaboration, and enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** AI-powered note summarization and quizzing, Handwritten notes and PDF annotation, Audio recording with synced transcripts, OCR for searchable handwriting, Real-time collaboration, Infinite freeform canvas

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notewise Cloud Basic Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Notewise Cloud Starter Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Notewise Cloud Pro Monthly | $15.99 | per month |
| Notewise Cloud Basic Yearly | $28.99 | per year |
| Notewise Cloud Starter Yearly | $36.99 | per year |
| Notewise Cloud Pro Yearly | $129.99 | per year |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $1.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $2.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $3.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $4.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $5.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $6.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $7.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $8.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Marketplace Content | $9.99 | one-time |
| Notewise Unlimited | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🔄 Excellent cross-platform synchronization (Android, iOS, Mac, PC)
- ✨ Comprehensive feature set with tables, shapes, and drawing tools
- 🎨 High-quality dark mode implementation
- 📱 Works seamlessly across multiple devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes after updates
- 🐛 Handwriting and annotations disappearing randomly
- 🐛 Lasso selection tool includes unwanted background
- 🐛 App freezes and lags when highlighting large areas
- 🐛 Text input fields not functioning properly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on every update
- Handwritten content randomly disappears
- Annotations vanishing intermittently
- Lasso selection tool malfunctions
- Text input fields not responding

**Requested features**

- Add layers feature for advanced editing
- Implement automatic zoom box that follows writing
- Add pencil, waterbrush, and crayon drawing tools
- Sticker marketplace or sticker customization
- Horizontal page flipping/swiping navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is J free?

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

### Is Notewise free?

Notewise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, J or Notewise?

J is rated higher. J averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Notewise averages 4.6 from 271 ratings.

### Do J or Notewise have ads?

Neither J nor Notewise shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, J or Notewise?

J ships an update fortnightly, and Notewise every 2 days. Most recently, J was updated on September 18, 2026 and Notewise on September 25, 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.*