Reader's Bench vs StoneNote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Reader's Bench
This app is a PDF reader and markup tool designed for serious study and research. It allows users to read, annotate, take notes, and review highlighted content from PDF documents with efficient performance and a distraction-free interface.
- PDF reading and markup
- Handwriting and typed notes
- Annotation extraction for review
- Highlight, underline, strikethrough
- Image capture and insertion
- Export notes and annotated PDFs
- Word definition and sentence translation
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Reader's Bench — Read, Annotate & Take Notes Reader's Bench is a powerful PDF and ePub reader built for students, researchers, and professionals who need to study documents deeply. Import PDFs and ePub files, annotate them with a rich set of tools, take handwritten notes side by side, and organize everything in one place. KEY FEATURES • PDF & ePub Reader Import PDFs from the Files app, share sheet, or Safari. Supports vertical and horizontal scrolling, single-page and continuous page views, and a comfortable dark mode for reading in any lighting. • Rich PDF Annotations Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text. Add text boxes, image boxes, freehand drawings, and capture areas with Apple Pencil or your finger. Every annotation can be edited, moved, or deleted at any time. • Annotation Review View all your annotations in a summary list, filter by type, and export the review as a separate PDF report. Revisit key points without re-reading the entire document. • Handwritten Notes Take notes on a digital canvas with Apple Pencil. Switch between Canvas (infinite scroll) and Page (discrete pages) modes. Choose from dotted, squared, lined, or blank backgrounds and customize colors. Shape detection automatically perfects hand-drawn shapes. • Split View Work with your PDF and notes side by side. Switch between horizontal and vertical layouts and resize panels with a draggable divider. • Bookmarks & Search Bookmark pages for quick access and browse them in one place. Search inside documents and jump to results by page instantly. • Export & Share Export annotated PDFs, handwritten notes as PDFs, or annotation reviews as reports. Share via the iOS share sheet or print directly from the app. • iCloud Sync Documents and annotations sync across your devices via iCloud, so your work is always with you. • ePub Support Import ePub books and convert them to PDF for reading and annotation. • Share Extension Import PDFs directly from any app using the system share sheet. Reader's Bench turns your iPad and iPhone into a complete study and research workstation.
StoneNote
Seamlessly take handwritten notes while watching study videos on the same page. This app integrates a video player directly into your notes, allowing for automatic pausing, screenshot capture, and video bookmarking. Organize your work with layered notes and folders, and sync across devices.
- Integrated video player within notes
- Automatic video pause while writing
- Screenshot capture and insertion
- Layered notes support
- Folder-based organization
- iCloud sync
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Take handwritten notes while watching study videos on the same page. StoneNote seamlessly integrates notes and videos. No need to split screens, watch videos directly on the note page with ease. Capture screenshots effortlessly, enjoy automatic pause while writing, insert video bookmarks, and even recognize speech in the video. Smooth handwriting experience * Our self-developed vector ink engine offers an elegant, smooth, and precise writing experience. * Choose from various brushes: fountain pen, ballpoint pen, and highlighter. * Easily switch brush colors and sizes. * Deeply supports Apple Pencil for precise writing on iPad. Deep integration of notes and videos * Built-in video player within the notes, allowing you to take notes while watching videos. * Automatically pauses video playback when you start writing. * Choose from various video playback modes: side-by-side, top-and-bottom split screen, floating window, etc. * Capture screenshots with a simple two-finger tap and drag them into your notes. * Play videos from your device and online, with the ability to download and cache online videos. * Choose video subtitles and language. * Supports playback speed adjustment, video bookmarks, and video speech recognition. Images and texts * Insert images and text in various ways: click, copy, drag, etc. * Adjust image size, rotate, and freely crop. * Adjust text font, size, and color. Import, annotate, and share * Import various media, including PDF documents and videos. * Write and annotate with various stroke styles. * Export and share your notes. Layered notes support * Non-disruptive, write on separate layers without affecting other layer content. * Easily create and delete layers. * One-click hide or show layers. Effortlessly edit your notes * Use the lasso tool to move, zoom, and modify your notes. * Easily erase strokes with the eraser tool. Well-organized notes * Create folders with unlimited levels to manage your notes. * Move notes between folders. * iCloud sync keeps your notes up-to-date on all devices. * Export your notes in various formats anytime. — Upgrade to StoneNote Pro to unlock unlimited notes and iCloud sync. One-time purchase, no subscription fees, and enjoy future free updates.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reader's Bench at 100% against StoneNote's 50%. StoneNote's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 3.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Reader's Bench sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and StoneNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
StoneNote holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Reader's Bench's written reviews are positive against 50% of StoneNote's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Reader's Bench ships an update weekly, StoneNote every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Reader's Bench | StoneNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 4.4 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rohmiapps Inc. | 斯熠 巩 |
Customer experience
Reader's Bench
StoneNote
In-app purchases
Reader's Bench
- Reader's Bench Subscription14 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$69.99
StoneNote
- StoneNote Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Reader's Bench free?
Is StoneNote free?
Which has better reviews, Reader's Bench or StoneNote?
Do Reader's Bench or StoneNote have ads?
Which is updated more often, Reader's Bench or StoneNote?
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