Comparison

NeatNotes vs PaceText Reader

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

Head to head
About

NeatNotes

Organize and take notes quickly with a clean interface. See full note previews, customize note styles, and set reminders. Features smart grouping and automatic link title generation.

Highlights
  • Full note previews
  • Customizable note styles (plain, sticky, lined)
  • Home screen widgets
  • Paragraph-based reminders
  • Smart Stacks for automatic note grouping
  • Readable link titles
  • Photo integration
Features
Read full description

Less is more, when it’s done right. NeatNotes gives you only what you need to organize and take notes quickly. While other apps show you a really tiny preview, with NeatNotes you can see the real note before you open it. This makes the app more fun and easier to find your notes. Make your notes personal with three different note styles. * A plain note, with extensive formatting options. * A sticky note, with large fonts, colors and checklists. * A lined note for that nostalgic yellow pad. Mini Spreadsheets. No Tables. NeatNotes lets you perform spreadsheet-like calculations directly in your notes. Type a simple math expression and the answer is suggested underneath it. Reuse a number by dragging and dropping it elsewhere in your note. This creates a reference, so when you change the original number, every reference and related calculation updates automatically. Make a list of numbers and the total is suggested above the keyboard. You can then calculate splits and averages or count the lines in a list. You can also use units of measurement for length, volume, weight and temperature in your calculations. Convert between more than 150 fiat currencies, popular cryptocurrencies, gold and silver using the latest available exchange rates. Widgets that make sense. You can see your notes on your Home Screen with widgets. You can navigate your note by paragraph, check off checklist items, open links and even see photos in your notes. Create Multiple Reminders. Make any paragraph a reminder. Just tap the bell icon on the keyboard and you can set the date and time of the reminder. It will ring and notify you on the lock screen. When you tap the reminder, it will open the note and take you to the paragraph where you set it. Smart Stacks. All notes apps let you search your notes, but Smart Stacks takes it to the next level. 
 Smart Stacks automatically groups notes that share a trait, into one stack — like notes with contact info, or notes with checklists. You can also enter any word, and it’ll create a stack, with all the notes that contains the word. Photos and Readable links. You can add photos to your notes from your phone camera or photo library. You can even copy and paste them from another app like Safari. When you copy and paste a link, it automatically gets a readable title. So instead of seeing a complicated URL you see the title. This makes it easier for you to understand what the link is about rather than having to visit the link every time. No account needed. Use iCloud to Store and Sync. You don’t need to create another account. Just download the app and start using it. All your notes are automatically stored in iCloud and synced to other devices in your account. Privacy Your notes are extremely personal and we can't see them. In fact we don't even store them. Apple does in iCloud. We recommend that you turn on "Advanced Data Protection" in your iCloud settings, if you wish to prevent even Apple from having access to your notes.

About

PaceText Reader

Read full description

PaceText Reader is a calm, focused reading app for content you bring yourself. Import your own files, paste text, scan printed pages, extract text from screenshots, or share web articles from Safari. PaceText Reader turns your content into a clean reading experience designed for focus, speed, comfort, and control. Read your way: • RSVP mode for focused word-by-word speed reading • Guided mode with sentence highlighting and smooth read aloud • Chunk mode for reading small word groups • Focus mode for full-text reading with current-position emphasis • Tap a sentence or paragraph to start reading from that point • Synced reading position across Guided, RSVP, Chunk, and Focus Import and capture text: • Import supported document files • Paste text from the clipboard • Scan printed pages with camera OCR • Extract text from screenshots and images • Import readable web articles from links • Share articles or files into PaceText Reader from Safari and other apps Customize the reader: • Adjustable WPM speed controls • Font, size, spacing, and chunk-size settings • Light and dark reading themes • Compact reader controls • Book Start for choosing where a document should really begin • Automatic resume progress • Reading goals and milestone tracking PaceText Reader is local-first. Imported documents, OCR text, reading progress, and preferences are stored on device. PaceText Reader does not distribute copyrighted books. It is built for user-provided content, public-domain starter excerpts, and documents you own or may legally read. Whether you are reading articles, notes, documents, study material, or scanned text, PaceText Reader helps you move through words with less distraction and more control.

Screenshots

NeatNotes4 screens
PaceText Reader3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaceText Reader at none against NeatNotes's 1. PaceText Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. NeatNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PaceText Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NeatNotes ships an update every 4 days, PaceText Reader weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
NeatNotes versus PaceText Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNeatNotesPaceText Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (37 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings37 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFusion EngineeringMathew Anthony Malyil

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NeatNotes

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$7.99
None

PaceText Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NeatNotes free?
NeatNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PaceText Reader free?
PaceText Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NeatNotes or PaceText Reader have ads?
NeatNotes shows ads; PaceText Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, NeatNotes or PaceText Reader?
NeatNotes ships an update every 4 days, and PaceText Reader weekly. Most recently, NeatNotes was updated on September 17, 2026 and PaceText Reader on September 20, 2026.

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