Comparison

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote vs Mental Note ๛

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

Head to head
About

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a wireless remote for presentations. Control slides, view speaker notes, and use a customizable pointer. Ideal for seamless slideshow navigation.

Highlights
  • Wireless remote control
  • Next/Previous slide navigation
  • Display speaker notes
  • Presentation timer
  • Customizable pointer icon
  • Touchscreen or orientation control
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a pointer and controller for PowerPoint or Keynote presentations. Has 'Next Slide' and 'Previous Slide' controls, and can show notes from presentations on the iPhone display along with a timer. Pointer icon can easily by replaced by any image, which could be used for humorous purposes. Touch the screen to show the pointer - which is controlled either by dragging your finger around the screen (easy) or by orientation (takes a little practice) - your choice. Requirements: Computer running Mac OS X 10.7 or higher, WiFi connection (on the same local network or by creating a computer-to-computer network), and PowerPoint or Keynote (choose the program on the back side of the App). Please note that this app cannot control an iPad Keynote presentation. A small Mac application, PointerServer, must be downloaded to your computer and started whenever Pointer is used. This program is available for free at: http://www.zentropysoftware.com/ZS/Pointer_files/PointerServer3.zip Please note that the presentation runs on your computer, not directly from the iPhone or iPad. Instead the iPhone/iPad controls the computer. A support e-mail address is listed at the support web site.

About

Mental Note ๛

This app offers a versatile digital notepad experience, allowing users to combine text, photos, voice recordings, and drawings on a single page. Capture ideas in any format, organize them with tags, and share them easily.

Highlights
  • Combine text, photos, audio, and drawings
  • Finger drawing with multiple colors
  • Add photos from album or camera
  • Record audio while editing notes
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Password protect private notes
  • Export notes in various formats (PDF, text)
Read full description

"...a true notepad experience that may help you make a clean break from the pencil-and-paper era." -New York Times. Users describe Mental Note as "the only notepad app... that's actually better than, and as simple as, a pen and paper." It's "the future of note taking", and "a big sketchpad... [to] free associate and put stuff down in any format". Turn your iPhone into a digital notepad. Combine photographs, voice recordings, drawings and text - all on the same page, in any order you choose. An idea... a flash - a moment of genius. When a thought hits, and you have to remember it, why limit how you record it? The more context and sensory details you can capture, the clearer the idea can be put down. Use photographs, audio, sketching and text together on the same page... a digital page that can be shared with anyone. Mental Note allows you to capture ideas as they happen: use photographs, dictate, add text, sketch on anything. Ideas clarified. Creativity captured. FEATURES - Draw with your finger using multiple colours and widths on top of photographs, text, or anywhere else on the page. Zoom in to sketch fine details. - Take a photo or choose one from your album and add it to the page. - Add audio to the page by recording with your microphone. Continue to edit your note while recording. - Organize your notes using tags. - Password protect your private notes and flag your important ones. - Attach Calendar events to your notes. - Undo, redo anything in the note by shaking the device. - Delete note sections using the toolbar button or by swiping any note section. - Move a note section by swiping and then dragging it to its new location. - Length of a note is limited only by device memory. - Export in a variety of formats including PDF, text, Mental Note format, and more. Send using email, iCloud, Dropbox, and more. * Send a note in Mental Note format so the note may be imported into another person's Mental Note app. * Using email, export a complete note directly from Mental Note as either a PDF document or a picture (each audio recording is attached to the email as a separate file). You can also email just the text from your note. - Export your notes and backups to your iCloud and/or Dropbox account. - Share a note with your friends using most installed apps. - Map the location a note was created at (if location services are enabled). - Change the size and font of the text in your notes. - Change the color and background of your notes. - Numerous other configuration options. THIS VERSION IS OPTIMIZED FOR iPhone. FOR iPad, PLEASE SEE Mental Note for iPad. Read more: www.zymbiotic.com X @zymbiotic facebook.com/zymbiotic

Screenshots

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote1 screens
Mental Note ๛4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mental Note ๛ at 4.0 against Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote's 1.0. Mental Note ๛ also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 32 months) and review sentiment (63% vs 48%). Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and price ($0.99 vs $4.99). On ads 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

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote costs $0.99 and Mental Note ๛ $4.99 up front. Mental Note ๛ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mental Note ๛ holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mental Note ๛ has 15 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote's written reviews are positive against 63% of Mental Note ๛'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote ships an update every 32 months, Mental Note ๛ every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote versus Mental Note ๛: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPointer Remote for PowerPoint and KeynoteMental Note ๛
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
Rating1.0 (3 ratings)4.0 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.7% of reviews63.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings315 — better
Update frequencyEvery 32 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZentropy SoftwareZymbiotic Technologies

Customer experience

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative45.6%

Mental Note ๛

All ratings15 ratings
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews201 reviews
Positive63.2%
Neutral17.9%
Negative18.9%

User reviews

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote

From 3 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works as advertised
  • 🚀 Easy to set up and use
  • 💡 Useful pointer and annotation features
  • 👍 Supports both PowerPoint and Keynote

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer OS versions
  • 🐛 Unreliable connection and freezing issues
  • 🐛 Lack of slide preview on iPhone
  • 🐛 Persistent annotations on desktop

Mental Note ๛

From 15 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app with many features
  • 👍 Easy to use and organize notes
  • 🎨 Ability to add photos, audio, and drawings
  • 💯 Excellent customer support
  • 🗂️ Helpful for business, work, and personal use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔒 Password protection issues
  • 🔍 Lack of search functionality
  • 📁 No syncing or backup options
  • 🖍️ Drawing tools could be improved

Bugs and requests

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatible with Windows and older macOS versions
  • Requires separate desktop application download
  • Slide transitions cause issues with syncing

Requested features

4 requests
  • View upcoming slide on iPhone
  • Customizable pointer options
  • Reverse orientation support
  • Slide notes display on iPhone

Mental Note ๛

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes sometimes disappear or get deleted unexpectedly
  • Audio recording feature not working properly
  • Keyboard issues causing loss of typed text
  • Location services not accurately detecting user's location

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add iCloud or Dropbox sync
  • Implement copy/paste and text formatting options
  • Improve drawing tools with more customization
  • Introduce a task/to-do list feature
  • Add video recording capability
Show 1 more
  • Provide more font and color options

In-app purchases

None

Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Mental Note ๛

One-time3
  • Paper Customization feature$2.99
  • Straight Line Drawing feature$3.99
  • Dark Mode Override feature$3.99

Questions

Is Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote free?
Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mental Note ๛ free?
Mental Note ๛ costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote or Mental Note ๛?
Mental Note ๛ is rated higher. Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote averages 1.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Mental Note ๛ averages 4.0 from 15 ratings.
Do Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote or Mental Note ๛ have ads?
Neither Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote nor Mental Note ๛ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote or Mental Note ๛?
Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote ships an update every 32 months, and Mental Note ๛ every 5 months. Most recently, Pointer Remote for PowerPoint and Keynote was updated on October 10, 2026 and Mental Note ๛ on October 13, 2026.

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