Comparison

Mental Note Lite ๛ vs Notability

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

Head to head
About

Mental Note Lite ๛

This app transforms your device into a versatile digital notepad. Seamlessly combine text, drawings, photos, and voice recordings on a single page to capture ideas in rich detail. Organize, protect, and share your notes in various formats.

Highlights
  • Combine text, photos, audio, and drawings
  • Finger drawing with multiple colors
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Password protect private notes
  • Export notes to PDF, text, and more
  • Share notes via email and cloud services
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. The Mental Note Lite digital notepad comes with space for four notes. Upgrade to the full version of Mental Note to create an unlimited number of notes. Read more: www.zymbiotic.com X @zymbiotic facebook.com/zymbiotic

About

Notability

Capture, organize, and enhance your thoughts with a versatile digital notebook. Seamlessly blend handwriting, typing, and multimedia to annotate documents, record lectures, and generate summaries. Ideal for students and professionals seeking to boost productivity and learning.

Highlights
  • Handwritten and typed notes
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Audio recording and transcription
  • AI-powered summaries and quizzes
  • Customizable organization
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

From your first lecture to your next big meeting, Notability helps you think, learn, and work better. Take handwritten notes, annotate documents, record audio, and stay organized in one place so your ideas are always clear, searchable, and ready when you need them. NEW: NOTABILITY CLASSIC IS BACK Prefer to pay one time for Notability? Our Classic plan is a one-time purchase with no subscription required. FREE DIGITAL NOTES FOR WORK & SCHOOL • Write, type, or sketch with digital ink, highlighters, and text tools. • Mark up anything: PDFs, textbooks, lecture slides, images, and more. • Combine handwriting, typed text, images, diagrams, and sketches on the same page. • Stay organized with customizable folders and subjects that grow with you. FOR PROFESSIONALS: WORK SMARTER AND SAVE TIME • Mark up documents, capture meetings, organize ideas, and present with confidence. • Import and handwrite on any document: PDFs, DOCs, presentations, reports, and more. • Fill out forms in the office or on a job site. • Combine handwriting, text, photos and documents in one place. • Record calls and meetings to transcribe voice in real-time. Audio is synced to your notes so nothing is missed. • Receive automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries. • Search handwriting, transcripts, text, and PDFs to quickly revisit decisions and action items. • Present notes, documents, and ideas in full screen, with a laser pointer to guide attention. • View and edit two notes side-by-side to stay focused and productive. • Share a PDF of your note in one tap. FOR STUDENTS: STUDY SMARTER AND ACE EXAMS • Take handwritten notes digitally or annotate lecture slides or your textbooks. • Record lectures and get instant audio transcripts and real-time summaries in your notes. • Audio recordings are synced to the exact moment you write in a note — perfect for lectures. • Import lecture slides, textbook PDFs, and assignments into organized folders and subjects. • Search across handwriting, typed notes, and transcripts to instantly find content from classes. • Study content from your note with personalized quizzes and flashcards to practice with active recall. • Chat with your notes to review concepts, clarify ideas, and prepare for exams. WORK YOUR WAY • Seamlessly switch between handwriting and typing. • Import files instantly and keep everything connected. • Share notes easily to collaborate or get feedback when needed. • Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web. • Create beautiful notes using templates from the Notability Gallery. UPGRADE TO A NOTABILITY SUBSCRIPTION Notability is free to use. With an upgraded subscription, you can receive: • Unlimited note-taking • AI-powered productivity and study tools • Handwriting recognition and math conversion • Live Audio transcripts • Auto-backup and iCloud sync Download for free on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web. Privacy Policy: notability.com/privacy Terms of Service: notability.com/terms

Screenshots

Mental Note Lite ๛4 screens
Notability4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Notability at none against Mental Note Lite ๛'s shown. Notability also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 2). Mental Note Lite ๛'s advantage is review sentiment (58% vs 37%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Mental Note Lite ๛ sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Mental Note Lite ๛'s written reviews are positive against 37% of Notability's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note Lite ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Notability weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Mental Note Lite ๛ versus Notability: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note Lite ๛Notability
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)4.8 (457K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.0% of reviews — better36.5% of reviews
Number of ratings2457K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#80 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.5
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB411 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesGinger Labs

Customer experience

Mental Note Lite ๛

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews176 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral17.0%
Negative25.0%

Notability

All ratings456,880 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,594 reviews
Positive36.5%
Neutral8.6%
Negative54.8%

Bugs and requests

Mental Note Lite ๛

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notability

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Frequent crashes and performance issues
  • Palm rejection problems after updates
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing files

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved folder/hierarchy organization
  • More shape recognition and drawing tools
  • Side-by-side viewing of multiple notes
  • Ability to edit/rename audio recordings
  • Better integration with other apps and services

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Mental Note Lite ๛

One-time8
  • Paper Customization feature$2.99
  • 100 sheet refill pack$3.99
  • Note Copying feature (includes free Note Linking feature)$3.99
Show 5 more
  • Export to another app feature$3.99
  • Password Protection feature$3.99
  • Straight Line Drawing feature$3.99
  • Dark Mode Override feature$3.99
  • 250 sheet refill pack$4.99
10 purchases

Notability

Subscriptions9
  • Notability Lite$5.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$7.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$12.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • Notability Lite$14.991 Year
  • Notability Plus1 Year trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$29.991 Year
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99

Questions

Is Mental Note Lite ๛ free?
Mental Note Lite ๛ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mental Note Lite ๛ or Notability?
Notability is rated higher. Mental Note Lite ๛ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Notability averages 4.8 from 457K ratings.
Do Mental Note Lite ๛ or Notability have ads?
Mental Note Lite ๛ shows ads; Notability does not.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note Lite ๛ or Notability?
Mental Note Lite ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and Notability weekly. Most recently, Mental Note Lite ๛ was updated on August 26, 2026 and Notability on September 24, 2026.

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