# Mental Note Lite ๛ vs Notability

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.

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.

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.

Mental Note Lite ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Notability weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mental Note Lite ๛ | Notability |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mental-note-lite/id348204405/reviews) | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **457K** |
| Positive reviews | **58.0% of reviews** | 36.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#80** |
| Size | 10 MB | 411 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zymbiotic Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/338578112) | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) |

## What reviewers say

### Mental Note Lite ๛

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mental-note-lite/id348204405)

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paper Customization feature | $2.99 | one-time |
| 100 sheet refill pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Note Copying feature (includes free Note Linking feature) | $3.99 | one-time |
| Export to another app feature | $3.99 | one-time |
| Password Protection feature | $3.99 | one-time |
| Straight Line Drawing feature | $3.99 | one-time |
| Dark Mode Override feature | $3.99 | one-time |
| 250 sheet refill pack | $4.99 | one-time |


### Notability

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530)

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #127 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notability Lite | $5.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $7.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Notability Lite | $14.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $29.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $99.99 | per year |
| Notability Classic | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for note-taking
- 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📝 Excellent organization and file management
- 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
- 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
- 🔍 Limited search and organization options
- 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
- 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
- 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 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.*