# Notability vs SFU Vault

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against SFU Vault's 1.0. Notability also leads on review sentiment (36% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months). SFU Vault's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. SFU Vault asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 458K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 0% of SFU Vault's.

Notability ships an update every 6 days, SFU Vault every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | SFU Vault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (458K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sfu-vault/id1091038380/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **458K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **36.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#121** | — |
| Size | 415 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Simon Fraser University](https://appshunter.io/developer/359025237) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #121 Top Grossing · Productivity, #178 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, iPhone Duo 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 Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| 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


### SFU Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sfu-vault/id1091038380)

This app provides secure, locally-hosted file storage for Simon Fraser University members. It offers cloud-like sync and sharing capabilities while adhering to privacy laws. Access your SFU-related data from multiple devices with peace of mind.

**Highlights:** Locally-hosted file storage, File sync and share, Secure data storage, Multi-device sync, Compliance with privacy laws, Web access

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SFU Vault free?

SFU Vault is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or SFU Vault?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 458K ratings, while SFU Vault averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Notability or SFU Vault have ads?

Neither Notability nor SFU Vault shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or SFU Vault?

Notability ships an update every 6 days, and SFU Vault every 4 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on October 30, 2026 and SFU Vault on October 24, 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.*