# Notability vs Note To Self Mail

Notability and Note To Self Mail both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 90% of Note To Self Mail's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Note To Self Mail also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.5). Notability's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (457K vs 374). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Note To Self Mail sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.8 for Note To Self Mail. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 374, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 90% of Note To Self Mail's.

Notability ships an update weekly, Note To Self Mail every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Note To Self Mail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews) | [4.8 (374 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-to-self-mail/id1135553707/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 374 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **90.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#77** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Mathias Lipowski](https://appshunter.io/developer/668302586) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #77 Top Grossing · Productivity, #146 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


### Note To Self Mail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-to-self-mail/id1135553707)

Quickly capture your thoughts and send them directly to your inbox. This app integrates with popular to-do list applications, streamlining your workflow by sending notes via email. It offers basic note-taking with advanced features available in the pro version.

**Highlights:** Send notes directly to inbox, Integrates with Trello, Evernote, etc., Attach photos (pro), Create sketches (pro), Attach audio notes (pro), Scan documents (pro)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | per year |
| Pro Version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Extremely fast and quick to use
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- ⚙️ Highly customizable settings and options
- 🔒 Secure SMTP-based email delivery
- 📧 Seamless email integration with multiple accounts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Google OAuth authentication issues
- 🔐 Requires SMTP server configuration (technical barrier)
- ⚠️ Occasional reliability issues after extended use
- 📱 Limited Apple Watch support
- 🌐 Browser sharing functionality sometimes fails

**Reported bugs**

- Google OAuth doesn't work properly
- Messages stuck in outbox with Google authentication
- App stops working after several weeks of use
- Safari share extension crashes or fails silently
- Browser sharing shows grey rectangle and fails

**Requested features**

- Scheduled/delayed send functionality
- Apple Watch native app
- Document scanning with PDF export
- YouTube title preservation in sharing
- iOS 26 UI updates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Note To Self Mail free?

Note To Self Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Note To Self Mail?

Notability and Note To Self Mail are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 457K and 374 ratings respectively.

### Do Notability or Note To Self Mail have ads?

Neither Notability nor Note To Self Mail shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Note To Self Mail?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Note To Self Mail every 6 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 26, 2026 and Note To Self Mail on September 20, 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.*