# Notability vs Sticky Notes + Widget Memo

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against Sticky Notes + Widget Memo's 2.9. Notability also leads on ratings volume (457K vs 69) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Sticky Notes + Widget Memo's advantage is review sentiment (48% vs 37%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Sticky Notes + Widget Memo sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 48% of Sticky Notes + Widget Memo's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, Sticky Notes + Widget Memo every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Sticky Notes + Widget Memo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [2.9 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sticky-notes-plus-widget-memo/id1140487495/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 69 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **47.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Alina Vetrov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1140487494) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #129 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


### Sticky Notes + Widget Memo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sticky-notes-plus-widget-memo/id1140487495)

Organize your thoughts with customizable stickies and widgets.  Create typed or handwritten notes, organize them with colored folders, and set reminders. Sync across devices and protect your data with password locks.

**Highlights:** Customizable home screen widgets, Colored folders and sub-folders, Handwritten and typed notes, Note sharing, Password protection, iCloud sync and backup, Customizable backgrounds and icons

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| School Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Outdoors Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pen Tool Extension | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fonts Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Creepy Theme Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| iCloud Sync | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sticky Notes Pro | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for organization
- 🚀 Convenient widget
- 🚀 Variety of note styles
- 👍 Simple and intuitive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues
- 💰 Paid features required
- 🐛 Handwriting recognition problems
- 🐛 Notes disappearing
- 🐛 Laggy performance

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not loading properly
- Handwriting not registering correctly
- Notes not saving or syncing
- Overlapping text and drawings

**Requested features**

- Add reminders and calendar integration
- Allow more customization of notes (fonts, colors, layouts)
- Improve widget functionality and customization
- Add ability to insert images and files
- Implement better organization tools (folders, tags, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Sticky Notes + Widget Memo free?

Sticky Notes + Widget Memo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Sticky Notes + Widget Memo?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Sticky Notes + Widget Memo averages 2.9 from 69 ratings.

### Do Notability or Sticky Notes + Widget Memo have ads?

Neither Notability nor Sticky Notes + Widget Memo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Sticky Notes + Widget Memo?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Sticky Notes + Widget Memo every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 24, 2026 and Sticky Notes + Widget Memo on September 23, 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.*