# Notability vs Mural

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against Mural's 2.4. Notability also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (457K vs 68). Mural's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.5). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Mural asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 68, 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 16% of Mural's.

Notability ships an update weekly, Mural every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Mural |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [2.4 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mural-visual-collaboration/id1156631145/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 68 |
| Positive reviews | **36.3% of reviews** | 16.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#74** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Tactivos Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/655060814) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Grossing · Productivity, #140 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


### Mural

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mural-visual-collaboration/id1156631145)

This app provides a digital whiteboard for real-time and asynchronous team collaboration. It allows users to brainstorm, ideate, and align on projects from anywhere, fostering business-driving outcomes. Capture inspiration and share it with your team on the go.

**Highlights:** Real-time and asynchronous collaboration, Digital whiteboard for ideation, Freehand drawing and concept mapping, Sticky notes, shapes, and text boxes, Icon library for visual thinking, Voting sessions and reactions, Export murals as PDF, image, or zip

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎨 Great collaborative whiteboarding tool
- ✏️ Apple Pencil support for drawing
- 📱 Mobile app allows work on-the-go
- 🔄 Real-time collaboration features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ App doesn't load or opens to blank screen
- 🔌 Forced app redirect from browser on mobile
- ❌ Missing key desktop features on mobile
- 📉 Poor performance on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or when opening boards
- White/blank screen on startup
- Stuck on logo screen indefinitely
- Login failures and authentication errors
- Microsoft authentication process hangs

**Requested features**

- Google and Apple login options
- Full desktop feature parity on mobile
- Proper keyboard and trackpad support
- Folder visibility and management on iOS
- Search functionality for murals


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Mural free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Mural?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Mural averages 2.4 from 68 ratings.

### Do Notability or Mural have ads?

Neither Notability nor Mural shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Mural?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Mural every 5 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mural on August 27, 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.*