Comparison

Notability vs PaperCut Pocket

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Notability

Capture, organize, and enhance your ideas with handwritten notes, document annotation, and audio recording. This app streamlines learning and work by making your notes searchable, shareable, and interactive.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes and sketching
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Audio recording synced to notes
  • Handwriting recognition
  • AI-powered summaries and takeaways
  • Customizable organization with folders
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

From your first lecture to your next big meeting, Notability helps you think, learn, and work better. Take handwritten notes, annotate documents, record audio, and stay organized in one place so your ideas are always clear, searchable, and ready when you need them. NEW: NOTABILITY CLASSIC IS BACK Prefer to pay one time for Notability? Our Classic plan is a one-time purchase with no subscription required. FREE DIGITAL NOTES FOR WORK & SCHOOL • Write, type, or sketch with digital ink, highlighters, and text tools. • Mark up anything: PDFs, textbooks, lecture slides, images, and more. • Combine handwriting, typed text, images, diagrams, and sketches on the same page. • Stay organized with customizable folders and subjects that grow with you. FOR PROFESSIONALS: WORK SMARTER AND SAVE TIME • Mark up documents, capture meetings, organize ideas, and present with confidence. • Import and handwrite on any document: PDFs, DOCs, presentations, reports, and more. • Fill out forms in the office or on a job site. • Combine handwriting, text, photos and documents in one place. • Record calls and meetings to transcribe voice in real-time. Audio is synced to your notes so nothing is missed. • Receive automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries. • Search handwriting, transcripts, text, and PDFs to quickly revisit decisions and action items. • Present notes, documents, and ideas in full screen, with a laser pointer to guide attention. • View and edit two notes side-by-side to stay focused and productive. • Share a PDF of your note in one tap. FOR STUDENTS: STUDY SMARTER AND ACE EXAMS • Take handwritten notes digitally or annotate lecture slides or your textbooks. • Record lectures and get instant audio transcripts and real-time summaries in your notes. • Audio recordings are synced to the exact moment you write in a note — perfect for lectures. • Import lecture slides, textbook PDFs, and assignments into organized folders and subjects. • Search across handwriting, typed notes, and transcripts to instantly find content from classes. • Study content from your note with personalized quizzes and flashcards to practice with active recall. • Chat with your notes to review concepts, clarify ideas, and prepare for exams. WORK YOUR WAY • Seamlessly switch between handwriting and typing. • Import files instantly and keep everything connected. • Share notes easily to collaborate or get feedback when needed. • Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web. • Create beautiful notes using templates from the Notability Gallery. UPGRADE TO A NOTABILITY SUBSCRIPTION Notability is free to use. With an upgraded subscription, you can receive: • Unlimited note-taking • AI-powered productivity and study tools • Handwriting recognition and math conversion • Live Audio transcripts • Auto-backup and iCloud sync Download for free on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web. Privacy Policy: notability.com/privacy Terms of Service: notability.com/terms

About

PaperCut Pocket

Securely release your print jobs at any printer in your organization. This app allows you to authenticate at printers via NFC, QR codes, or a list, and make last-minute print setting changes.

Highlights
  • Secure print job release
  • NFC and QR code authentication
  • Mobile print setting adjustments
  • Cross-device printing
  • Reduced print waste
Features
Read full description

PaperCut Pocket makes printing easy and secure in your organization. This app works with PaperCut Pocket and lets users authenticate at any printer in their organization to securely collect printed documents. BUT WAIT! This app does not work by itself. Make sure you have an invitation from your organization. You can quickly release your document by simply tapping your phone on an NFC sticker on the printer, scanning a QR code or selecting the printer from a list. Did you forget to duplex the document? No problem, the PaperCut Pocket app will remind you and lets you make those changes on your way to the printer. Do you find printing from your mobile phone a hassle? PaperCut Pocket makes it easy to print from all your devices including desktops, laptops, Chromebooks and of course your phone. Here’s how it works: - You’ll receive an invitation from your organization - It will instruct you to install this app as well as apps on your computers and other devices - You’ll now have a new printer called ‘PaperCut Printer’ on these devices where you can print to - You’ll use this app on your phone to securely collect your printed documents at any printer in your organization - Simply walk up to the printer and tap the NFC stickers or scan a QR code Benefits: - Have you ever printed your payslip and had to run to the printer to collect it before anyone else does? Fixed! - Have you walked to the printer to realise the document went to another printer? Fixed! - Do you forget to select duplex at the time of printing, but then feel guilty as you watch too many pages roll out? Fixed! - Confused by different print dialogues on different devices? Fixed! - Need to set up printing on a new device and wish it could be as easy as installing a new app? Fixed! Have a question? Please email support@papercut.com PaperCut Pocket is globally proven to reduce print waste and stress around printing (well… at least it does in our office and we hope it does in yours too!) Note: This app requires that your organization has an active and configured PaperCut Pocket account. You should receive an invitation or instruction from your organization. Your confidentiality is our priority.

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
PaperCut Pocket4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against PaperCut Pocket's 4.0. Notability also leads on ratings volume (459K vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). PaperCut Pocket's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notability sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PaperCut Pocket asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 459K 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 18% of PaperCut Pocket's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update weekly, PaperCut Pocket monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Notability versus PaperCut Pocket: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityPaperCut Pocket
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (459K ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews36.1% of reviews — better17.6% of reviews
Number of ratings459K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#123 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size457 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsPaperCut Software

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings458,669 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,783 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative55.1%

PaperCut Pocket

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive17.6%
Neutral17.6%
Negative64.7%

Bugs and requests

Notability

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

PaperCut Pocket

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Notability

Subscriptions9
  • Notability Lite$5.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$7.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$12.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • Notability Lite$14.991 Year
  • Notability Plus1 Year trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
None

PaperCut Pocket

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PaperCut Pocket free?
PaperCut Pocket is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notability or PaperCut Pocket?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 459K ratings, while PaperCut Pocket averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Notability or PaperCut Pocket have ads?
Neither Notability nor PaperCut Pocket shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or PaperCut Pocket?
Notability ships an update weekly, and PaperCut Pocket monthly. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 12, 2026 and PaperCut Pocket on November 6, 2026.

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