# Notability vs Notes Writer Pro

The clearest difference is price: Notability at Free against Notes Writer Pro's $9.99. Notability also leads on ratings volume (457K vs 3.2K) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Notes Writer Pro's advantage is review sentiment (48% vs 37%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Notability is free to download; Notes Writer Pro costs $9.99 up front. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Notes Writer Pro sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 3.2K, 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 Notes Writer Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, Notes Writer Pro every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Notes Writer Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.6 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pro-beyond-pdfs/id1422480068/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 3.2K |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **48.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 375 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #127 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


### Notes Writer Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pro-beyond-pdfs/id1422480068)

This app is a versatile writing and note-taking tool that supports rich text and Markdown. It allows users to annotate PDFs, fill out forms, and organize their work into unlimited notebooks. The app also includes scanning capabilities and various export options for seamless sharing and backup.

**Highlights:** Rich text and Markdown writing, PDF annotation and form filling, Unlimited notebook organization, Document scanning, Cloud sync and multiple export formats, Distraction-free writing mode

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notes Writer Pro AI Assistant | $2.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
- 📁 Great folder organization
- 🎨 Customizable notebook covers
- 🔍 Useful PDF annotation tools
- 🤖 Impressive AI capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Sync and file transfer issues
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag
- 🔒 Poor customer support
- 💰 Misleading upgrade pricing

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly disappearing
- Formatting issues with text and images
- Unreliable audio recording and playback
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inability to transfer files between free and pro versions

**Requested features**

- Handwriting recognition
- Improved eraser and shape tools
- Customizable keyboard and toolbar
- Better integration with cloud storage
- Ability to rotate and resize images


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Notes Writer Pro free?

Notes Writer Pro costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Notes Writer Pro?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Notes Writer Pro averages 4.6 from 3.2K ratings.

### Do Notability or Notes Writer Pro have ads?

Neither Notability nor Notes Writer Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Notes Writer Pro?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Notes Writer Pro every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 24, 2026 and Notes Writer Pro on September 22, 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.*