# Notability vs DisplayNote App

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against DisplayNote App's 2.1. Notability also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 21). DisplayNote App's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and review sentiment (50% vs 36%). On price, ads 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. DisplayNote App asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 50% of DisplayNote App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, DisplayNote App every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | DisplayNote App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [2.1 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/displaynote-app/id1450159592/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#77** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [DisplayNote Technologies Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/540711786) |

## 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


### DisplayNote App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/displaynote-app/id1450159592)

Wirelessly share your iOS device's screen or content to a room display. Follow and annotate presentations, or share files, videos, and links with others. Control video playback directly from your device.

**Highlights:** Wireless screen sharing, Content sharing with attendees, Follow and annotate presentations, Video playback control, File sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is DisplayNote App free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notability or DisplayNote App?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while DisplayNote App averages 2.1 from 21 ratings.

### Do Notability or DisplayNote App have ads?

Neither Notability nor DisplayNote App shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or DisplayNote App?

Notability ships an update weekly, and DisplayNote App every 2 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 26, 2026 and DisplayNote App on June 4, 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.*