# Notability vs Noto

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Noto at 68% against Notability's 37%. Notability's advantage is ratings volume (457K vs 1.3K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). 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 Noto sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 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 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 68% of Noto's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, Noto every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Noto |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noto-elegant-note/id1459055246/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **68.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) |

## 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


### Noto

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noto-elegant-note/id1459055246)

A modern writing and note-taking application offering powerful text editing tools and extensive organization features. It supports unlimited attachments and various export formats, with optional Pro features for enhanced functionality. Syncs seamlessly across devices.

**Highlights:** Powerful text editing tools, Unlimited attachments (Pro), Dark mode, iCloud sync, Gesture organization, Multiple export formats, Desktop-class organization

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noto Pro Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Noto Pro Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Noto Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and fast
- 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
- 🎨 Customizable folders and colors
- 📁 Excellent organization and hierarchy
- 💻 Works well across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and sync issues
- 🔒 Limited free features, requires subscription
- 📁 Difficulty moving/organizing folders and notes
- 🖌️ Lack of font/text customization options
- 🔍 Poor search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Folders and notes disappearing after updates
- Crashes when trying to access certain folders
- Widgets not displaying note content properly

**Requested features**

- Add tags or keywords for better organization
- Improve table editing and formatting
- Implement better export options (PDF, HTML, etc.)
- Add support for Apple Pencil and handwriting
- Integrate calendar and reminder features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Noto free?

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

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Noto averages 4.6 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Notability or Noto have ads?

Neither Notability nor Noto shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and Noto every 4 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 24, 2026 and Noto on September 19, 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.*