# Notability vs Bits

Notability and Bits both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Bits's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Notability's advantage is ratings volume (457K vs 228) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Bits sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.7 for Bits. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 228, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 79% of Bits's.

Notability ships an update weekly, Bits fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Bits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (228 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bits-stand-up-comedy-writing/id1481029465/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 228 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **79.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#84** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 263 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.5** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Amitay Tweeto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1472984883) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Grossing · Productivity, #137 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


### Bits

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bits-stand-up-comedy-writing/id1481029465)

This app helps professional stand-up comedians organize their writing process. Quickly capture ideas, add notes, build and reorder sets, and use on-stage mode for performances. Organize jokes with labels and track their status.

**Highlights:** Quickly capture joke ideas, Add detailed notes to each bit, Build and reorder performance sets, On-stage mode for live shows, Organize bits with custom labels, Track bit status (draft, done, gold), Estimate and time bit performance

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $1.99 | per month |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $7.99 | per month |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $9.99 | per year |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Written Back Up | $11.99 | per month |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Written Back Up | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 📝 Excellent for organizing comedy bits and sets
- ⏱️ Built-in time tracking for jokes
- 🎯 Comedy gym feature with daily writing prompts
- 🏷️ Flexible labeling and categorization system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paywall implementation frustrates long-time free users
- 🔒 Data deletion for non-paying users feels like ransomware
- 🐛 Sync issues between desktop and mobile platforms
- 🗑️ Unexpected data loss and material deletion
- 📱 Web version needs improvement

**Reported bugs**

- App fails to save edits and loses material
- Cross-platform synchronization not working properly
- Entire joke libraries deleted without warning
- Writing streak counter resets unexpectedly
- Bits randomly dropped from sets

**Requested features**

- Font size adjustment for visually impaired users
- Better web version functionality
- iPad-optimized version
- Dark mode option
- Ability to record and playback jokes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Bits free?

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

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Bits averages 4.7 from 228 ratings.

### Do Notability or Bits have ads?

Neither Notability nor Bits shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and Bits fortnightly. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 28, 2026 and Bits on August 21, 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.*