# Notability vs Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes

Notability and Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). Notability's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, 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 Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 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 Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes. 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 are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 81% of Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes's.

Notability ships an update every 6 days, Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-notes-and-sticky-notes/id1493910929/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **81.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#83** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 158 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [LAN CHEN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1454519178) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Grossing · Productivity, #143 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 Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| 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


### Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-notes-and-sticky-notes/id1493910929)

A simple and easy-to-use notepad app for jotting down thoughts, memos, and diary entries. Organize your notes with folders, customize fonts and colors, and secure your entries with a passcode lock. Offers a premium plan for enhanced features.

**Highlights:** Memo search, Folder organization, Font customization, Font size adjustment, Main color change, Passcode lock

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium plan | $2.49 | per month |
| Hide ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes free?

Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes averages 4.7 from 21 ratings.

### Do Notability or Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes have ads?

Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes shows ads; Notability does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes?

Notability ships an update every 6 days, and Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes every 3 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 30, 2026 and Notepad Notes & Sticky Notes on September 30, 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.*