Notability vs Notepad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notability
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.
- Handwritten and typed notes
- PDF and document annotation
- Audio recording and transcription
- AI-powered summaries and quizzes
- Customizable organization
- Cross-device sync
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From your first lecture to your next big meeting, Notability helps you think, learn, and work better. Take handwritten notes, annotate documents, record audio, and stay organized in one place so your ideas are always clear, searchable, and ready when you need them. NEW: NOTABILITY CLASSIC IS BACK Prefer to pay one time for Notability? Our Classic plan is a one-time purchase with no subscription required. FREE DIGITAL NOTES FOR WORK & SCHOOL • Write, type, or sketch with digital ink, highlighters, and text tools. • Mark up anything: PDFs, textbooks, lecture slides, images, and more. • Combine handwriting, typed text, images, diagrams, and sketches on the same page. • Stay organized with customizable folders and subjects that grow with you. FOR PROFESSIONALS: WORK SMARTER AND SAVE TIME • Mark up documents, capture meetings, organize ideas, and present with confidence. • Import and handwrite on any document: PDFs, DOCs, presentations, reports, and more. • Fill out forms in the office or on a job site. • Combine handwriting, text, photos and documents in one place. • Record calls and meetings to transcribe voice in real-time. Audio is synced to your notes so nothing is missed. • Receive automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries. • Search handwriting, transcripts, text, and PDFs to quickly revisit decisions and action items. • Present notes, documents, and ideas in full screen, with a laser pointer to guide attention. • View and edit two notes side-by-side to stay focused and productive. • Share a PDF of your note in one tap. FOR STUDENTS: STUDY SMARTER AND ACE EXAMS • Take handwritten notes digitally or annotate lecture slides or your textbooks. • Record lectures and get instant audio transcripts and real-time summaries in your notes. • Audio recordings are synced to the exact moment you write in a note — perfect for lectures. • Import lecture slides, textbook PDFs, and assignments into organized folders and subjects. • Search across handwriting, typed notes, and transcripts to instantly find content from classes. • Study content from your note with personalized quizzes and flashcards to practice with active recall. • Chat with your notes to review concepts, clarify ideas, and prepare for exams. WORK YOUR WAY • Seamlessly switch between handwriting and typing. • Import files instantly and keep everything connected. • Share notes easily to collaborate or get feedback when needed. • Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web. • Create beautiful notes using templates from the Notability Gallery. UPGRADE TO A NOTABILITY SUBSCRIPTION Notability is free to use. With an upgraded subscription, you can receive: • Unlimited note-taking • AI-powered productivity and study tools • Handwriting recognition and math conversion • Live Audio transcripts • Auto-backup and iCloud sync Download for free on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web. Privacy Policy: notability.com/privacy Terms of Service: notability.com/terms
Notepad
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.
- Memo search
- Folder organization
- Font customization
- Font size adjustment
- Main color change
- Passcode lock
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かんたんで使いやすいメモ帳アプリ。 主な機能・設定は下のとおりです。 ■ 機能 ・メモ検索 ・フォルダ分け ■ 設定 ・フォント変更 ・フォントサイズ変更 ・メインカラー変更 ・パスコードロック ■■■ プレミアムプランについて ■■■ * プレミアムプランは1ヶ月280円です * プレミアムプランは1ヶ月毎に自動更新されます * 支払いはお使いのAppleID経由で行われます * 購読はユーザーによって管理され、アカウント設定よりOFFにする事ができます * 自動更新の課金は、期限が切れる24時間以内に行われます * 次回購読の24時間以上前に解約しない限り自動で継続されます 解除の手順は下の通りです 1. iPhoneの設定アプリを開く 2. 「iTunesとApp Store」を選択 3. 画面最上部のApple IDを選択 4. 「Apple IDを表示」を選択 5. 「登録」を選択 6. 「登録をキャンセル」を選択 ■ 利用規約 https://hapilf.com/terms.html ■ プライバシーポリシー https://hapilf.com/privacy.html ■ フォントライセンス * 瀬戸フォント SIL Open Font License 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL) © Nonty.net * Rounded Mgen+ SIL Open Font License 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL) © 2015 自家製フォント工房, © 2014, 2015 Adobe Systems Incorporated, © 2015 M+ FONTS PROJECT * マメロン フリーフォント © もじワク研究 * たぬゴ SIL Open Font License 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL) © たぬきフォント -無心 MODI工場 https://modi.jpn.org/font_mushin.php
Screenshots
Verdict
Notability and Notepad both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Notepad's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Notepad 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.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Notepad 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. 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's.
Notability ships an update every 6 days, Notepad every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notability | Notepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (457K ratings) — better | 4.7 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | 81.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 457K — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #83 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 411 MB | 157 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ginger Labs | LAN CHEN |
Customer experience
Notability
Notepad
Bugs and requests
Notability
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Palm rejection problems after updates
- Inconsistent behavior when importing files
Requested features
5 requests- 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
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notability
- Notability Lite$5.991 Month
- Notability Plus$7.991 Month
- Notability Plus$12.993 Months
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- Notability Lite$14.991 Year
- Notability Plus1 Year trial2 variants$19.991 Year
- Notability Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Notability Plus$19.991 Year
- Notability Pro$19.991 Month
- Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Notability Classic$49.99
Notepad
- Premium plan$2.491 Month
- Hide ads$1.99
Questions
Is Notability free?
Is Notepad free?
Which has better reviews, Notability or Notepad?
Do Notability or Notepad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notability or Notepad?
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