Comparison

Notability vs Stylus Labs Write Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Handwritten and typed notes
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Audio recording and transcription
  • AI-powered summaries and quizzes
  • Customizable organization
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

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

About

Stylus Labs Write Pro

This app offers advanced tools for editing and navigating handwritten documents, combining note-taking and vector drawing capabilities. It supports flexible file organization, cloud services, and a non-proprietary SVG format for easy sharing.

Highlights
  • Intelligent handwriting selection and editing tools
  • Reflow handwritten text with insert space tool
  • Create handwritten links and bookmarks
  • Non-proprietary SVG file format export
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Split view for multi-document work
  • PDF export
Features
Read full description

Write is an open-source application with a unique set of tools for editing and navigating handwritten documents, plus all the usual features of a vector drawing application. Write is perfect for note-taking, brainstorming, and sketching. MODERN DOCUMENT HANDLING * uses standard Apple document browser for completely flexible file organization * supports iCloud and all other cloud services that integrate with the Files app * non-proprietary SVG file format can be opened in other vector graphics apps and web browsers UNIQUE TOOLS FOR HANDWRITTEN DOCUMENTS * intelligent tools to select, erase, and move writing * reflow handwritten text with the insert space tool * create bookmarks labeled with handwriting * create handwritten links to bookmarks and websites * save clippings for easy pasting into any document * unlimited undo/redo jog dial * split view: work on two documents or two parts of the same document STANDARD NOTE-TAKING AND DRAWING TOOLS * Apple Pencil support * insert images (and vector content as SVG) * cut, copy, paste, move, scale, and rotate selections * cut, copy, and paste pages within and between documents * customize and save pens * customize page size, color, and ruling * pages can grow automatically when writing nears edge * PDF export Website: https://www.styluslabs.com Source: https://github.com/styluslabs/Write FAQ: https://www.styluslabs.com/faq Support: support@styluslabs.com

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Stylus Labs Write Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notability at Free against Stylus Labs Write Pro's $8.99. Notability also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 40). Stylus Labs Write Pro's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 36%) and in-app purchases (none vs 13). On ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Notability is free to download; Stylus Labs Write Pro costs $8.99 up front. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Stylus Labs Write Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 77% of Stylus Labs Write Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update weekly, Stylus Labs Write Pro every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Notability versus Stylus Labs Write Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityStylus Labs Write Pro
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating4.8 (457K ratings) — better4.5 (40 ratings)
Positive reviews36.3% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings457K — better40
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank#77 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.511.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size411 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsMatthew White

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings456,880 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,624 reviews
Positive36.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative55.0%

Stylus Labs Write Pro

All ratings40 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative23.1%

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

Stylus Labs Write Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Notability

Subscriptions9
  • Notability Lite$5.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$7.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$12.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • Notability Lite$14.991 Year
  • Notability Plus1 Year trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$29.991 Year
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99
None

Stylus Labs Write Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stylus Labs Write Pro free?
Stylus Labs Write Pro costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Stylus Labs Write Pro?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Stylus Labs Write Pro averages 4.5 from 40 ratings.
Do Notability or Stylus Labs Write Pro have ads?
Neither Notability nor Stylus Labs Write Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Stylus Labs Write Pro?
Notability ships an update weekly, and Stylus Labs Write Pro every 4 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 26, 2026 and Stylus Labs Write Pro on September 24, 2026.

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