Comparison

Notability vs DisplayNote App for iPad

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

DisplayNote App for iPad

Wirelessly share your iPad screen to a larger display. This app enables seamless casting across any network, making presentations and content sharing effortless.

Highlights
  • Wireless screen casting
  • Cross-network compatibility
  • iPad to big screen sharing
  • Effortless content sharing
Features
Read full description

Cast your iOS device to a big screen no matter what network you are on.

Screenshots

Notability4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against DisplayNote App for iPad's 2.3. Notability also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 4). DisplayNote App for iPad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.5). On price and ads 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

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. DisplayNote App for iPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 25% of DisplayNote App for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update every 6 days, DisplayNote App for iPad every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Notability versus DisplayNote App for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityDisplayNote App for iPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (457K ratings) — better2.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews36.3% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings457K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#81 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPad
Requires iOS17.514.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size411 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsDisplayNote Technologies Ltd

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings457,158 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,632 reviews
Positive36.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative55.0%

DisplayNote App for iPad

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

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

DisplayNote App for iPad

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 Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99
None

DisplayNote App for iPad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DisplayNote App for iPad free?
DisplayNote App for iPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notability or DisplayNote App for iPad?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while DisplayNote App for iPad averages 2.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Notability or DisplayNote App for iPad have ads?
Neither Notability nor DisplayNote App for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or DisplayNote App for iPad?
Notability ships an update every 6 days, and DisplayNote App for iPad every 3 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on October 1, 2026 and DisplayNote App for iPad on June 4, 2026.

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