# Notability vs NoteEase

The clearest difference is monetization model: Notability at freemium against NoteEase's subscription. Notability also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (457K vs 66). NoteEase's advantage is iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.5). On price, review sentiment, 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 NoteEase sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 66, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 42% of NoteEase's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, NoteEase monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | NoteEase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.4 (66 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteease-recording-made-easy/id1571634854/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 66 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **41.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#77** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **14.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Hangzhou Jiadi Bozhong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506720843) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #77 Top Grossing · Productivity, #126 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


### NoteEase

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteease-recording-made-easy/id1571634854)

This app digitizes handwritten notes and photos, allowing for easy annotation and organization. Capture, edit, and share your visual and text-based ideas across devices for a streamlined workflow.

**Highlights:** Convert photos to digital notes, Annotate existing photos, Type and format text notes, Stylus support for drawing, Organize and archive notes, Sync and share across devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly member | $4.49 | per year |
| Yearly member | $29.99 | per year |
| Xnotes永久会员优惠价 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent member | $6.99 | one-time |
| Permanent member | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is NoteEase free?

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

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while NoteEase averages 4.4 from 66 ratings.

### Do Notability or NoteEase have ads?

Neither Notability nor NoteEase shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and NoteEase monthly. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and NoteEase on September 22, 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.*