Comparison

Notability vs Stylus Labs Write

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

This app offers advanced tools for managing and editing handwritten notes and documents. It supports cloud integration, vector graphics, and includes features for intelligent selection, reflowing text, and creating links. It's ideal for note-taking, brainstorming, and sketching.

Highlights
  • Intelligent selection, erase, and move tools
  • Reflow handwritten text with insert space
  • Create handwritten links and bookmarks
  • Save and paste clippings
  • Unlimited undo/redo jog dial
  • Split view for dual document editing
  • Standard note-taking and drawing tools
Features
Read full description

Write provides 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 The free version shows a watermark on each page, which can be removed with a one-time in-app purchase. Website: http://www.styluslabs.com FAQ: http://www.styluslabs.com/faq Support: support@styluslabs.com

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Stylus Labs Write4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notability and Stylus Labs Write both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Stylus Labs Write's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Stylus Labs Write also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.5). Notability's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 295). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Stylus Labs Write sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.8 for Stylus Labs Write. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 295, 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 82% of Stylus Labs Write's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update weekly, Stylus Labs Write every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Notability versus Stylus Labs Write: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityStylus Labs Write
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (457K ratings)4.8 (295 ratings)
Positive reviews36.3% of reviews82.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings457K — better295
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#74 — 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

All ratings295 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative11.8%

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

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
1 purchases

Stylus Labs Write

One-time1
  • Full version$8.99

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stylus Labs Write free?
Stylus Labs Write is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Stylus Labs Write?
Notability and Stylus Labs Write are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 457K and 295 ratings respectively.
Do Notability or Stylus Labs Write have ads?
Neither Notability nor Stylus Labs Write shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Stylus Labs Write?
Notability ships an update weekly, and Stylus Labs Write every 7 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and Stylus Labs Write on September 24, 2026.

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