# Notability vs Keynote

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Keynote at none against Notability's 10. Keynote also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 36%) and device support (5 vs 3). Notability's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Keynote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 459K ratings behind it against 85K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 62% of Keynote's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, Keynote every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Keynote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (459K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.4 (85K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keynote-design-presentations/id361285480/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **459K** | 85K |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **61.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#115** | — |
| Size | 457 MB | 662 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #115 Top Grossing · Productivity, #172 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture, organize, and enhance your ideas with handwritten notes, document annotation, and audio recording. This app streamlines learning and work by making your notes searchable, shareable, and interactive.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes and sketching, PDF and document annotation, Audio recording synced to notes, Handwriting recognition, AI-powered summaries and takeaways, Customizable organization with folders, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| 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 Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Notability Pro | $99.99 | per year |

**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


### Keynote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keynote-design-presentations/id361285480)

Design and deliver professional presentations across Apple devices and even PCs. Utilize Apple-designed themes, add rich media, and apply cinematic animations. Collaborate in real-time and present confidently from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Apple-designed themes, Cinematic animations and transitions, Multi-presenter slideshows, Real-time collaboration, Import PowerPoint presentations, Export to PowerPoint, PDF, and more, Apple Intelligence writing and image tools

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful features
- 💡 Great for presentations
- 🎨 Excellent animation and design tools
- 🤩 Fun and creative

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Exporting issues with video and animations
- 🔒 Limited remote control functionality
- 🔍 Lack of advanced text editing options
- 🤔 Confusing UI at times

**Reported bugs**

- Slides not displaying properly
- Presentation remote disconnecting unexpectedly
- Crashes when importing certain media files

**Requested features**

- Add more font and shape options
- Improve export capabilities for video and animations
- Enhance remote control functionality
- Streamline text editing experience


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Keynote free?

Keynote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 459K ratings, while Keynote averages 4.4 from 85K ratings.

### Do Notability or Keynote have ads?

Neither Notability nor Keynote shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and Keynote every 3 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 10, 2026 and Keynote on November 10, 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.*