# Notability vs SimpleMind Pro

The clearest difference is price: Notability at Free against SimpleMind Pro's $10.99. Notability also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 451). SimpleMind Pro's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 37%) and in-app purchases (none vs 13). On rating, ads, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Notability is free to download; SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99 up front. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. SimpleMind Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.7 for SimpleMind Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 451, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 81% of SimpleMind Pro's.

Notability ships an update weekly, SimpleMind Pro every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | SimpleMind Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $10.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (451 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplemind-pro-mind-mapping/id378174507/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 451 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **80.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | #110 |
| Size | 411 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [xpt Software & Consulting B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/304515490) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #129 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


### SimpleMind Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplemind-pro-mind-mapping/id378174507)

**Currently charting:** #110 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Organize your thoughts, capture ideas, and generate new concepts with a beautiful and intuitive mind mapping tool. Seamlessly synchronize your maps across devices and platforms, and enhance them with media and documents.

**Highlights:** Free-form and auto layout options, Cross-platform synchronization, Add images, notes, and voice memos, Share maps as PDF or Image, Customizable styles and themes, Collapse/expand branches for overview

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is SimpleMind Pro free?

SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or SimpleMind Pro?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while SimpleMind Pro averages 4.7 from 451 ratings.

### Do Notability or SimpleMind Pro have ads?

Neither Notability nor SimpleMind Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or SimpleMind Pro?

Notability ships an update weekly, and SimpleMind Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 24, 2026 and SimpleMind Pro on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Notability or SimpleMind Pro?

Notability currently peaks at #80 in the App Store charts, and SimpleMind Pro at #110. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*