# Notability vs Microsoft OneNote

The clearest difference is monetization model: Microsoft OneNote at free against Notability's freemium. Microsoft OneNote also leads on review sentiment (44% vs 36%). Notability's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Microsoft OneNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.7 for Microsoft OneNote. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 459K and 1.1M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 44% of Microsoft OneNote's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Microsoft OneNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (459K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-study/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 459K | **1.1M** |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **44.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | #101 | **#82** |
| Size | 455 MB | 414 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #101 Top Grossing · Productivity, #150 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, 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


### Microsoft OneNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-onenote/id410395246)

**Currently charting:** #82 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture and organize your thoughts, ideas, and plans with a powerful digital note-taking tool. Utilize AI features for summaries and transcription, and seamlessly sync notes across all your devices. Collaborate on projects and integrate with other Microsoft Office apps.

**Highlights:** AI-powered Copilot notebooks, Voice transcription and smart notes, Document scanning and text extraction, Cross-device synchronization, Collaboration on notes and ideas, Integration with Microsoft Office

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $11.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple, works well
- 👍 Great for planning
- 👍 Powerful note-taking app
- 👍 Invaluable tool for note taking
- 👍 Used for years, couldn't be without this app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔨 Could be better
- 🔨 Formatting issues on mobile app
- 🔨 Buggy widget, no dark app icon
- 🐛 Glitchy, crashes often
- 🐛 Terrible sync speeds

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor positioning is erratic
- Search function does not work well
- Ink to text conversion missing on iPad
- Syncing issues, notes not syncing properly across devices
- Crashing, freezing, and performance issues

**Requested features**

- Native Markdown support and merged cell support
- Ruler, ability to choose or create notebook covers
- Ability to password protect app or individual notebooks
- Option to open on last opened page instead of Home
- Ability to turn note into task that appears on To Do and Planner


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Microsoft OneNote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Microsoft OneNote?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 459K ratings, while Microsoft OneNote averages 4.7 from 1.1M ratings.

### Do Notability or Microsoft OneNote have ads?

Neither Notability nor Microsoft OneNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Microsoft OneNote?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Microsoft OneNote weekly. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 3, 2026 and Microsoft OneNote on November 4, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Notability or Microsoft OneNote?

Notability currently peaks at #101 in the App Store charts, and Microsoft OneNote at #82. 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.*