# Notability vs PocketJot

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notability at weekly against PocketJot's every 2 months. Notability also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (457K vs 50). PocketJot's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 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 PocketJot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 42% of PocketJot's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, PocketJot every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | PocketJot |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.4 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketjot-handwritten-notes/id516320463/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 50 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **42.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 3 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) | [iStArtApp](https://appshunter.io/developer/370032188) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Grossing · Productivity, #141 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


### PocketJot

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketjot-handwritten-notes/id516320463)

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a portable notebook for quick, fun note-taking. Draw with your finger or Apple Pencil, organize notes into sections, and set reminders. Share and sync notes across devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note-taking, Apple Pencil support, Note organization by sections, Drag and drop note reordering, Programmable alarms, iCloud synchronization, PDF export and email sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PocketJot version upgrade | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is PocketJot free?

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

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while PocketJot averages 4.4 from 50 ratings.

### Do Notability or PocketJot have ads?

Neither Notability nor PocketJot shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and PocketJot every 2 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and PocketJot on June 1, 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.*