Comparison

Notability vs Whiteboard

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

Whiteboard

This app offers a minimalist digital whiteboard experience, focusing on smooth touch input. It provides essential tools for drawing and erasing, allowing for quick and efficient visual note-taking.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Smooth touch input
  • 3 marker types
  • Adjustable marker thickness
  • Eraser with adjustable thickness
  • All-clear trash can function
Features
Read full description

「いいものは、シンプルだ。」 無駄な機能を極力省いたホワイトボードアプリです。 滑らかなタッチを再現しました。 基本性能 ■3種類のマーカー選択(太さ調整可能) ■消しゴム機能は消したい部分をなぞって消去(太さ調整可能) ■ごみ箱機能でオールクリア

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Whiteboard3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notability at 4.8 against Whiteboard's 2.4. Notability also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). Whiteboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.5). On price and device support 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. Whiteboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 21% of Whiteboard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update weekly, Whiteboard every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and July 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Notability versus Whiteboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityWhiteboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (457K ratings) — better2.4 (47 ratings)
Positive reviews36.5% of reviews — better20.8% of reviews
Number of ratings457K — better47
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#74 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.515.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size411 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsShun Sato

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings456,880 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,594 reviews
Positive36.5%
Neutral8.6%
Negative54.8%

Whiteboard

All ratings47 ratings
Positive31.9%
Neutral6.4%
Negative61.7%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive20.8%
Neutral10.0%
Negative69.2%

User reviews

Notability

From 457K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for note-taking
  • 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 📝 Excellent organization and file management
  • 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
  • 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
  • 🔍 Limited search and organization options
  • 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
  • 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

Whiteboard

From 47 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy-to-use interface
  • ✏️ Basic whiteboard functionality works well
  • 💾 Auto-saves work when app closes
  • 🎨 Good marker size and color customization
  • 📱 Smooth drawing experience

Room to improve

  • 📢 Excessive and intrusive ads throughout app
  • 🚫 Ads pop up during critical actions (save, delete, erase)
  • 📵 Ads cover significant portion of drawing canvas
  • 🌐 Language settings default to Japanese despite English device settings
  • ⚠️ Misleading app description/thumbnail hides ad presence

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

Whiteboard

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App displays 'I will move to a new application' message on startup and kicks user out
  • App crashes frequently after updates
  • Drawing doesn't persist when switching to other apps
  • Camera/photo button doesn't function properly
  • Eraser tool doesn't work correctly
Show 5 more
  • Saved files appear in Chinese/Japanese instead of English
  • Saved images not appearing in camera roll
  • Drawing produces dots instead of continuous lines
  • App won't open or download properly
  • Ads redirect to App Store when accidentally tapped during drawing

Requested features

12 requests
  • Remove or significantly reduce ads
  • Paid ad-free version option
  • Expand color palette beyond 5 colors
  • Add canvas rotation feature
  • Add zoom functionality for detail work
Show 7 more
  • Add eraser tool in portrait orientation
  • Increase drawing canvas space
  • Add whiteboard stickers
  • Add photo upload and editing capabilities
  • Add AirPlay feature for TV display
  • Improve English language support
  • Add collaborative/shared whiteboard feature

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
None

Whiteboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Whiteboard free?
Whiteboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Whiteboard?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Whiteboard averages 2.4 from 47 ratings.
Do Notability or Whiteboard have ads?
Whiteboard shows ads; Notability does not.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Whiteboard?
Notability ships an update weekly, and Whiteboard every 6 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and Whiteboard on July 20, 2026.

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