# Notability vs Whiteboard

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.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whiteboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

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: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 21% of Whiteboard's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Whiteboard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [2.4 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whiteboard/id537780132/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 47 |
| Positive reviews | **36.3% of reviews** | 20.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#75** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Shun Sato](https://appshunter.io/developer/416043883) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Grossing · Productivity, #134 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


### Whiteboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whiteboard/id537780132)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*