Comparison

Notability vs Microsoft Excel

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

Microsoft Excel

This powerful productivity app allows you to create, view, and edit spreadsheets on the go. Manage data, perform calculations, and analyze information with robust formatting and charting tools. Share your work easily with others.

Highlights
  • Create, view, and edit spreadsheets
  • Data analysis with charts and graphs
  • Budgeting and accounting tools
  • Customizable tables and formatting
  • Share files with collaborators
  • Draw and annotate with ink
Read full description

Review files and run data analysis on the go. Customise tables the way you want with robust formatting tools and great features. Excel lets you build your spreadsheet to meet your specific needs. Get the power of AI with Copilot in your favourite apps when you sign in with your Microsoft 365 subscription. Create templates, edit spreadsheets, organise charts and share with ease when you download Microsoft Excel. Tables and Spreadsheets: Create, Calculate and Analyse • Jump-start your budget, task list, accounting or financial analysis with Excel’s modern templates. • Rich productivity features and formatting options make your workbook easier to read and use. Productivity App: Review, Edit and Work Anywhere • Refresh sheet data or update your task list from anywhere. • Spreadsheet features like sort and filter columns help focus your reviews. • Create, duplicate, hide and unhide sheets easily. Data Analysis: Discover Key Insights on the Go • Analyse data using charts and graphs. • Highlight key insights using chart labelling features. • Visualise data at a glance. Finance Budgeting and Accounting: Simplify Personal Finance • Use spreadsheets and charts to help manage budgets. • Familiar tools to help you drill down to your exact finance needs. • Calculate tax estimates, personal finances and more. Draw and Annotate with Ink: Capture Ideas on the Page • Make notes, highlight your worksheet, create shapes or write equations using the draw tab feature on devices with touch capabilities. Sharing Made Easy: Collaborate Anywhere • Share your files with a few taps to quickly invite others to edit, view or leave comments directly in your workbooks. • Copy the content of your worksheet in the body of an email message with its format intact or attach or copy a link to your workbook for other sharing options. • Send worksheet content in an email while preserving formatting or send a link to your workbook. AI Assistance with Copilot* • Summarise data and highlight trends quickly. • Generate charts and tables from raw data with simple prompts. • Get intelligent recommendations for budgeting and forecasting. REQUIREMENTS: 1 GB RAM or above To create or edit documents, sign in with a free Microsoft account on devices with a screen size smaller than 10.1 inches. *Unlock the full Microsoft 365 experience with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription for your phone, tablet, PC and Mac. This app is provided by either Microsoft or a third-party app publisher and is subject to a separate privacy statement and terms and conditions. Data provided through the use of this store and this app may be accessible to Microsoft or the third-party app publisher, where applicable, and transferred to, stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or the app publisher and their affiliates or service providers maintain facilities. Please refer to Microsoft's EULA for Terms of Service for Microsoft 365 on iOS. By installing the app, you agree to these terms and conditions: http://aka.ms/eula

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Microsoft Excel4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notability and Microsoft Excel both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 24% of Microsoft Excel's. Microsoft Excel's advantage is chart position (#19 vs #94) and ratings volume (1.5M vs 458K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 and Microsoft Excel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.7 for Microsoft Excel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 458K and 1.5M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 24% of Microsoft Excel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Notability versus Microsoft Excel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityMicrosoft Excel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (458K ratings) — better4.7 (1.5M ratings)
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews — better24.1% of reviews
Number of ratings458K1.5M — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#94#19 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Vision Pro
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size413 MB439 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsMicrosoft Corporation

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings457,834 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,711 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative55.1%

Microsoft Excel

All ratings1,472,506 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews3,721 reviews
Positive24.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative69.6%

User reviews

Notability

From 458K 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

Microsoft Excel

From 1.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Powerful and feature-rich
  • 🔍 Useful for data management and analysis
  • 🔧 Convenient for on-the-go work
  • 🤝 Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem
  • 🤩 Excellent for personal and professional use

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 📱 Limited features compared to desktop version
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface changes
  • 🤯 Frustrating syncing and file management issues

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

Microsoft Excel

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to open or edit files
  • Unexpected app closures
  • Syncing problems with OneDrive
  • Formatting issues when copying and pasting
  • Slow performance on high-end devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Conditional formatting options
  • Ability to open password-protected files
  • Improved Apple Pencil and keyboard support
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Better compatibility with Dropbox and other cloud storage

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 Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99
12 purchases

Microsoft Excel

Subscriptions12
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Personal Student1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • Office 365 Home1 Month trial$12.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Microsoft Copilot Pro$20.001 Month
  • Office 365 Personal$69.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$99.991 Year
  • Office 365 Home$129.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial$129.991 Year

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Microsoft Excel free?
Microsoft Excel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Microsoft Excel?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 458K ratings, while Microsoft Excel averages 4.7 from 1.5M ratings.
Do Notability or Microsoft Excel have ads?
Neither Notability nor Microsoft Excel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Microsoft Excel?
Notability ships an update weekly, and Microsoft Excel weekly. Most recently, Notability was updated on October 14, 2026 and Microsoft Excel on October 14, 2026.
Which is more popular, Notability or Microsoft Excel?
Notability currently peaks at #94 in the App Store charts, and Microsoft Excel at #19. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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