# Notability vs BoardNotes

Notability and BoardNotes both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of BoardNotes's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. BoardNotes also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.5). Notability's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (457K vs 115). On price, rating, update cadence 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 BoardNotes sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. 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 BoardNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 115, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 81% of BoardNotes's.

Notability ships an update every 6 days, BoardNotes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | BoardNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 115 |
| Positive reviews | 36.3% of reviews | **81.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#82** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 339 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Chongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686544790) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #82 Top Grossing · Productivity, #138 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


### BoardNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544)

This app combines whiteboard, notebook, PDF management, mind mapping, and flashcard creation into a single, versatile handwriting note-taking tool. It offers a wide array of pen types, organizational features, and study aids to enhance productivity and learning.

**Highlights:** Handwriting note-taking, Integrated whiteboard, PDF import and editing, Mind mapping functionality, Spaced repetition flashcards, Multiple pen and brush types, Layer management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (23)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7 days membership | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 days membership | $0.99 | one-time |
| Math Formula Recognition | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 month membership | $1.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $3.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $3.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership (discount) | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $4.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $4.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $4.99 | one-time |
| Full version Unlock | $5.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership (discount) | $5.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $6.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $6.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $6.99 | one-time |
| Spring Festival Discount | $6.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All(discount) | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $8.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $9.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 All-in-one app
- 💡 Feature-rich note-taking
- ✍️ Excellent Apple Pencil integration
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🚀 Smooth performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔥 Device gets hot
- 🐛 Data loss (whiteboards erased)
- 🚫 No automatic backup
- 🔍 Limited search functions

**Reported bugs**

- Whiteboards erasing automatically
- No automatic backup leading to data loss
- Syncing issues between iPad and Mac
- Pencil tip not appearing on PDF annotations
- App crashes frequently

**Requested features**

- Sync to Google Drive/other cloud services
- Faster 'add to cards' function
- View carded items in sidebar
- Color coding for pins
- Image opacity adjustment


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is BoardNotes free?

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

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

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while BoardNotes averages 4.7 from 115 ratings.

### Do Notability or BoardNotes have ads?

BoardNotes shows ads; Notability does not.

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

Notability ships an update every 6 days, and BoardNotes every 10 days. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 29, 2026 and BoardNotes on September 27, 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.*