# 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 37% 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 111). 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 111, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 81% of BoardNotes's.

Notability ships an update weekly, BoardNotes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 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 (111 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-whiteboard-and-pdf/id6448847544/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 111 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **81.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#74** | — |
| Size | 411 MB | 356 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:** #74 Top Grossing · Productivity, #132 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-whiteboard-and-pdf/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 111 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 weekly, and BoardNotes every 10 days. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 25, 2026 and BoardNotes on September 23, 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.*