# Notability vs Freenotes®

Notability and Freenotes® both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of Freenotes®'s written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Freenotes® also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). Notability's advantage is chart position (#110 vs unranked) and ratings volume (459K vs 65K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Freenotes® sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. 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 Freenotes®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 459K ratings behind it against 65K, 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 60% of Freenotes®'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Freenotes® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (459K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.7 (65K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **459K** | 65K |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **59.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#110** | — |
| Size | 457 MB | 688 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Free Notes AI Note Taker LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775767870) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #110 Top Grossing · Productivity, #179 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture, organize, and enhance your ideas with handwritten notes, document annotation, and audio recording. This app streamlines learning and work by making your notes searchable, shareable, and interactive.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes and sketching, PDF and document annotation, Audio recording synced to notes, Handwriting recognition, AI-powered summaries and takeaways, Customizable organization with folders, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| 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 Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Notability Pro | $99.99 | per year |

**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


### Freenotes®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904)

Transform your device into an AI-powered digital notepad for students and professionals. Seamlessly annotate PDFs, organize notes, and leverage AI for summaries, homework help, and concept clarification. Enjoy a natural handwriting experience with advanced features like shape recognition and flashcard creation.

**Highlights:** AI-powered note summarization, Chat with your PDFs, AI homework helper, Handwritten note accuracy check, Organize notes by project/course, Search handwritten notes via OCR, PDF annotation tools, Infinite canvas for sketching

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Freenotes Weekly Plus Member | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Weekly Pro Member | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Remove Ads | $29.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Completely free app with no ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 📚 Comprehensive note-taking features (layers, templates, stickers, etc.)
- 🎨 Highly customizable (colors, fonts, covers, etc.)
- 🗂️ Excellent organization tools (folders, notebooks, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with syncing and iCloud backup
- 🖌️ Limited customization options for pen/pencil settings
- 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition and search
- 🔗 No support for external links or clickable content
- 🔀 Difficulty in rearranging or splitting notebooks

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional freezing or lagging when writing/drawing
- Issues with the shape recognition tool not working as expected
- Problems with the eraser tool not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting recognition and search functionality
- Improve iCloud sync and backup capabilities
- Expand pen/pencil customization options
- Implement support for external links and clickable content
- Introduce features for easier notebook organization and splitting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Freenotes® free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Freenotes®?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 459K ratings, while Freenotes® averages 4.7 from 65K ratings.

### Do Notability or Freenotes® have ads?

Neither Notability nor Freenotes® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Freenotes®?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Freenotes® weekly. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 10, 2026 and Freenotes® on November 10, 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.*