# Notability vs Phone Slides

The clearest difference is price: Notability at Free against Phone Slides's $5.99. Notability also leads on chart position (#115 vs unranked). Phone Slides's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Notability is free to download; Phone Slides costs $5.99 up front. Notability sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Phone Slides sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notability ships an update weekly, Phone Slides fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 15, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Phone Slides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $5.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (459K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **459K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#115** | — |
| Size | 457 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Zit Technology Services Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526957142) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #115 Top Grossing · 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


### Phone Slides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phone-slides/id6759207749)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One year subscription | $6.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Phone Slides free?

Phone Slides costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do Notability or Phone Slides have ads?

Neither Notability nor Phone Slides shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Phone Slides?

Notability ships an update weekly, and Phone Slides fortnightly. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 15, 2026 and Phone Slides on November 9, 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.*