# Notability vs Slate

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Slate at 100% against Notability's 36%. Slate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 13) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Notability's advantage is ratings volume (458K vs 2) and chart position (#93 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Slate asks for nothing beyond the download.

Slate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 458K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 100% of Slate's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Slate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (458K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slate-focus/id6785661596/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **458K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#93** | — |
| Size | 413 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [JACK BONDI FEJER](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785661598) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Grossing · Productivity, #187 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 Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| 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


### Slate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/slate-focus/id6785661596)

This tool uses a physical card to help you disconnect from your phone. Schedule app blocking for specific times and track your progress in reducing screen time. It offers a calm approach to digital well-being without gamification.

**Highlights:** Physical card integration for focus control, Customizable app blocklists, Scheduled blocking for specific times, Automatic session resumption after breaks, Emergency unlock feature, Screen Time activity tracking, Account-free operation

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is Slate free?

Slate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Slate is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 458K ratings, while Slate averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Notability or Slate have ads?

Neither Notability nor Slate shows ads.

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

Notability ships an update weekly, and Slate weekly. Most recently, Notability was updated on October 18, 2026 and Slate on October 13, 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.*