# Notability vs 1Writer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 1Writer at 84% against Notability's 37%. 1Writer also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.5). Notability's advantage is price (Free vs $4.99) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position there is nothing between them.

Notability is free to download; 1Writer costs $4.99 up front. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and 1Writer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notability holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 388, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 84% of 1Writer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notability ships an update weekly, 1Writer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | 1Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.6 (388 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1writer-markdown-text-editor/id680469088/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 388 |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **83.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #80 | **#47** |
| Size | 411 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Ngoc Luu](https://appshunter.io/developer/476810735) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

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

**Currently charting:** #80 Top Grossing · Productivity, #129 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


### 1Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1writer-markdown-text-editor/id680469088)

**Currently charting:** #47 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This app is a powerful text editor for creating, revising, and sharing ideas efficiently. It supports plain text and Markdown, with advanced features like an extended keyboard, photo insertion, and custom URL actions. Sync with cloud services and personalize your writing experience.

**Highlights:** Markdown syntax highlighting and preview, Extended keyboard with custom buttons, Photo insertion with Dropbox integration, Sync with iCloud, Dropbox, and WebDAV, Custom URL actions and JavaScript support, In-app web browser for research, Passcode and biometric app protection

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Nice Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Massive Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

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

### Is 1Writer free?

1Writer costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or 1Writer?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while 1Writer averages 4.6 from 388 ratings.

### Do Notability or 1Writer have ads?

Neither Notability nor 1Writer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or 1Writer?

Notability ships an update weekly, and 1Writer every 2 months. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 24, 2026 and 1Writer on September 22, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Notability or 1Writer?

Notability currently peaks at #80 in the App Store charts, and 1Writer at #47. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*