Comparison

Notability vs Google Slides

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Notability

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
Read full description

From your first lecture to your next big meeting, Notability helps you think, learn, and work better. Take handwritten notes, annotate documents, record audio, and stay organized in one place so your ideas are always clear, searchable, and ready when you need them. NEW: NOTABILITY CLASSIC IS BACK Prefer to pay one time for Notability? Our Classic plan is a one-time purchase with no subscription required. FREE DIGITAL NOTES FOR WORK & SCHOOL • Write, type, or sketch with digital ink, highlighters, and text tools. • Mark up anything: PDFs, textbooks, lecture slides, images, and more. • Combine handwriting, typed text, images, diagrams, and sketches on the same page. • Stay organized with customizable folders and subjects that grow with you. FOR PROFESSIONALS: WORK SMARTER AND SAVE TIME • Mark up documents, capture meetings, organize ideas, and present with confidence. • Import and handwrite on any document: PDFs, DOCs, presentations, reports, and more. • Fill out forms in the office or on a job site. • Combine handwriting, text, photos and documents in one place. • Record calls and meetings to transcribe voice in real-time. Audio is synced to your notes so nothing is missed. • Receive automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries. • Search handwriting, transcripts, text, and PDFs to quickly revisit decisions and action items. • Present notes, documents, and ideas in full screen, with a laser pointer to guide attention. • View and edit two notes side-by-side to stay focused and productive. • Share a PDF of your note in one tap. FOR STUDENTS: STUDY SMARTER AND ACE EXAMS • Take handwritten notes digitally or annotate lecture slides or your textbooks. • Record lectures and get instant audio transcripts and real-time summaries in your notes. • Audio recordings are synced to the exact moment you write in a note — perfect for lectures. • Import lecture slides, textbook PDFs, and assignments into organized folders and subjects. • Search across handwriting, typed notes, and transcripts to instantly find content from classes. • Study content from your note with personalized quizzes and flashcards to practice with active recall. • Chat with your notes to review concepts, clarify ideas, and prepare for exams. WORK YOUR WAY • Seamlessly switch between handwriting and typing. • Import files instantly and keep everything connected. • Share notes easily to collaborate or get feedback when needed. • Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web. • Create beautiful notes using templates from the Notability Gallery. UPGRADE TO A NOTABILITY SUBSCRIPTION Notability is free to use. With an upgraded subscription, you can receive: • Unlimited note-taking • AI-powered productivity and study tools • Handwriting recognition and math conversion • Live Audio transcripts • Auto-backup and iCloud sync Download for free on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web. Privacy Policy: notability.com/privacy Terms of Service: notability.com/terms

About

Google Slides

Create, edit, and collaborate on presentations from any device. Work offline, add rich media, and present directly from your phone or tablet. Seamlessly integrate with video calls and other productivity tools.

Highlights
  • Create and edit presentations
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Offline access
  • Add images and videos
  • Present from device
  • PowerPoint file compatibility
  • Video call integration
Currently charting
Read full description

Create, edit, and collaborate on presentations with the Google Slides app. With Slides you can: * Create new presentations or edit existing ones * Share presentations and collaborate with others in the same presentation at the same time * Work anywhere, anytime - even offline * Add and rearrange slides, format text and shapes, and more * Present right from your device * Never worry about losing your work -- everything is automatically saved as you type * Present slides to video calls - scheduled meetings will automatically appear * Open, edit, and save PowerPoint files Google Slides is part of Google Workspace: where teams of any size can chat, create, and collaborate. Google Workspace subscribers have access to additional Google Slides features, including: * Collaborating on a single presentation online with your business partner, your whole team, or external contacts. You control who gets permission to edit, view, or just add comments. * Starting from scratch or expediting the process by choosing a template. You can enhance your presentations with videos, images, drawings, and smooth transitions. * Working across PCs, Macs, mobiles, and tablets—View or even present your slides from your phone or tablet, so you have the option to practice your presentation up until the last minute. Permissions Notice Camera: This is used for camera mode in video calls and to insert images taken with the camera. Microphone: This is used to transmit audio in video calls. Photos: This is used to access photos under the control of Photos application to let the users pick images to insert into slides.

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Google Slides4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Google Slides at none against Notability's 13. Google Slides also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 36%) and chart position (#23 vs #101). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.7 for Google Slides. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 459K and 417K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 57% of Google Slides's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update every 6 days, Google Slides weekly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Notability versus Google Slides: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityGoogle Slides
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (459K ratings) — better4.7 (417K ratings)
Positive reviews36.1% of reviews57.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings459K — better417K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#101#23 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size415 MB424 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsGoogle

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings458,336 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,781 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral8.8%
Negative55.1%

Google Slides

All ratings416,110 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews1,479 reviews
Positive57.2%
Neutral10.3%
Negative32.5%

User reviews

Notability

From 459K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for note-taking
  • 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 📝 Excellent organization and file management
  • 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
  • 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
  • 🔍 Limited search and organization options
  • 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
  • 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

Google Slides

From 417K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helpful for school/work projects
  • 💡 Good for collaboration and sharing
  • 👍 Convenient for on-the-go use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and buggy on mobile devices
  • 🔧 Limited features compared to desktop version
  • 🔧 Difficult to find/use certain functions
  • 🔧 Formatting issues when transferring between devices

Bugs and requests

Notability

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Frequent crashes and performance issues
  • Palm rejection problems after updates
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing files

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Google Slides

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Text boxes and formatting randomly change
  • Slides freeze or crash frequently
  • Inability to delete or edit slides
  • Syncing and saving issues across devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more transition options
  • Improve mobile functionality and UI
  • Allow direct video/audio embedding
  • Provide more background and theme options

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Notability

Subscriptions9
  • Notability Lite$5.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$7.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$12.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • Notability Lite$14.991 Year
  • Notability Plus1 Year trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notability Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99
None

Google Slides

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Google Slides free?
Google Slides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Google Slides?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 459K ratings, while Google Slides averages 4.7 from 417K ratings.
Do Notability or Google Slides have ads?
Neither Notability nor Google Slides shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Google Slides?
Notability ships an update every 6 days, and Google Slides weekly. Most recently, Notability was updated on November 3, 2026 and Google Slides on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Notability or Google Slides?
Notability currently peaks at #101 in the App Store charts, and Google Slides at #23. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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