Comparison

Notability vs Cheatsheet

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

Cheatsheet

Quickly store and access important information like hotel room numbers or license plates via widgets, a custom keyboard, or your Apple Watch. This app simplifies recalling details without needing to unlock your phone.

Highlights
  • Quick recall memos
  • Widget access
  • Custom keyboard integration
  • Apple Watch app
  • Search functionality
  • Organize with folders
  • Format notes
Features
Read full description

Cheatsheet is for the little things you never remember: hotel rooms, license plates, luggage combination, ID numbers. Write them down in Cheatsheet and then refer to them anytime in a Widget or paste them anywhere with the Custom Keyboard. No more fumbling to unlock your phone and find your notes app; Cheatsheet is as easy as looking at your lock screen, pulling up the keyboard, or glancing at your Apple Watch. App Features: • Simple UI for adding and managing your cheats. • Over 450 icons to help you recognize what you’re looking for. • Quickly copy a cheat by tapping-and-holding on a row. • Search for your cheats, both in the app and in Spotlight. • Use Shortcuts or Siri to “add notes to Cheatsheet” or “find notes in Cheatsheet”. • Organize your cheats with folders and titles. • Format your notes with bold, italics, lists, links, and more. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock (Pro feature). • Sync between all your iOS devices via iCloud (Pro feature). Widgets: • Multiple sizes, styles, and colors. • Tap a cheat to open it. Tap the “+” button to add a cheat in the app. • Cheatsheet also has a “Today widget” with options to copy or delete cheats. Apple Watch: • Add, edit, and delete cheats right from your wrist. • Complications show your top cheat (or several cheats) right on your watch face. • Syncs to your iPhone via iCloud (Pro feature). Keyboard Extension: • Shows up to 50 cheats, which you can insert anywhere you can use a custom keyboard. • Includes space, delete, and return keys to help with simple edits. Advanced Features: • Automate your workflows with Shortcuts. • Action extension: send text or URLs to Cheatsheet from any app via the share sheet. • Customize the Cheatsheet widget’s appearance and behavior to suit your needs. • Add or open notes from Control Center (iOS 18 required). • URL scheme for adding a cheat: cheatsheet://add?text=everything%20is%20awesome. Cheatsheet Pro: • Remove limits on the widget, keyboard, and Watch app. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock. • Organize your cheats with folders. • Sync your cheats between your devices with iCloud. • Cheatsheet Pro is a simple, annual subscription; there is a one-time purchase option for customers who want to avoid subscriptions. Cheatsheet for Mac is sold separately. • Purchases help support the ongoing development of Cheatsheet — this app is beloved by its users and has over 10 years of active development by a single indie developer, so your support is truly appreciated! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notability4 screens
Cheatsheet4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notability and Cheatsheet both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 81% of Cheatsheet's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Notability's advantage is ratings volume (457K vs 1.9K) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 and Cheatsheet sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 Cheatsheet. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 457K ratings behind it against 1.9K, 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 81% of Cheatsheet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notability ships an update every 6 days, Cheatsheet every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Notability versus Cheatsheet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotabilityCheatsheet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (457K ratings) — better4.7 (1.9K ratings)
Positive reviews36.3% of reviews80.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings457K — better1.9K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#83 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.517.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size411 MB128 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGinger LabsOverdesigned, LLC

Customer experience

Notability

All ratings457,158 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews3,632 reviews
Positive36.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative55.0%

Cheatsheet

All ratings1,898 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews793 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral5.2%
Negative14.2%

User reviews

Notability

From 457K 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

Cheatsheet

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick access to information
  • 💡 Useful for remembering important details
  • 🤖 Seamless Apple Watch integration
  • 💻 Syncs across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues
  • 🔒 Lack of password protection
  • 🔋 Apple Watch battery drain
  • 💰 Paid upgrade required for full functionality

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

Cheatsheet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Entries disappearing from widget
  • Syncing problems between devices
  • Crashes on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to sort/reorder entries
  • Improve sync reliability
  • Implement password protection
  • Allow adding images/attachments to entries
  • Expand customization options (colors, icons, etc.)

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 Plus$19.991 Year
  • Notability Pro$19.991 Month
  • Notability Plus$29.991 Year
  • Notability Pro3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notability Classic$49.99
9 purchases

Cheatsheet

Subscriptions4
  • Cheatsheet Pro$0.991 Month
  • Cheatsheet Pro$1.991 Month
  • Cheatsheet Pro$4.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Cheatsheet Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time5
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$5.99
  • Big Tip$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Legacy$19.99
  • Cheatsheet Pro (Lifetime)$79.99

Questions

Is Notability free?
Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cheatsheet free?
Cheatsheet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notability or Cheatsheet?
Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Cheatsheet averages 4.7 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Notability or Cheatsheet have ads?
Neither Notability nor Cheatsheet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notability or Cheatsheet?
Notability ships an update every 6 days, and Cheatsheet every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on September 29, 2026 and Cheatsheet on September 28, 2026.

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