Comparison

Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs Brain Order

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

Head to head
About

Mental Note for iPad ๛

This app transforms your iPad into a versatile digital notepad. Seamlessly combine text, drawings, pictures, and voice recordings on a single page. Capture ideas in any format and share them easily.

Highlights
  • Combine text, pictures, audio, and drawings
  • Freehand sketching with multiple colors
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Password protect private notes
  • Export notes in PDF, text, and other formats
  • Share notes via email and cloud services
Read full description

"...a true notepad experience that may help you make a clean break from the pencil-and-paper era." -New York Times. Users describe Mental Note as "the only notepad app... that's actually better than, and as simple as, a pen and paper." It's "the future of note taking", and "a big sketchpad... [to] free-associate and put stuff down in any format". Mental Note for iPad brings the future closer with an even bigger sketchpad for you to capture your ideas on. Turn your iPad into a digital notepad.  Combine pictures, voice recordings, drawings and text - all on the same page, in any order you choose. An idea... a flash - a moment of genius.  When a thought hits, and you have to remember it, why limit how you record it?  The more context and sensory details you can capture, the clearer the idea can be put down. Use pictures, audio, sketching and text together on the same page... a digital page that can be shared with anyone. Mental Note allows you to capture ideas as they happen: use pictures, dictate, add text, sketch on anything.  Ideas clarified. Creativity captured. FEATURES - Draw with your finger using multiple colours and widths on top of pictures, text, or anywhere else on the page. Zoom in to sketch fine details. - Choose a picture from your album and add it to the page. - Add audio to the page by recording with the built-in microphone. Continue to edit your note while recording. - Organize your notes using tags. - Password protect your private notes and flag your important ones. - Attach Calendar events to your notes. - Undo, redo anything in the note by shaking the device. - Delete note sections using the toolbar button or by swiping any note section. - Move a note section by swiping and then dragging it to its new location. - Length of a note is limited only by device memory. - Export in a variety of formats including PDF, text, Mental Note format, and more. Send using email, iCloud, Dropbox, and more. * Send a note in Mental Note format so the note may be imported into another person's Mental Note app. * Using email, export a complete note directly from Mental Note as either a PDF document or a picture (each audio recording is attached to the email as a separate file). You can also email just the text from your note. - Export your notes and backups to your iCloud and/or Dropbox account. - Share a note with your friends using most installed apps. - Map the location a note was created at (if location services are enabled). - Change the size and font of the text in your notes. - Change the color and background of your notes. - Numerous other configuration options. THIS VERSION IS OPTIMIZED FOR iPad. FOR iPhone, PLEASE SEE Mental Note - the digital notepad. Read more: www.zymbiotic.com X @zymbiotic facebook.com/zymbiotic

About

Brain Order

Features
Read full description

Brain Order helps you turn scattered thoughts into clear notes, tasks, reminders and shared lists. Use it as a calm personal organizer for everyday life: quick ideas, grocery lists, home plans, study notes, personal tasks, small projects and shared routines. Create folders, lists and notes Build a structure that fits the way you think. Use folders for areas of life, lists for action items and notes for details you want to keep. Capture ideas quickly Write down a thought before it disappears, then organize it later when you have time. Plan tasks with reminders Add due dates, repeating reminders and local notifications so important tasks do not get lost. Review dated tasks in one place The Reminders tab helps you see what is coming up without opening every list. Share lists, folders and notes Invite others to collaborate on groceries, trips, home tasks, family routines or small team checklists. Work online or offline Brain Order lets you keep working even when the connection is unstable. Your changes sync in the background when possible. Keep your space comfortable Choose light mode, dark mode or your system theme for a clean interface that feels natural during the day or at night. Get help inside the app Use support chat in settings to send a bug report, share a feature request or attach screenshots when needed. Brain Order is designed for people who want simple organization without a heavy project-management system. It gives you one flexible place for the things you need to remember, plan and share. Use Brain Order for: • daily tasks • quick notes • todo lists • grocery lists • reminders • folders • habit lists • study notes • travel planning • shared family lists • small team checklists Bring your thoughts, tasks and notes into order — calmly, clearly and in one place.

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brain Order at Free against Mental Note for iPad ๛'s $4.99. Brain Order also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months). On 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

Brain Order is free to download; Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99 up front. Mental Note for iPad ๛ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Brain Order asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Brain Order every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Mental Note for iPad ๛ versus Brain Order: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note for iPad ๛Brain Order
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating2.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesAnatolii Levitskyi

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mental Note for iPad ๛

One-time3
  • Paper Customization feature$2.99
  • Straight Line Drawing feature$3.99
  • Dark Mode Override feature$3.99
None

Brain Order

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mental Note for iPad ๛ free?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Brain Order free?
Brain Order is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Brain Order have ads?
Neither Mental Note for iPad ๛ nor Brain Order shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Brain Order?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and Brain Order every 10 days. Most recently, Mental Note for iPad ๛ was updated on October 13, 2026 and Brain Order on October 6, 2026.

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