Comparison

Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs Notepad Notes

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

Notepad Notes

Features
Read full description

Write notes, make checklists and keep private notes locked. Notepad Notes is a simple, fast notebook that opens in a second and keeps everything in one place. No account needed. LOCK PRIVATE NOTES - Lock only the notes you choose with a 4-digit PIN - Unlock instantly with Face ID or Touch ID - Locked notes stay hidden in your list and in reminder notifications - Forgot your PIN? Reset it with your iPhone passcode TEXT NOTES - Format text with bold, italic and underline - Choose the text size and background color for each note - Text color adjusts automatically so every note is easy to read - Add photos, view them full screen, zoom, share or delete - Lined paper style for a real notebook feeling CHECKLISTS & REMINDERS - Create checklists and tick items off as you finish them - Reorder items easily - Set reminders and see the time right on the note - Tap a reminder notification to jump straight to that note ORGANIZE - Grid or list view - Pin important notes to the top - Group notes with labels - Archive notes you want to keep but hide - Search all notes by title, content, checklist items or label BACKUP & RESTORE - Export all notes to a backup file and save it to Files or iCloud Drive - Restore on a new phone with photos, labels, reminders and locks kept - Share any note via Messages, Mail or social apps PRIVATE & OFFLINE - Your notes are stored on your device - Works without an internet connection Have an idea or found a problem? Email us at onedevzteam@gmail.com. We read every message and keep improving the app.

Screenshots

Notepad Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Notepad Notes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Mental Note for iPad ๛ versus Notepad Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note for iPad ๛Notepad Notes
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating2.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesKIET NGUYEN TAN

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

Notepad Notes

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 Notepad Notes free?
Notepad Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Notepad Notes have ads?
Neither Mental Note for iPad ๛ nor Notepad Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Notepad Notes?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and Notepad Notes every 5 days. Most recently, Mental Note for iPad ๛ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Notepad Notes on October 27, 2026.

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