Comparison

Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs ReadBuff

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

ReadBuff

Features
Read full description

ReadBuff — Read, Discover, and Save What Matters ReadBuff brings newsletters, RSS feeds, web articles, books, and PDF documents into one clean, distraction-free app. Follow your favorite sources, organize your reading list, and capture key ideas as searchable quotes you can revisit anytime. Instead of juggling inbox clutter, open browser tabs, ebook readers, and scattered bookmarking apps, ReadBuff gives serious readers a single, focused space to read deeply and build a personal knowledge library. Read Everything in One Place. ReadBuff is built for people who don’t just consume information—they value it. Whether you follow tech news, finance blogs, startup writing, long-form journalism, or research documents, ReadBuff keeps your daily reading organized without the chaos. Features: - Unified Inbox: Read RSS feeds, web articles, and blogs in one clean view - Dedicated Newsletter Email: Route newsletter subscriptions straight to ReadBuff and out of your personal inbox - PDF & Book Reader: Open research papers, reports, and ebooks alongside your daily feeds - Distraction-Free Experience: No ads, popups, or algorithmic feeds cluttering your feed - Cross-Device Sync: Seamlessly access your library and reading progress across all devices - Custom Collections: Organize content with folders, tags, and custom reading lists - Dark Mode: Comfortable typography layout built for day or night reading - Save Quotes That Matter - Highlight key insights, statistics, and passages across any format. Build a searchable archive of knowledge with attached notes and source context. Quote Features: - Instant Highlighting: Save text snippets from articles, newsletters, PDFs, and books in one tap - Source Tracking: Keep original links and author attribution attached automatically - Fast Search: Find any saved quote or note across your entire archive instantly Your Personal Reading Library ReadBuff isn't just a reader—it's a permanent home for the documents, books, and articles you want to study and revisit. Keep your technical PDFs, industry reports, saved articles, and ebooks together on one organized digital shelf. Perfect for: - Researchers and academics managing papers - Founders, executives, and professionals tracking industry news - Writers, journalists, and students collecting quotes and sources - Anyone who highlights, annotates, and saves what they read - Built for Serious Readers ReadBuff combines the speed of a modern RSS reader, the simplicity of a read-it-later app, and the depth of a personal knowledge archive. If you highlight obsessively, save PDFs you forget to open, or keep dozens of browser tabs open just in case, ReadBuff gives those habits a focused, organized home. Why ReadBuff? - Consolidate newsletters, web feeds, PDFs, and books into one reading hub - Turn daily reading into a searchable knowledge system - Keep original source context attached to every note and snippet - Enjoy a quiet, ad-free environment designed for deep focus Stop bouncing between open tabs, cluttered inboxes, and separate PDF viewers. ReadBuff helps you read smarter, stay organized, and save what matters. Download ReadBuff today to build a better reading habit. Terms of user (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.readbuff.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

ReadBuff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ReadBuff at Free against Mental Note for iPad ๛'s $4.99. ReadBuff also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases 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

ReadBuff is free to download; Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99 up front. Mental Note for iPad ๛ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and ReadBuff sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, ReadBuff every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mental Note for iPad ๛ versus ReadBuff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note for iPad ๛ReadBuff
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating2.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB55 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesHy Phan Bao Song

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
2 purchases

ReadBuff

Subscriptions2
  • ReadBuff Monthly Pro Plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • ReadBuff Annual Pro Plan14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Mental Note for iPad ๛ free?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ReadBuff free?
ReadBuff is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or ReadBuff have ads?
Neither Mental Note for iPad ๛ nor ReadBuff shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or ReadBuff?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and ReadBuff every 6 weeks. Most recently, Mental Note for iPad ๛ was updated on October 13, 2026 and ReadBuff on October 9, 2026.

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