Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs SmartDocs Library
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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"...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
SmartDocs Library
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Our Mission: Organize your documents, save you time. SmartDocs Library turns folders you choose into organized document libraries. An Inbox centered workflow let's you scan documents, import files, or share them from other apps. SmartDocs helps you review each document, extract searchable text, add dates, tags, move it into the right folder, and give it a reasonable filename. SmartDocs works around folders you control. Your documents stay in your selected locations, while SmartDocs adds the structure, metadata, search, and workflow you need to make them useful. Main Features: - Turn any folder into a managed document library with full control over your files - Quickly scan, import, and share files from other apps into a focused Inbox - Extract searchable text with OCR and text processing - Add titles, dates, tags, notes, and custom fields - Use folder policies for smart file naming, retention, archive, and trash - Follow-up on important documents with notifications - Organize multiple libraries - Automate scanning and imports with Shortcuts - Works across iPhone, iPad and Mac Built for personal admin, freelancers, and anyone who wants documents filed properly instead of scattered across downloads, messages, and random folders. -- End-User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SmartDocs Library at Free against Mental Note for iPad ๛'s $4.99. SmartDocs Library also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
SmartDocs Library 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 SmartDocs Library sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, SmartDocs Library daily. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mental Note for iPad ๛ | SmartDocs Library |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.7 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zymbiotic Technologies | Thies Harm Landsberger |
In-app purchases
Mental Note for iPad ๛
- Paper Customization feature$2.99
- Straight Line Drawing feature$3.99
- Dark Mode Override feature$3.99
SmartDocs Library
- SmartDocs Library Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Smart Docs Library Pro Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Small Coffee$1.99
- Medium Coffee$3.99
- Large Coffee$5.99
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- Small Meal$7.99
- Healthy Meal$12.99
- 1kg Coffee$22.99
- SmartDocs Pro$49.99
Questions
Is Mental Note for iPad ๛ free?
Is SmartDocs Library free?
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or SmartDocs Library have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or SmartDocs Library?
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