Comparison

Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs Sketch

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

Sketch

This app allows users to draw and sketch on their devices with a wide range of color options and brush customization. It offers a minimalist interface and supports transparency for more detailed creations. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Highlights
  • Minimalist interface
  • 16 million+ colors with RGB selection
  • Adjustable brush thickness
  • Color transparency
  • Cross-device compatibility (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
Features
Read full description

Sketch Notes is a simple application that allows you to draw on the device. Several functions available : - Look minimal - Choose more than 16 million colors with RGB selection - Choose the thickness of the brush - Added the color transparency - Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Mac

Screenshots

Sketch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sketch at Free against Mental Note for iPad ๛'s $4.99. Sketch also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Mental Note for iPad ๛'s advantage is rating (2.7 vs 1.6) and review sentiment (52% vs 25%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mental Note for iPad ๛ holds the better App Store score, 2.7 against 1.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Mental Note for iPad ๛'s written reviews are positive against 25% of Sketch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Sketch every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Mental Note for iPad ๛ versus Sketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note for iPad ๛Sketch
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating2.7 (6 ratings) — better1.6 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings67 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesFrancesco Abbondo

Customer experience

Mental Note for iPad ๛

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral22.8%
Negative25.5%

Sketch

All ratings7 ratings
Positive14.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

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

Sketch

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 Sketch free?
Sketch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Sketch?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ is rated higher. Mental Note for iPad ๛ averages 2.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Sketch averages 1.6 from 7 ratings.
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Sketch have ads?
Neither Mental Note for iPad ๛ nor Sketch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Sketch?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and Sketch every 4 months. Most recently, Mental Note for iPad ๛ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sketch on November 6, 2026.

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