Comparison

SoundNote vs graynotes

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

Head to head
About

SoundNote

Record audio while taking notes and drawing. Tap any word or drawing to instantly jump to that moment in the recording. Ideal for students, journalists, and professionals to capture every detail in meetings, lectures, and interviews.

Highlights
  • Synchronized audio recording and note-taking
  • Tap notes to jump to audio playback
  • Integrated drawing tools with editing
  • Zoom and scroll functionality for drawings
  • Share notes and audio via email
  • Transfer notes to Mac or PC
Features
Read full description

SoundNote is the best way to take notes in meetings, lectures, and interviews. It tracks what you type and draw while recording audio, so you'll never worry about missing an important detail. During playback, just tap a word: SoundNote will jump right to the proper time in the audio. • Use SoundNote's powerful drawing tool for quick sketches. It's easy to edit them, too. Tap a drawing to select it, or tap twice to select an individual stroke. From there, you can drag it to wherever you want, or tap "Delete" to get rid of it. Use two fingers to zoom and scroll. • SoundNote is perfect for students. If you ever fall asleep in class, don't worry — SoundNote's got your back. Just tap what you wrote while you were awake, and SoundNote will play the audio to help you fill in the blanks. • SoundNote is also great for journalists. Ever miss an important detail during an interview and have to skim through your entire recording to find out what it was? With SoundNote, just tap a word from that part of the interview — it'll play back what you missed. • When you're done, share your text, drawings, and audio notes via email, or transfer them directly to your Mac or PC. Audio notes are recorded in standard M4A format: One hour of high quality audio is only 25MB.

About

graynotes

Features
Read full description

graynotes: Note-taking, simplified. Finally, a notes app that gets out of your way. graynotes strips away the complexity and gives you exactly what you need: a fast, beautiful place to capture your thoughts. Why graynotes? • Smart voice notes - record a quick note with your voice, AI will schedule it for you • Instant capture – Open and start typing immediately • Automatic sync – Your notes appear on all your devices instantly via iCloud • Beautiful design – Clean interface that adapts perfectly to light and dark mode • Action Button - wire up voice notes to your Action Button and never forget a thought or reminder again! Perfect for: • Quick thoughts and ideas • Shopping lists • Meeting notes • Daily journaling • Reminders for later graynotes works seamlessly across iPhone & iPad. Whether you're capturing a quick idea on your phone or reviewing notes on your computer, everything stays perfectly in sync. Download graynotes today for simple, fast note-taking.

Screenshots

graynotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: graynotes at Free against SoundNote's $4.99. graynotes also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). SoundNote's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.5). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

graynotes is free to download; SoundNote costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SoundNote ships an update every 6 weeks, graynotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and May 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SoundNote versus graynotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSoundNotegraynotes
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid EstesAdam Van Lente

Bugs and requests

SoundNote

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Typing issues, such as duplicate characters or unresponsive keyboard
  • Audio recording cutting out or becoming distorted
  • Syncing issues between notes and audio

Requested features

5 requests
  • Folders or notebooks to organize notes
  • Text formatting options (bold, italic, underline, etc.)
  • Pause/rewind/fast-forward controls for audio playback
  • Integration with cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
  • Ability to insert images or diagrams into notes

graynotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SoundNote

No in-app purchases

None

graynotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SoundNote free?
SoundNote costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is graynotes free?
graynotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SoundNote or graynotes have ads?
Neither SoundNote nor graynotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SoundNote or graynotes?
SoundNote ships an update every 6 weeks, and graynotes every 5 days. Most recently, SoundNote was updated on September 20, 2026 and graynotes on May 15, 2026.

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