# Note Taker HD vs Brighthammer

The clearest difference is price: Brighthammer at Free against Note Taker HD's $4.99. Brighthammer also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Brighthammer is free to download; Note Taker HD costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Note Taker HD ships an update every 4 months, Brighthammer every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Note Taker HD | Brighthammer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.0 (140 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-hd/id366572045/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **140** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Software Garden](https://appshunter.io/developer/342284710) | [Brighthammer Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1848564900) |

## What reviewers say

### Note Taker HD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-hd/id366572045)

This app allows for versatile handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation on iPad and iPhone. It offers features like zoomed ink, shapes, typed text, and image insertion, with flexible organization and sharing options.

**Highlights:** Zoomed ink for detailed writing, PDF annotation capabilities, Insert photos and shapes, Typed text blocks, Organize with folders and tags, Export as PDF

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app, great for engineering and customer communication
- 👍 Text and sketching on the same page
- 👍 Typed notes are more legible than handwritten
- 👍 Typed text remains as editable text objects
- 👍 Zoom window for precise drawing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when exporting PDFs
- 🐛 Crashes when adding photos
- 🐛 Crashes and loses data
- 🐛 Exporting to email not working well
- 🔍 Interface not very intuitive, steep learning curve

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when exporting PDFs
- Crashes when adding photos
- Crashes and loses data
- Exporting to email not working well

**Requested features**

- Evernote integration
- Ability to scroll between pages
- Ability to underline, bold or italicize typed text
- Ability to group objects together
- Voice recording and clip function


### Brighthammer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brighthammer/id6754510309)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Note Taker HD free?

Note Taker HD costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Brighthammer free?

Brighthammer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Note Taker HD or Brighthammer have ads?

Neither Note Taker HD nor Brighthammer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Note Taker HD or Brighthammer?

Note Taker HD ships an update every 4 months, and Brighthammer every 6 days. Most recently, Note Taker HD was updated on October 22, 2026 and Brighthammer on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*