AudioNote™ vs Notepad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AudioNote™
This app combines note-taking with synchronized audio recording, allowing users to instantly access specific moments in recordings by tapping on their notes. It supports text, drawings, photos, and PDF annotation, making it ideal for students and professionals to capture and review information efficiently.
- Synchronized note and audio recording
- Seek directly to audio by tapping notes
- Highlighted notes during playback
- Insert text, drawing, and photo notes
- Audio amplifier
- Import and annotate PDF documents
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Take notes with recorded audio using the best note taking app in the App Store! AudioNote combines the functionality of a notepad and voice recorder to create a powerful tool that will save you time while improving the quality of your notes. It’s the perfect app for students or business. By synchronizing notes and audio, AudioNote automatically indexes your meetings, lectures, interviews, or study sessions. Need to review the discussion about deliverables on your next project? Trying to remember what the professor had to say about a key point? With AudioNote there is no need to waste time searching through the entire recording to find out. Each note acts as a link directly to the point at which it was recorded, taking you instantly to what you want to hear. Didn't take any notes during the meeting? No problem, you can add them later. A fully functional note application, AudioNote also increases the value of your notes. Watch as your text, drawings, and photos highlight during playback, helping you to remember the context in which they were taken. With the convenience of the iPad or iPhone, you can use AudioNote anywhere: meetings, interviews, conferences, lectures, study sessions. Even use it to record memos to yourself as you jot down new ideas. Join the thousands of students, teachers, business executives, and other professionals who have already discovered what an indispensable tool AudioNote can be. Download it today! ************************************************** AudioNote Features: - Synchronized note and audio recording - Seek directly to audio by tapping notes - Highlighted notes during playback - Insert text, drawing, photo, & highlighter notes - Audio amplifier for recordings made in larger conference rooms - Import and take notes directly on PDF documents (iPad only) - Share with iCloud, Dropbox, over WiFi, or through iTunes - Desktop support: view your .audionote files on Mac or PC (see our website for more info) ************************************************** Featured in Gizmodo's "The Best Note Taking Apps": "AudioNote has one trick, and it's a doozy. Aside from functioning as a basic note-taking app, AudioNote can make sound recordings at the same time, and keep them synchronized, note by note, with the text. You can, in effect, relive a lecture or a meeting through sound and notes." http://gizmodo.com/5674316/the-best-note+taking-apps ************************************************** What Customers Are Saying: "The best note taking application out there!" - Bill K. "I've been looking for a note taking program. Tried several. This is the best by far." - Steve S. "GREAT JOB, use this for all my meetings!" - Jason T. "This program is sooooooo useful. ... I would recommend this to ANY student for any lectures." ************************************************** Still not convinced? Try AudioNote LITE for free!
Notepad
This app provides a straightforward way to jot down thoughts, create lists, and save temporary information. It offers features like search, dark mode, and customizable widgets for quick access to your notes. Data is stored locally for enhanced privacy.
- Search functionality
- Dark mode
- Lock screen widget
- Home screen widget
- Automatic note saving
- Word count
- Customizable note colors
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Free! Easy to use and simple notepad app! ■ Features - Search - Dark mode - Lock screen widget with 4 font sizes - Home screen widget with 3 different sizes - Automatic note saving with the auto-save feature - Word count - Choose from 6 different colors to brighten up your notes (swipe right on the note) - Reorder your notes (press and hold the note to move it) ■ Usage - Easily enter your thoughts in the notepad - Make a shopping list - Make a To Do list - Temporarily save copy/paste items here - Draft reports, minutes, collections, and stories ■ FAQ ** How do I delete notes? Swipe left on the note to bring up the [Delete] button. Or tap the [Edit] button, then tap the red symbol to bring up the [Delete] button. ** How do I sort notes? Tap and hold the note you want to move, and then drag it up or down. Or tap the [Edit] button, then pinch the tab on the right of the note to move it. ** How do I add a note to my Lock Screen? (How do I set up a Lock Screen widget?) Please make sure your device is running the latest iOS version. Once you have updated, touch and hold the center of the Lock Screen until the [Customize] button appears at the bottom of the screen, then tap [Customize]. Select [Lock Screen], tap [Add Widgets], select this app, and then select the widget you want to use. If the name of this app is not displayed, restart your device to display it. ** How do I add a note to my Home Screen? (How do I set up a widget?) Tap and hold an empty area on your Home Screen, then tap the [+] button in the top-left corner. Select the [Notepad] widget in this app, select from three widget sizes, and then tap the [Add] button. You can add as many widgets as you like! To select a note to be displayed in the widget, tap and hold the widget on the Home Screen, then select the note you want to display from [Edit Widget] - [Notes]. ** How do I change the color of my notes? Change the color of your notes by swiping right. ** How do I display notes in the widget? Swipe right on your iPhone's Home Screen to display the widget screen. Press the [Edit] button at the bottom of the widget screen, then press the [+] symbol to allow the Notepad app to be displayed in the widget. ** What about data security? This app never collects or sends any text entered by the user to servers or any external sources outside the app. The only communication this app performs is related to advertising information. This app has been operating for over 10 years through advertising revenue and in-app purchases. All data entered by users is stored only within the app, so you can use it with confidence. 【Terms of Service】 https://komorebi-studio.com/tos_en.html 【Privacy Policy】 https://komorebi-studio.com/policyredirect.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Notepad at Free against AudioNote™'s $12.99. Notepad also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (6.4K vs 118). AudioNote™'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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
Notepad is free to download; AudioNote™ costs $12.99 up front. Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AudioNote™ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Notepad holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notepad has 6.4K ratings behind it against 118, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of AudioNote™'s written reviews are positive against 80% of Notepad's.
AudioNote™ ships an update every 3 weeks, Notepad every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AudioNote™ | Notepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (118 ratings) | 4.8 (6.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.1% of reviews | 80.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 118 | 6.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #148 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Luminant Software, Inc | Komorebi Inc. |
Customer experience
AudioNote™
Notepad
User reviews
AudioNote™
From 118 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent note-taking and recording
- 👍 Syncs audio to text/drawings
- 👍 Clear audio quality
- 👍 Reliable and stable performance
- 👍 Useful for meetings, lectures, and research
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional recording issues or crashes
- 🔒 Limited file sharing/export options
- 👎 Outdated interface design
- 👎 Small buttons and controls
- 👎 Lack of advanced formatting options
Notepad
From 6.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💰 Free with no subscription
- 📝 Straightforward note-taking
Room to improve
- 🙄 Ads can be intrusive
- 🔒 No cloud backup or sync
- 🎨 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Lack of search or organization features
Bugs and requests
AudioNote™
Reported bugs
3 issues- Recordings sometimes disappear or get corrupted
- Difficulty navigating large audio files
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to change font size, color, and formatting
- Improved file management and sharing options
- Background recording mode
- Faster playback speed controls
- Integration with cloud storage services
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- More drawing/annotation tools
Notepad
Reported bugs
2 issues- Notes sometimes disappear after updating
- Auto-correct can be overly aggressive
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to print notes
- Implement photo/media attachment
- Introduce different font styles and colors
- Provide cloud sync and backup functionality
In-app purchases
AudioNote™
No in-app purchases
Notepad
- Remove Ads$7.99
Questions
Is AudioNote™ free?
Is Notepad free?
Which has better reviews, AudioNote™ or Notepad?
Do AudioNote™ or Notepad have ads?
Which is updated more often, AudioNote™ or Notepad?
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