pdf vs Note!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Manage and annotate PDF files on your iPad with fast page turning and intuitive finger-writing. Easily import PDFs, organize them into bookshelves, and export annotated versions via email. Features include zoom, cropping, and multiple pen options.
- Fast page turning and scanning
- Intuitive finger-writing and annotation
- Easy PDF import via Dropbox, Email, iTunes
- Categorized bookshelves with search
- Export annotated PDFs via email
- Pinch zoom and crop page margins
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[notice] pdf-notes for iPad (ads) involves advertisements. Paid version is available at http://itunes.apple.com/app/id4172008446 Utilize pdf-notes to manage all the pdf files on your iPad. Fast display, quick page-turning even a thousand pages, useful finger-writing and email your notes to your friends. Differentiation-1. While turning pages of paperbooks fast, you can glance over the pages. While turning pages of pdf-notes fast, you can still run over the contents. Speedy page turning and scanning the contents with pdf-notes or paperbooks. Differentiation-2. There are many pdf readers allow you to annotate; but do you know which app allows you can write any notes in a second? If you are using pdf-notes, you may experience very fast and intuitive finger-writing like: zoom-in and note by double-tap or; writing with one finger, page-turning with two fingers, pen-changing with three fingers. - Easy importing PDF files through (DropBox, Email or Safari's) "Open In..." or iTunes - Categorized multiple bookshelves(booklists) with powerful search - Displaying pages as optimized size 1024x768 of iPad - Portrait and landscape view - Pinch zoom and crop page-margins - Fast loading and Speedy page-turning - Finger-writing with a variety of pens, highlighters and text notes - Easy "zoom-in and note" on a magnified screen by a double tap - One-step page-turning using 2 fingers on editing mode - One-step pen-changing or undo/redo using 3 fingers on editing mode - Exporting annotated PDF files to Email - External display and screen brightness controls - AirPrint and multi-tasking Misunderstandings about pdf-notes: - Not only pdf-notes but every app recently updated is removed from the open-in menu because iOS5 or formers currently show only 10 apps in open-in menu. - iPad/iphone Mail/iBooks can't display PDF annotations so that please open it in the other pdf apps. - please visit the support site for more information http://bit.ly/f6D31P Blog http://pdf-notes.com Email musebook@musebook.com Twitter http://twitter.com/musebook4u YouTube http://youtu.be/4AyRyFq9yxg NOTE: All content contained herein is subject to change without notice.
Note!
This app offers a minimalist approach to note-taking, focusing on speed and simplicity. It allows for quick plain text entries, organized by modification date, with options for text resizing and passcode protection for privacy.
- Quick plain text notes
- Sorted by latest modified
- Pinch to zoom text size
- Set passcode to lock notes
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Nothing more, nothing less. Designed to be as minimal as possible for quick plain text notes. + Sorted by latest modified + Pinch to zoom/change text size + Set a passcode to lock your notes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Note! at 4.7 against pdf's 3.3. Note! also leads on ratings volume (1K vs 22) and device support (3 vs 1). pdf's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 13 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. pdf sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Note! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Note! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Note! has 1K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of pdf's written reviews are positive against 61% of Note!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
pdf ships an update every 3 weeks, Note! every 13 months. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Note! | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (22 ratings) | 4.7 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews — better | 61.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 13 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 141 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AMuseTec Co., Ltd. | RIEU Limited |
Customer experience
Note!
User reviews
What we love
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 💡 Great annotation tools
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 📚 Excellent for students and academics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💸 Expensive paid version
- 📤 Difficulty exporting annotated PDFs
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 🖍️ Inconsistent behavior of highlighting and erasing
Note!
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and straightforward
- 🚀 Efficient note-taking
- 💡 Useful for quick notes and ideas
- 👍 Clean and clutter-free interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent and intrusive ads
- 🔒 Lack of backup/export functionality
- 🔒 No option to remove ads
- 🐛 Distracting pop-ups
Bugs and requests
Reported bugs
4 issues- Annotated PDFs losing data during export
- Crashes after recent app updates
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Incorrect page numbering and navigation
Requested features
5 requests- Add text typing and editing capabilities
- Implement a table of contents feature
- Improve integration with cloud storage services
- Allow custom organization of PDF files
- Enhance the note-taking experience
Note!
Reported bugs
3 issues- Ads disrupt note-taking experience
- Inability to delete old notes
- Lack of printing functionality
Requested features
4 requests- Add iCloud sync and backup
- Implement a paid, ad-free version
- Allow for note organization and sorting
- Improve text formatting and editing capabilities
In-app purchases
- 2-Month Pass$0.99
- 1-Year Pass$4.99
- Lifetime License$9.99
Note!
- Remove Ads$3.99
