Pen and Paper vs Notator | Annotate Documents
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pen and Paper
Create handwritten notes and drawings, annotate PDFs, and add text and shapes. Zoom in for detailed editing, organize content with layers, and import custom fonts and page styles. Share your creations as PDFs or JPEGs.
- Handwritten notes and drawings
- PDF import and annotation
- Text and shape insertion
- Zoom and split view
- Layer management
- Custom font installation
- PDF export
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Pen and Paper is perfect for hand-written notes on your iPad or iPhone. You can even import and write on PDFs. INK Draw ink with your finger. Resize, recolor, and move your doodles. TEXT Add text and text boxes. Change alignment, fonts, color, and install additional fonts. Perfect for adding comments to PDF. SHAPES Add geometric primitives, arrows, curves, and polygons Use the built in diagram elements and arrows to create diagrams. Create clip art of portions that you wish to reuse. shapes can be colored using gradients and fill with patterns. Use "rough" outline to make it look more like a drawing. ZOOM AND SPLIT VIEW Zoom more than 10 times to edit and draw even tiny details. Use split view (iPad only) to see full page view or look at another page PHOTOS Include photos. You can crop and rotate photos. BOOKMARKS Add bookmarks to navigate in your documents PDF SUPPORT AND SLIDE NOTES Import and annotate PDFs from other apps or Files. Use any of the built-in "Slide Note" templates to annotate presentations. When you are done export as PDF again. Use the "clone" tool to copy a portion a PDF and marker to mark text in the PDF for easy search. SHARING To share your notes with the world, simply email them as PDF. You can also extract individual pages as JPEG images. LAYERS Use the layer list to organize order of shapes and ink on the page PAGE STYLES Pen and paper comes with a variety of page styles, but you can also create your own. Import a PDF of your favourite page style and store it as a "page style" in the app. ICLOUD SUPPORT Documents, clipart and page styles, can be stored in iCloud. FONTS Are the built-in fonts not interesting enough? Install extra Truetype fonts from sites like FontSquirrel and Blambot within the app. Features: • Layers • Pen tool with color and thickness • Marker tool for marking text in PDFs • Smooth pan and zoom • Split-view to see two parts of your documents at the same time • Bookmarks and search • Insert text, arrows, photos, rectangles, circles and polygons easily • Fill shapes with gradients and patterns • Area selection, for moving and resizing large areas of your note • Built-in icon library • PDF import and export (email or other accounts) • Install additional fonts (Truetype) • Various page styles and add your own. • Fullscreen mode • iCloud support SUBSCRIPTION Subscription removes watermark (on export) and enables lasso tool. All other features are part of free version. TERMS OF USE (EULA) Uses Apple's standard terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Notator | Annotate Documents
This app allows for detailed annotation of PDFs and images with various tools, including support for Apple Pencil. It offers flexible import options, high-quality rendering for large files, and intuitive page management. Upgrade to Pro for advanced export and editing capabilities.
- PDF and image annotation
- Apple Pencil support
- Flexible PDF import
- High-quality PDF support
- Zoom up to 1000%
- Intuitive page management
- Cloud storage integration
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Notator is the ultimate app for all your PDF and image annotation needs, along with seamless note-taking capabilities. It adapts effortlessly to any situation, whether you're studying, working, or simply organizing your personal life. Experience the versatility of Notator today! What does Notator have in store for you? 1. Easy Annotation on PDFs and Images Effortlessly elevate your PDFs and images using a range of editing tools like pens, text boxes, and shapes. Infuse your own style by adding annotations, whether it's making notes on drawings, creating study guides, or refining your materials to perfection. 2. Supports Apple Pencil Our platform is fully compatible with the Apple Pencil, guaranteeing a seamless and precise writing experience when working on your documents. Additionally, you have the flexibility to utilize your fingers as an alternative input method. 3. Flexible PDF Import Extract specific portions from images saved on your device, recently captured photos, or PDF materials, and seamlessly insert them into your document while editing. 4. High-Quality PDF Support No need to worry about image degradation when importing large PDFs, even ones as big as A0 size. Edit detailed drawings and extensive project materials with ease, so you can stay stress-free while working on your documents. 5. Clipping and Pasting of PDFs & Photos Extract specific portions from images saved on your device, recently captured photos, or PDF materials, and seamlessly insert them into your document while editing. 6. Zoom Function Enables zooming up to 1000%, ensuring a hassle-free experience for annotating and reviewing intricate details in drawings. 7. Intuitive Page Management Effortlessly manage pages in imported PDFs or created documents with an intuitive interface. Rearrange, duplicate, delete, or add pages with ease, putting you in complete control. 8. Cloud Storage Compatible Easily import PDFs and images from cloud storage services like iCloud, Dropbox, Box. You can also upload your own documents hassle-free. 9. Notator Pro By upgrading to Notator Pro, you unlock the following features: - Export your created documents as PDFs or JPGs to easily share them with other apps. - Edit documents created by colleagues, friends, or family on different devices (note: real-time co-editing is not available). Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we add more useful features. To register, simply head to the "Settings" menu and select "Notator Pro." And guess what? You can enjoy a free trial for the first week! ◆ Ideal for a wide range of situations including: - Annotating intricate drawings or documents with precision. - Extracting specific sections from multi-page PDFs and adding your notes. - Annotating PDFs and images stored in cloud storage effortlessly. - Cutting out sections from various PDFs and images and compiling them into a single document. ◆ Contact Us If you have any questions, problems, or requests about using the app, feel free to contact us via our contact form. https://cimtops-sglab.com/about#contact-us ◆ Terms of Service https://cimtops-sglab.com/terms ◆ Privacy Policy https://cimtops-sglab.com/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pen and Paper at 4.4 against Notator | Annotate Documents's 2.0. Pen and Paper also leads on ratings volume (42 vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Pen and Paper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Notator | Annotate Documents sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pen and Paper holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pen and Paper has 42 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pen and Paper ships an update every 5 weeks, Notator | Annotate Documents every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pen and Paper | Notator | Annotate Documents |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (42 ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 42 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vivid Apps | CIMTOPS SG LAB Pte. Ltd. |
Customer experience
Pen and Paper
Notator | Annotate Documents
In-app purchases
Pen and Paper
- Pen and Paper PRO monthly$0.991 Month
- Pen and Paper PRO$5.991 Year
- Pen and Paper PRO$7.99
Notator | Annotate Documents
- Notator Pro Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Notator Pro Yearly7 Days trial$8.991 Year
Questions
Is Pen and Paper free?
Is Notator | Annotate Documents free?
Which has better reviews, Pen and Paper or Notator | Annotate Documents?
Do Pen and Paper or Notator | Annotate Documents have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pen and Paper or Notator | Annotate Documents?
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