Comparison

Nutstore vs MarginNote 5

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

Head to head
About

Nutstore

Securely store, sync, and access your files from any device. Organize and share documents, photos, and videos with features like offline access and version history. Offers professional-grade cloud storage with flexible subscription plans.

Highlights
  • Automatic file synchronization across devices
  • Offline access via favorite folders
  • File sharing with access control
  • Incremental backup and version history
  • WebDAV protocol support for third-party apps
  • Smart file viewer with reading position restore
Features
Read full description

Nutstore is a cloud storage service that lets you access your photos, videos, and documents anywhere and anytime. After you install Nutstore on your computer, any file you save to your Nutstore will automatically synchronize to all your Mac, PC and the Nutstore website. WebDAV protocol is well supported so that popular apps, like iWork, GoodReader, notability, Zotero, etc., can read and write files stored in Nutstore. Initiative feature, Favorite Folder, is designed for offline access. All files in the favorite folder will be updated from LAN desktop client, fast and automatically. Then You can access these favorite files anywhere even without network. Nutstore allows you sync any folder. Organize files as your wish and share with friends easily. Nutstore also has other great features: incremental backup, history version restoring, share access control and etc. With the Nutstore app, you can easily access your Nutstore from iPhone and iPad. Features: - Favorite folder for offline access - View Office, PDF, Photos and Multimedia files directly. - Smart file viewer: automatically save and restore file reading position. - Cache opened files for offline access. - Create and edit text file; automatically upload to the server after saving. - Upload/Backup photos, videos and documents to Nutstore. - Easily share files with friends. - Easily access all your files in Nutstore. We offer in-app purchases for "Nutstore Standard Pro" and "Nutstore Advanced Pro" which include unlimited upload and download data transfer, and additional features. The amount will be charged to your iTunes account and will vary by plan and country. You’ll see the total price before completing payment. "Nutstore Standard Pro" and "Nutstore Advanced Pro" are auto-renew subscriptions.The subscriptions are valid for one year. "Nutstore Standard Pro" is $40.99 yearly and "Nutstore Advanced Pro" is $86.99 yearly(pricing may vary in countries other than the U.S.) To avoid renewal, you must turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Privacy Policy:http://help.jianguoyun.com/?p=3961 Terms of Service: http://help.jianguoyun.com/?page_id=490

About

MarginNote 5

This app enhances reading and study with integrated note-taking and flashcard creation. It offers task-based templates for focused learning, AI assistance for content breakdown, and spaced repetition for effective review. Organize your research and master material efficiently.

Highlights
  • Task-based reading templates
  • AI-powered content breakdown and question extraction
  • Integrated flashcard creation and spaced repetition
  • Mind-map organization of notes
  • PDF and EPUB import
  • Handwriting and annotation tools
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

MarginNote is a PDF tool for in-depth reading and study. Keep PDF highlights linked to mind-map cards, then add those cards to review. MarginNote 5 introduces task-based templates for reading, question practice, and vocabulary. MarginNote has evolved since 2013. The upgrade from MarginNote 4 is free. Your study sets, notes, and purchases remain intact. MARGINNOTE 5: ONE TASK, ONE SETUP • Templates — a template sets the bottom tools, menus, pens, and excerpt colors. The "Standard" template has four modes: Excerpt, Handwrite, Organize, and Recall. Each mode groups tools for that task. • Template Gallery — install official templates in one tap. Some templates include examples to help you get started: – Card Practice: write answers by hand on question cards, check your answers, and focus your next review on questions you haven't mastered yet. AI can split a whole workbook into cards. – Reading Vocabulary: collect words while reading English; an offline dictionary provides base forms, pronunciation, and definitions, and finished cards join review when automatic review is enabled. • Make it yours — the corresponding controls are highlighted as you edit. Find features and settings with Feature Search, and export or share your templates. • Traditional Interface — open the template menu and choose "Traditional Interface" (except on iPhone Duo). SYNC YOU CAN SEE The home screen shows where sync stands. The Sync Center lists notes and original documents separately and tells you when a document is still downloading. Manual sync reports results and offers a protective snapshot. Applying cloud changes also protects local study data. THE CARD AT THE CENTER • Organize excerpts by chapter; for books without a table of contents, AI can build one. • Title Links — notes on concepts you've studied resurface as you read new documents. • Extend — open writing space anywhere on a PDF: inline, in the margin, or folded away. AI AS AN ASSISTANT, NOT A SUBSTITUTE AI Breakdown · Question Extraction · AI TOC · AI OCR card templates · translation · chat. Save any answer as a card, or turn its outline into mind-map branches. Online AI sends task text or images to the service provider used for the request. REVIEW: THINK FIRST, THEN LOOK Use Recall mode to hide and reveal answers in the mind map. Add cards to a review deck for FSRS spaced repetition. Write directly on card snapshots while you review. On iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26+, when Apple Intelligence is enabled and its model is available on a supported device and in a supported region, on-device recall hints work offline without MarginNote credits. THE FULL WORKFLOW PDF, EPUB, Office-to-PDF import (online), video and audio · Zotero, cloud drives and external folders · side-by-side documents · handwriting layers and mind-map backgrounds · mind-map PDF export (structure or card flow) · read aloud · fast OCR WHO IT IS FOR Anyone who rereads material and needs to remember it: medical and law students, exam takers, researchers, language learners, serious readers. ACROSS YOUR DEVICES iPhone, iPad and Mac with one Apple Account; iCloud syncs study sets, notes and review progress. Native Apple Pencil handwriting on iPad. Also adapted for iPhone Duo. ABOUT PURCHASES Free to download. Some features require Pro (one-time unlock) or Max (subscription or one-time unlock). MarginNote Agent requires Max and uses MarginNote credits. Some online AI uses MarginNote credits; external AI is billed by its provider. A Max subscription includes 500 credits/month while active. Questions: service@marginnote.com Terms of Use: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf Privacy Policy: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Privacy_Policy.pdf

Screenshots

Nutstore4 screens
MarginNote 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nutstore at 85% against MarginNote 5's 58%. Nutstore also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Nutstore sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $34.99 per year and MarginNote 5 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nutstore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 439 and 736 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Nutstore's written reviews are positive against 58% of MarginNote 5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nutstore ships an update monthly, MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Nutstore versus MarginNote 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNutstoreMarginNote 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (439 ratings) — better4.5 (736 ratings)
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews — better58.5% of reviews
Number of ratings439736 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB371 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYicun Network Technology Co. Ltd.Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd

Customer experience

Nutstore

All ratings431 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews152 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative13.8%

MarginNote 5

All ratings736 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews568 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral15.5%
Negative26.1%

User reviews

Nutstore

From 439 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and reliable sync across multiple platforms
  • 👍 Simple, clean, and intuitive user interface
  • 🔒 Secure and private cloud storage solution
  • 🌍 Works seamlessly in China without blocking
  • 💼 Excellent for cross-platform file sharing and collaboration

Room to improve

  • 📦 Limited free storage capacity (1GB)
  • ⚠️ Easy to accidentally change local/cloud sync settings
  • 🔘 Non-intuitive folder sync setup process
  • 👥 Limited number of people for folder sharing
  • 📹 Free version has insufficient bandwidth for video uploads

MarginNote 5

From 736 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 📚 Great for academic/research use
  • 👍 Useful note-taking and organization
  • 🖊️ Improved handwriting and annotation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🕰️ Slow and laggy sync between devices
  • 🤯 Steep learning curve, poor documentation
  • 💰 Expensive upgrade from previous version

Bugs and requests

Nutstore

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Cannot upload local photos on iPhone 5, 5s, 7 Plus
  • App crashes when selecting files to upload from other apps (v5.0.1)
  • Large PDF files (>20MB) fail to open with no download indicator
  • Sync status information displays incorrectly
  • Poor customer support response for technical issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Increase free storage capacity to 3GB monthly for uploads/downloads
  • Add Face ID authentication option for iOS
  • Improve Windows client startup speed
  • Add thumbnail preview for image files instead of generic icons
  • Increase free version bandwidth for video uploads
Show 3 more
  • Auto-sync bookmarks between browsers
  • Support multiple synchronized folders in macOS version
  • Expand bandwidth partnerships with ISPs

MarginNote 5

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing annotations when using extend function
  • Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
  • Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
  • More intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • Better support for external document libraries
  • Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Nutstore

Subscriptions2
  • Nutstore Pro for One Year$34.991 Year
  • Nutstore Advanced Pro for One Year$69.991 Year
12 purchases

MarginNote 5

Subscriptions5
  • Subscription to MAX (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Subscription to MAX (3 months)7 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Subscription to MAX (6 months)7 Days trial$7.996 Months
Show 2 more
  • Subscription to MAX (Annually)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
  • MarginNote Max Annual1 Month trial$16.991 Year
One-time7
  • 14 days Free Trial2 variantsFree
  • Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS)$4.99
  • Unlock PRO Forever (New)$12.99
Show 4 more
  • Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS)$19.99
  • Unlock MAX based on PRO$39.99
  • Unlock MAX based on PRO (New)$40.00
  • Unlock MAX Forever (New)$51.99

Questions

Is Nutstore free?
Nutstore is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MarginNote 5 free?
MarginNote 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nutstore or MarginNote 5?
Nutstore is rated higher. Nutstore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 439 ratings, while MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 from 736 ratings.
Do Nutstore or MarginNote 5 have ads?
Neither Nutstore nor MarginNote 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nutstore or MarginNote 5?
Nutstore ships an update monthly, and MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Nutstore was updated on November 1, 2026 and MarginNote 5 on October 30, 2026.

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