Comparison

ZoomNotes vs Handwriting Book

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

Head to head
About

ZoomNotes

This comprehensive visual note-taking app offers extensive zoom capabilities for creating handwritten notes and sketches on various digital surfaces. It supports PDF annotation, digital planning with calendar integration, and advanced features like sub-pages and bookmarks for organized visual files.

Highlights
  • Extensive zoom range for notes and sketches
  • Write over PDF and Office documents
  • Digital planner creation and calendar integration
  • Sub-pages for hierarchical organization
  • Bookmarks with presentation playback
  • Handwriting recognition for search
  • Layers for content control
Features
Read full description

ZoomNotes is the most comprehensive visual note-taking app with huge zoom range. Make handwritten notes and sketches on virtual paper, huge WhiteBoards , PDF files, images and MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents (via GoogleDrive). Sync your documents between your iPad and iPhone with iCloud. ZoomNotes is compatible with any capacitive stylus pen and also with the top electronic pens on the market including the fabulous Apple Pencil. ZoomNotes Desktop for Mac now also available. Features include: MULTIPLE PEN TYPES There are 8 pen types to choose from including gel, nib, pencil and watercolour each with unlimited line thicknesses. HANDWRITING RECOGNITION Search handwritten notes. DIGITAL PLANNING Either import a planner pdf or use the ‘Custom digital planner’ option to create your own. You can configure a planner to show events and reminders from the Calendar and Reminder apps. SUB-PAGES This unique feature allows you to use ‘pages within pages’. This allows you to use sticky-notes and enables the creation of hierarchical visual files. You can also insert whole pdf files as sub-pages, or import pages from other ZoomNotes documents into a sub-page. BOOKMARKS Bookmarks allow you save views in your documents, and then return to them at a later date. There are animated playback facilities to allow you to present with or to create videos from your document. LINKS Add links between pages, and even between documents. This lets you create your own digital planners, enhance imported pdf planners or create indices. SPLIT_SCREEN Edit and view two documents side by side (or above and below). You can now also have 2 views of the same document. CALENDAR EVENTS Add events/reminders linked to your documents, possibly with alarms. The URL in the event links back to the document in ZoomNotes. HUGE ZOOM RANGE, WHITEBOARD MODE Zoom in and out without arbitrary limits including rotated views. LAYERS Layers let you control what is visible on a page, also options for 'master layers' which show on all pages. WRITE OVER PDF FILES Import and write over PDFs, Microsoft Office files Word, Excel and PowerPoint (via GoogleDrive). UNLIMITED PAPER SIZES AND STYLES Make your page as small or as large as you like. Choose any type of paper with our configurable paper types. FULLY EDITABLE In ZoomNotes, you can select, scale, rotate, shift and flip (mirror) objects. Cut, copy and paste are also available, including between documents, pages and other apps. SHAPES AND ARROWS Regular shapes and arrows (ideal for visual mapping); they can be drawn with the polygon tool or roughly drawn by hand and automatically converted into the exact geometric shape. SYMBOL LIBRARY Fully configurable library of reusable shapes and images. IMAGES AND IMAGE EDITING Insert images (photos) in your documents at any size and scale. Crop, mask, re-sample, edit transparency, scan-correct and deform images. Insert images and videos from camera or photo library. TYPED TEXT Enter typed text via keyboard; with a wide range of fonts and font sizes, font colours, fills and borders. Text can be entered at all zoom scales and can be selected and moved, scaled and rotated. RECORD AND PLAYBACK SOUNDS Including import and export of mp3 files. You can also insert a sound recording on the page to which it relates. Now linked to drawing. SHARE DOCUMENTS Share documents as PDF files, images, videos or ZoomNotes documents (via email, iTunes, clipboard, Dropbox, Twitter and Evernote, Airdrop, iCloud Drive and Open in. USE FOR PRESENTATIONS ZoomNotes is VGA compatible for use with projectors, monitors and AirPlay. MAGNIFICATION WINDOW Write into a zoomed in view whilst still viewing the zoomed out view. There are lots more details including videos or the app in action at www.zoom-notes.com. We respond to every email sent to support@zoom-notes.com

About

Handwriting Book

This app offers an infinite canvas for note-taking and creative work. It features natural writing, shape and text insertion, document scanning, and easy sharing options. Organize your notes with folders and tags, and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas
  • Natural writing experience
  • Insert text, shapes, and images
  • Built-in document scanner
  • Folder and tag organization
  • Multi-device synchronization
  • Export to PDF and image
Features
Read full description

Handwriting Book is an efficient app with infinite canvas. Natural and smooth writing, infinitely enlarged canvas, and supports the insertion of various geometric figures, texts, and pictures, whether it is recording class notes, meeting minutes, or any creative ideas, you can do it all easily. 【Fluent writing】 - Infinitely expand the enlarged canvas - Drag, zoom in and out at will, zoom to origin or zoom to fit canvas with one click - Real brushstrokes, natural and smooth writing - Can be set to use only Apple Pencil to avoid accidental touch - One-click switching between browsing and editing modes - Undo and redo 【Canvas settings】 - You can set canvas style, grid, horizontal line, vertical line, dot, etc. - You can set the color of the guide line or turn off the guide line - You can set canvas background 【Quick Insert】 - Insert text anywhere, support custom font size, font, font color, background color - Built-in document scanner, scan textbooks, contracts and other paper documents, automatically identify text content - Supports insertion of multiple geometric shapes, rectangle, circle, line, arrow, triangle, star, cylinder, cube, sine cosine, cone, coordinate system. At the same time, the inserted shapes can be customized with various parameters and saved as default properties. - Support for inserting photos in albums 【Note management】 - Unlimited note creation - Support for creating folders and classifying documents - Tag notes to find them faster - With a recently deleted folder, notes are no longer afraid of accidentally deleted - Directly choose to create notes on your local device or iCloud Drive - Copy, move, share notes with one click 【Easy Sharing】 - One-click sharing - One-click export (support image, PDF, drafts format) 【Multi-device synchronization】 - iCloud cloud storage, important data will never disappear - iPhone, iPad multi-device synchronization Subscription instructions: 1. Subscription service: We offer annual subscription 2. Subscription price: The subscription price depends on the selected subscription package, and the actual price shall prevail 3. Automatic renewal: Subscription will automatically renew unless you turn off automatic renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period Privacy Policy: https://icreamapp.home.blog/2022/10/08/privacy-policy-15/ Terms of Use: https://icreamapp.home.blog/2022/10/08/term-of-use/ If you have any questions or suggestions about our app, please e-mail lilliancream@163.com.We are looking forward to your feedbacks.

Screenshots

ZoomNotes4 screens
Handwriting Book4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ZoomNotes at 84% against Handwriting Book's 0%. ZoomNotes also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Handwriting Book's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Handwriting Book is free to download; ZoomNotes costs $7.99 up front. Handwriting Book sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.49 per year. ZoomNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ZoomNotes holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZoomNotes has 907 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of ZoomNotes's written reviews are positive against 0% of Handwriting Book's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ZoomNotes versus Handwriting Book: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZoomNotesHandwriting Book
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (907 ratings) — better3.6 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews84.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings907 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeliverance Software Ltd婧 李

Customer experience

ZoomNotes

All ratings907 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral5.9%
Negative9.9%

Handwriting Book

All ratings7 ratings
Positive42.9%
Neutral42.9%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

Bugs and requests

ZoomNotes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Randomly deleted text and input
  • Syncing issues with cloud storage
  • Unstable performance after updates
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • Improved page management
  • Smoother page transitions
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Better integration with cloud services
Show 1 more
  • Streamlined UI design

Handwriting Book

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ZoomNotes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Handwriting Book

Subscriptions1
  • Annual subscription$4.491 Year

Questions

Is ZoomNotes free?
ZoomNotes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Handwriting Book free?
Handwriting Book is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ZoomNotes or Handwriting Book?
ZoomNotes is rated higher. ZoomNotes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 907 ratings, while Handwriting Book averages 3.6 from 7 ratings.
Do ZoomNotes or Handwriting Book have ads?
Neither ZoomNotes nor Handwriting Book shows ads.

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