# Paper vs Element Note

Paper and Element Note both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Element Note's written reviews are positive against 44% of Paper's. Element Note also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Paper's advantage is ratings volume (73K vs 2.6K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Paper sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Paper against 4.6 for Element Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paper has 73K ratings behind it against 2.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Paper's written reviews are positive against 70% of Element Note's.

Paper ships an update every 2 months, Element Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paper | Element Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (73K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-sketch-draw-and-create/id506003812/reviews) | **[4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **73K** | 2.6K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **69.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 168 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evernote Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/281796111) | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) |

## What reviewers say

### Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-sketch-draw-and-create/id506003812)

This app offers an immersive sketching experience with intuitive tools and gesture-based controls. Easily create collages, paintings, and drawings without distracting menus. Organize your creations into journals and sync them across devices.

**Highlights:** Intuitive sketching tools, Gesture-based controls, Photo collage creation, Layer-free editing, Journal organization, Cross-device syncing

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paper Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Paper Pro | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Paper Pro | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Paper Pro | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Paper Pro | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Paper Pro | $11.99 | per year |
| Paper Pro | $69.99 | per year |
| Paper Pro | $69.99 | per year |
| Paper Pro | $99.99 | per year |
| Paper Pro | $99.99 | per year |
| Paper Credit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Paper Credit Bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| Paper Credit Bundle | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic drawing experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
- 💡 Unique journal-like format
- 🎨 Great for sketching and doodling
- 📚 Useful for note-taking and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription model for basic features
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
- 📥 Limited image import/export options
- 🎨 Lack of advanced drawing tools
- 🔀 Frustrating navigation changes

**Reported bugs**

- Pages disappearing or getting corrupted
- Unreliable cloud sync and data loss
- Erratic scrolling and navigation issues
- Inconsistent behavior of drawing tools
- Compatibility problems with Apple Pencil

**Requested features**

- Add text editing and formatting options
- Improve palm rejection and precision
- Implement layers and advanced compositing
- Allow more customization of journal pages
- Bring back popular features from older versions


### Element Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673)

This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Unique handwriting brushes, Smooth drawing engine, PDF annotation, Text, shape, and image attachments, On-device OCR search, Smart dark mode, iCloud sync and collaboration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Element Note Yearly | $3.49 | per year |
| Element Note Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Launch Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors

**Requested features**

- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paper free?

Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Element Note free?

Element Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Paper or Element Note?

Element Note is rated higher. Paper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 73K ratings, while Element Note averages 4.6 from 2.6K ratings.

### Do Paper or Element Note have ads?

Neither Paper nor Element Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Paper or Element Note?

Paper ships an update every 2 months, and Element Note fortnightly. Most recently, Paper was updated on November 3, 2026 and Element Note on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*