# Handwritten note vs Paper

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Paper at 72% against Handwritten note's 0%. Paper also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ads (none vs shown). Handwritten note's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Paper sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Handwritten note asks for nothing beyond the download.

Paper holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paper has 1.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Handwritten note's written reviews are positive against 72% of Paper's.

Handwritten note ships an update every 4 months, Paper monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Handwritten note | Paper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwritten-note/id519434272/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **72.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kiyoshi Koike](https://appshunter.io/developer/513590141) | [Mihhail Lapushkin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143513743) |

## What reviewers say

### Handwritten note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwritten-note/id519434272)

This app allows users to quickly jot down notes by hand with a smooth writing experience. It offers basic drawing tools like adjustable line thickness and color selection, with options to save or clear your notes.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note-taking, Multi-finger writing, Adjustable line thickness, Four color options, Save notes as images, Erase written lines

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Paper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paper-writing-app-notes/id1476984841)

This app offers a clean and configurable writing environment for various creative projects. It supports Markdown and plain text, syncs with iCloud, and integrates with other tools. Users can publish drafts to popular blogging platforms and export documents in multiple formats.

**Highlights:** Gorgeous writing space, Silky-smooth typing, Deep personalization (Pro), Markdown or Plain Text support, iCloud sync, Publish to Medium, WordPress, Ghost, Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, ePub

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Features | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Features | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Features — Discounted | $99.99 | one-time |
| Pro Features | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💗 Fantastic app
- 🎀 Great tool for writers
- 👍 Clean writing app
- 🤩 Awesome app
- 👍 Cute animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 💰 Paywalled features
- 🐛 Lost files and documents
- 🐛 Cursor issues
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable

**Reported bugs**

- Files randomly disappearing
- Cursor issues causing freezes
- Syncing and iCloud integration problems

**Requested features**

- Add image support
- Improve file management and recovery
- Expand font and customization options
- Implement team/collaborative writing features
- Add text formatting options like italics and bold


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Handwritten note free?

Handwritten note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Paper free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Handwritten note or Paper?

Paper is rated higher. Handwritten note averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Paper averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Handwritten note or Paper have ads?

Handwritten note shows ads; Paper does not.

### Which is updated more often, Handwritten note or Paper?

Handwritten note ships an update every 4 months, and Paper monthly. Most recently, Handwritten note was updated on October 10, 2026 and Paper on October 18, 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.*