# Microsoft Word vs Freenotes®

Microsoft Word and Freenotes® both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of Freenotes®'s written reviews are positive against 37% of Microsoft Word's. Freenotes® also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). Microsoft Word's advantage is ratings volume (3M vs 61K) and chart position (#15 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft Word sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Freenotes® sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Microsoft Word against 4.7 for Freenotes®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Word has 3M ratings behind it against 61K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 37% of Microsoft Word's written reviews are positive against 60% of Freenotes®'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Word | Freenotes® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913/reviews)** | [4.7 (61K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3M** | 61K |
| Positive reviews | 36.9% of reviews | **59.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#15** | — |
| Size | 527 MB | 704 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Free Notes AI Note Taker LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775767870) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Word

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913)

**Currently charting:** #15 Top Free · Productivity, #15 Top Grossing · Productivity, #108 Top Free, #196 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Create, edit, and share documents on your mobile device. This powerful word processor offers templates, formatting tools, and collaborative features to help you write impactful text documents, resumes, and more. Your office moves with you, allowing for seamless editing and sharing from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Create and edit documents, Modern templates, Rich formatting and layout options, Reading view, Collaborate with comments, Version history, Simplified sharing

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 365 Personal | $5.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $6.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Home | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal Student | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Microsoft Copilot Pro | $20.00 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $69.99 | per year |
| Office 365 Home | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless sync between devices
- 📝 Great for writing and editing
- 🔒 Secure document storage
- 💡 Helpful for school and work

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss
- ⏱️ Laggy and slow performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription required
- 🤔 Limited functionality compared to desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent saving and syncing between devices
- Cursor positioning issues when editing text
- Formatting problems when importing documents
- Unreliable text selection and highlighting

**Requested features**

- Improved mouse/trackpad support
- Built-in citation and bibliography tools
- More customization options for formatting
- Ability to edit documents offline


### Freenotes®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freenotes-ai-notes-taking/id6464237904)

This AI-powered digital notepad transforms your device into an intelligent workspace. It offers handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and AI assistance for summarizing documents, answering questions, and aiding in study. Organize notes, sketch ideas, and sync across devices for a seamless paperless experience.

**Highlights:** AI Summaries and Chat with PDFs, AI Homework and Study Helper, Handwritten Note Organization, OCR Search and PDF Annotation, Infinite Canvas and Shape Recognition, Active Recall Tape and Flashcards, Picture-in-Picture Video Note-Taking

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Freenotes Weekly Plus Member | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Weekly Pro Member | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Freenotes AI Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Plus Member | $9.99 | per year |
| Monthly Pro Member Promotion | $19.99 | per month |
| Freenotes Monthly Pro Member | $19.99 | per month |
| Premium Freenotes AI Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Pro Member Discount | $39.99 | per year |
| Freenotes Yearly Pro Member | $39.99 | per year |
| Marketplace Content | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $2.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $3.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $9.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $10.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Remove Ads | $29.99 | one-time |
| Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Completely free app with no ads or in-app purchases
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 📚 Comprehensive note-taking features (layers, templates, stickers, etc.)
- 🎨 Highly customizable (colors, fonts, covers, etc.)
- 🗂️ Excellent organization tools (folders, notebooks, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with syncing and iCloud backup
- 🖌️ Limited customization options for pen/pencil settings
- 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition and search
- 🔗 No support for external links or clickable content
- 🔀 Difficulty in rearranging or splitting notebooks

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional freezing or lagging when writing/drawing
- Issues with the shape recognition tool not working as expected
- Problems with the eraser tool not functioning properly

**Requested features**

- Add handwriting recognition and search functionality
- Improve iCloud sync and backup capabilities
- Expand pen/pencil customization options
- Implement support for external links and clickable content
- Introduce features for easier notebook organization and splitting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft Word free?

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

### Is Freenotes® free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft Word or Freenotes®?

Microsoft Word is rated higher. Microsoft Word averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3M ratings, while Freenotes® averages 4.7 from 61K ratings.

### Do Microsoft Word or Freenotes® have ads?

Neither Microsoft Word nor Freenotes® shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft Word or Freenotes®?

Microsoft Word ships an update weekly, and Freenotes® weekly. Most recently, Microsoft Word was updated on September 25, 2026 and Freenotes® on September 25, 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.*