Comparison

WizNote HD 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

WizNote HD

This cloud-based application allows individuals and teams to efficiently manage notes and knowledge across devices. It supports rich media, flexible organization, and real-time collaboration, with instant synchronization and offline access for important information.

Highlights
  • Rich note content (text, images, audio, documents)
  • Collect notes from web, WeChat, email
  • Multi-level folder organization
  • Instant cloud synchronization
  • Offline note access
  • Team sharing and simultaneous editing
  • Notifications for team note updates
Features
Read full description

WizNote is a cloud based free app that helps you and your team manage notes and knowledge efficiently across all devices. WizNote not only can help you to remember your personal life, but also can help your team collaborate and communicate effectively. All notes are searchable and viewed anytime. [Key features] Rich way to record and collect information - A note can contain text, pictures, documents, checklist, audio record - You can collect notes from website, wechat and email Efficient Organization - Orgonize notes with flexible muilti-level folder Convenient, fast synchronization - All your notes are syncronized instantly. - Offline notes are supported, you can specify which folder to be availalble offline. Sharing and Collaboration - Share notes within team members - Collaberate simontiniously to edit notes - Flexible notification will remind your team member when a team note is updated - You can push notifications to specific team members in a sociable way

About

MarginNote 5

This app enhances reading and studying 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 with a comprehensive study workflow.

Highlights
  • Task-based reading templates
  • AI-powered content breakdown
  • Integrated flashcard creation
  • Spaced repetition review
  • Mind map organization
  • PDF and EPUB import
  • 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

MarginNote 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: MarginNote 5 at 4.5 against WizNote HD's 4.1. MarginNote 5 also leads on ratings volume (739 vs 13) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). WizNote HD's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 58%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. WizNote HD sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and MarginNote 5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MarginNote 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 5 has 739 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of WizNote HD's written reviews are positive against 58% of MarginNote 5's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WizNote HD ships an update every 2 months, MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
WizNote HD versus MarginNote 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWizNote HDMarginNote 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (13 ratings)4.5 (739 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews — better58.5% of reviews
Number of ratings13739 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB372 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBeijing Wozhi Technology Co. LtdBeijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd

Customer experience

WizNote HD

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative18.5%

MarginNote 5

All ratings739 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews568 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral15.5%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

WizNote HD

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

7 purchases

WizNote HD

One-time7
  • WizNote for iPad Pro Monthly$0.99
  • Encrypt Note$0.99
  • Notes Template$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Night Mode$0.99
  • Reminders$0.99
  • Share notes with link$7.99
  • WizNote for iPad Pro Yearly$8.99
9 purchases

MarginNote 5

Subscriptions3
  • Subscription to MAX (3 months)7 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Subscription to MAX (Annually)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
  • MarginNote Max Annual1 Month trial$16.991 Year
One-time6
  • 14 days Free Trial2 variantsFree
  • Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS)$4.99
  • Unlock PRO Forever (New)$12.99
Show 3 more
  • Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS)$19.99
  • Unlock MAX based on PRO (New)$40.00
  • Unlock MAX Forever (New)$51.99

Questions

Is WizNote HD free?
WizNote HD 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, WizNote HD or MarginNote 5?
MarginNote 5 is rated higher. WizNote HD averages 4.1 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 from 739 ratings.
Do WizNote HD or MarginNote 5 have ads?
Neither WizNote HD nor MarginNote 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WizNote HD or MarginNote 5?
WizNote HD ships an update every 2 months, and MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. Most recently, WizNote HD was updated on November 1, 2026 and MarginNote 5 on November 3, 2026.

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