# Freeform vs Noteshelf 3

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Freeform at none against Noteshelf 3's 17. Freeform also leads on ratings volume (440K vs 6.7K) and review sentiment (73% vs 55%). Noteshelf 3's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noteshelf 3 sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Freeform asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Freeform against 4.6 for Noteshelf 3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freeform has 440K ratings behind it against 6.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Freeform's written reviews are positive against 55% of Noteshelf 3's.

Freeform ships an update every 3 months, Noteshelf 3 every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Freeform | Noteshelf 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (440K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freeform/id6443742539/reviews) | [4.6 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-3-ai-digital-notes/id6458735203/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **440K** | 6.7K |
| Positive reviews | **72.5% of reviews** | 55.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 462 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.2** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318004740) |

## What reviewers say

### Freeform

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freeform/id6443742539)

This app provides a flexible canvas for bringing ideas to life. It supports various file types, drawing tools, and shape libraries for creative projects. Real-time collaboration with multiple users is also a key feature.

**Highlights:** Flexible canvas for ideas, Supports photos, video, audio, documents, PDFs, web links, Drawing with finger or Apple Pencil, Library of over 700 shapes, Built-in document scanner, Real-time collaboration with up to 100 users, Integrated Messages and FaceTime

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for note-taking and organizing
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Excellent for creative projects
- 💡 Useful for brainstorming and mind mapping
- 🤝 Helpful for collaboration and sharing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🤔 Laggy performance, especially with complex boards
- 🤷‍♀️ Lack of organizational features like folders
- 📦 Issues with syncing and sharing boards

**Reported bugs**

- Boards randomly disappearing or not syncing properly
- Writing and drawing becoming unresponsive or laggy
- Overlapping and misaligned elements after editing
- Inability to rotate or resize objects accurately

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve Apple Pencil integration with pressure sensitivity
- Implement undo/redo shortcuts
- Allow for grouping and aligning of objects
- Add more shape and text formatting options


### Noteshelf 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-3-ai-digital-notes/id6458735203)

Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note creation, PDF annotation and markup, Audio recording with notes, AI-powered summarization and translation, Customizable notebooks and templates, Handwriting to text conversion, Document scanning and import

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium for Noteshelf 2 users | $9.99 | one-time |
| Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📚 Versatile note-taking features
- 🎨 Customizable templates and covers
- 🔍 Accurate handwriting recognition
- 💻 Seamless integration across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices
- 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🔧 Buggy or missing features from previous versions

**Reported bugs**

- Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
- Unexpected loss of data or notes
- Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create folders within notebooks
- Improve page organization and navigation
- Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
- Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
- Add support for custom stickers and templates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Freeform free?

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

### Is Noteshelf 3 free?

Noteshelf 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Freeform or Noteshelf 3?

Freeform and Noteshelf 3 are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 440K and 6.7K ratings respectively.

### Do Freeform or Noteshelf 3 have ads?

Neither Freeform nor Noteshelf 3 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Freeform or Noteshelf 3?

Freeform ships an update every 3 months, and Noteshelf 3 every 5 days. Most recently, Freeform was updated on September 30, 2026 and Noteshelf 3 on September 29, 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.*