# Element Note vs OrigNotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OrigNotes at none against Element Note's 5. OrigNotes also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 68%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Element Note's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 313). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. OrigNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Element Note against 4.7 for OrigNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element Note has 2.6K ratings behind it against 313, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Element Note's written reviews are positive against 84% of OrigNotes's.

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, OrigNotes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element Note | OrigNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews) | **[4.7 (313 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 313 |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | **83.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 129 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) | [Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1676398498) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### OrigNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922)

Create, organize, and manage high-quality handwritten notes with ease. Supports handwriting, drawing, image insertion, and PDF annotation. Stay organized and productive for study, work, or daily ideas.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes and drawing, Image insertion and PDF annotation, Organize and search documents, Customizable note covers and paper styles, Palm rejection and writing settings, Variety of brushes and tools, Cloud sync support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Is OrigNotes free?

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

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

OrigNotes is rated higher. Element Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while OrigNotes averages 4.7 from 313 ratings.

### Do Element Note or OrigNotes have ads?

Neither Element Note nor OrigNotes shows ads.

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

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, and OrigNotes every 11 days. Most recently, Element Note was updated on September 30, 2026 and OrigNotes on September 26, 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.*