# Element Note vs Papyrus

The clearest difference is update cadence: Papyrus at every 4 days against Element Note's fortnightly. Element Note's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year and Papyrus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, Papyrus every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element Note | Papyrus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) | [waraku kobayashi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1892218372) |

## 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


### Papyrus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyrus-notes-pdf/id6779149036)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Papyrus Sync Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Papyrus Sync Yearly | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Is Papyrus free?

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

### Do Element Note or Papyrus have ads?

Neither Element Note nor Papyrus shows ads.

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

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, and Papyrus every 4 days. Most recently, Element Note was updated on October 5, 2026 and Papyrus on September 28, 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.*