# Element Note vs IKUSA

The clearest difference is update cadence: IKUSA at every 2 days against Element Note's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Element Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year and IKUSA sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, IKUSA every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element Note | IKUSA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) | [NORIAKI ASO](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895910814) |

## 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 (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Element Note Yearly | $3.49 | per year |
| Element Note Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| 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


### IKUSA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikusa/id6784800478)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| プレミアム | $19.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Is IKUSA free?

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

### Do Element Note or IKUSA have ads?

Neither Element Note nor IKUSA shows ads.

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

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, and IKUSA every 2 days. Most recently, Element Note was updated on November 12, 2026 and IKUSA on November 10, 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.*