# OrigNotes vs UltraNotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OrigNotes at none against UltraNotes's 1. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. UltraNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OrigNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for OrigNotes against 4.6 for UltraNotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 382 and 190 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of OrigNotes's written reviews are positive against 82% of UltraNotes's.

OrigNotes ships an update every 2 weeks, UltraNotes every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | OrigNotes | UltraNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (382 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orignotes/id6446162922/reviews)** | [4.6 (190 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-handwritten-notes/id6468902627/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **382** | 190 |
| Positive reviews | **84.7% of reviews** | 81.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 97 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1676398498) | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) |

## What reviewers say

### OrigNotes

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

Capture, organize, and develop your thoughts with a free digital note-taking app. It offers handwritten notes, PDF annotation, mind mapping, and multimedia integration, all optimized for a natural writing experience.

**Highlights:** Handwriting & Drawing with Apple Pencil, PDF Reading & Annotation, Mind Map creation, Handwriting to Text conversion, Powerful Search, Multimedia integration (images, audio, video), Customizable workspace

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### UltraNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-handwritten-notes/id6468902627)

This app combines powerful note-taking, handwriting, and PDF annotation features. Create rich text notes, sketch with various tools, and mark up documents. Organize, search, and sync your notes across devices.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, Rich text formatting and templates, PDF annotation and signing, Cross-device synchronization via iCloud, Searchable handwriting and text, Side-by-side multitasking on iPad/Mac, Audio recording with notes

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UltraNotes Pro Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✍️ Excellent handwriting and pen experience
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 🎨 Variety of pen styles and drawing tools
- 💰 One-time purchase with no subscription
- 🔒 Strong privacy policy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Writing/drawing input not registering properly
- 🐛 Frequent page scrolling when attempting to write
- 🔄 Slow or unreliable iCloud sync
- 📤 Export functionality issues
- 🔍 Search feature crashes the app

**Reported bugs**

- Writing and drawing input not working
- Page scrolling interferes with writing
- iCloud sync not functioning
- Export to other apps failing
- Hand gestures changing page zoom during writing

**Requested features**

- Ability to lock zoom while writing with Apple Pencil
- Resize shapes after cutting/moving them
- Export notes to PDF and other apps
- Dark/light theme toggle for pages
- Nested list item support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is OrigNotes free?

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

### Is UltraNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, OrigNotes or UltraNotes?

OrigNotes is rated higher. OrigNotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 382 ratings, while UltraNotes averages 4.6 from 190 ratings.

### Do OrigNotes or UltraNotes have ads?

Neither OrigNotes nor UltraNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, OrigNotes or UltraNotes?

OrigNotes ships an update every 2 weeks, and UltraNotes every 3 weeks. Most recently, OrigNotes was updated on November 7, 2026 and UltraNotes on November 7, 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.*