OrigNotes vs My Smart Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OrigNotes
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
OrigNotes is a powerful, free digital note-taking app built for iPad and iPhone. Whether you're taking handwritten notes, annotating PDFs, organizing ideas with mind maps, or capturing inspiration with images, audio, and video, OrigNotes gives you the tools to keep everything in one place. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, convert handwriting into editable text, search through your notes, and customize your workspace to fit the way you think and work. OrigNotes is free to use, and we're committed to keeping it that way. If you're enjoying OrigNotes, we'd greatly appreciate a 5-star review. Your support helps us continue improving the app and building new features for everyone. Have an idea or feature request? Leave us a review or contact us directly through the app. You can also check our Future Plans inside OrigNotes to see what we're working on and follow the progress of upcoming features. KEY FEATURES • Handwriting & Drawing Enjoy a natural writing experience with a variety of pens, brushes, and creative tools designed for Apple Pencil. • PDF Reading & Annotation Import PDFs to read, highlight, annotate, draw, and take notes directly on your documents. • Mind Maps Create mind maps to organize ideas, study topics, and brainstorm visually. Add topics and subtopics, drag and rearrange nodes, and customize your mind map to fit your ideas. • Handwriting to Text Turn handwritten notes into editable text for easier editing, organizing, and reuse. • Powerful Search Find information faster by searching handwritten notes and text inside PDFs. • Images, GIFs, Audio & Video Bring your notes to life with images, animated GIFs, audio, and video—all within your notebook. • Personalized Notebooks Customize covers, paper templates, and themes to create a workspace that feels like your own. • Custom Toolbar & Tool Box Arrange your favorite tools around the way you work and keep the ones you use most within easy reach. • Smooth Writing Experience Optimized handwriting, palm rejection, and Apple Pencil interactions help writing feel smooth, responsive, and natural. • Easy Organization Organize and sort your documents, bookmark important pages, and quickly get back to the content you need. • Data Protection & Backup Multiple backup options and improved data protection help keep your important notes safe. • Cloud Backup Back up your notebooks to cloud storage for easier long-term storage and management. MADE FOR THE WAY YOU TAKE NOTES From class notes and study materials to work documents, PDF annotation, brainstorming, and everyday ideas, OrigNotes gives you a flexible space to capture, organize, and develop your thoughts. Simple when you need it. Powerful when you need more. Write. Think. Create. Organize. All in OrigNotes.
My Smart Notebook
Read full descriptionHide full description
My Smart Notebook is a feature-rich all-in-one notebook & notepad that integrates notes-taking,to-do list, handwriting, sketching, drawing and painting. Whether you're a student, teacher, goodnotes, artist, designer, notability, engineer. My Smart Notebook one else, My Smart Notebook offers powerful tools designed to spark your imagination and creativity. Advanced Features: PDF Integration: Attach and view PDF documents within your notes. Voice Typing: Dictate your notes using voice recognition technology for hands-free note-taking. Drawing and Sketching: Create drawings and sketches directly within your notes. Document Scanner: Scan and digitize physical documents using your device’s camera. QR Code Scanner: Scan QR codes for quick data entry into notes. Language Translation: Translate notes into multiple languages for better accessibility. Contact Access: Integrate your device’s contacts for easy note sharing and management. Calling System: Initiate calls directly from within the app using your device’s contact list.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: OrigNotes at every 11 days against My Smart Notebook's every 2 months. OrigNotes also leads on device support. On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
OrigNotes ships an update every 11 days, My Smart Notebook every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OrigNotes | My Smart Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (362 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 362 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 253 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD. | Manoj Kargar |
In-app purchases
OrigNotes
No in-app purchases
My Smart Notebook
No in-app purchases









