OrigNotes vs Propellist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
OrigNotes
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.
- Handwriting & Drawing with Apple Pencil
- PDF Reading & Annotation
- Mind Map creation
- Handwriting to Text conversion
- Powerful Search
- Multimedia integration (images, audio, video)
- Customizable workspace
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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.
Propellist
This app helps you organize tasks and goals to build momentum and achieve progress. It offers a simple yet powerful interface for daily planning and managing checklists, allowing you to offload your mind and focus on what matters.
- Task sequencing
- Multiple lists
- Color categorization
- Delegate tasks
- Cyclical list resetting
- Grocery list management
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Propellist: Structure your life. Simplify your focus. When everything is piled into one place, clarity disappears. Propellist is a smarter way to organize your life—completely free, with no subscriptions or hidden fees. It’s built on a simple idea: your Work self and your Personal self shouldn’t have to fight for the same screen space. We help you break down the "list of lists" into the dedicated areas where they belong—like Personal, Work, Health, and Finance—so you can focus with less stress and zero decision fatigue. Stop wondering what to do next: *Contextual Clarity: When you're at work, see work. When you're home, see home. *Built for Real Life: Manage shifting priorities and the mental load of everyday responsibilities without the clutter. *Pure Focus: No paywalls, no ""Pro"" tiers—just the tools you need to decide what deserves your attention now. Experience the clarity of a structured life. Download Propellist for free today. With Propellist, you can: *Separate different areas of life into clear categories *Stay organized without feeling overwhelmed *Focus on what matters right now *Keep important responsibilities from getting lost *Create a system that feels natural and easy to use Perfect for managing: *Personal life *Work tasks *Financial responsibilities *Health goals and routines *Shopping lists *Meal planning and ideas *Custom categories for your own lifestyle Features include: *Category-based task organization *Reminders *Due dates *Recurring reminders *Items staying offline being more private, safe, secure. *Customizable lists *Clean, focused design Propellist helps bring structure to the chaos, so your day feels more manageable and your priorities feel easier to act on. Structure your life. Simplify your focus. Download it now for free.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: OrigNotes at 382 against Propellist's 4. OrigNotes also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Propellist's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Propellist holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OrigNotes has 382 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of OrigNotes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Propellist's.
OrigNotes ships an update every 2 weeks, Propellist every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | OrigNotes | Propellist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (382 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 84.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 382 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 97 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD. | Lux La Voie, L.L.C. |
Customer experience
OrigNotes
Propellist
In-app purchases
OrigNotes
No in-app purchases
Propellist
No in-app purchases









