# Whisper Notes vs UltraNotes

The clearest difference is price: UltraNotes at Free against Whisper Notes's $7.99. UltraNotes also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Whisper Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#7 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

UltraNotes is free to download; Whisper Notes costs $7.99 up front. UltraNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whisper Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Whisper Notes against 4.6 for UltraNotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 687 and 187 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Whisper Notes's written reviews are positive against 81% of UltraNotes's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Whisper Notes | UltraNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (687 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whisper-notes-speech-to-text/id6447090616/reviews)** | [4.6 (187 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6468902627/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **687** | 187 |
| Positive reviews | 66.2% of reviews | **81.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#7** | — |
| Size | 656 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SmashMelon LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895995887) | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) |

## What reviewers say

### Whisper Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whisper-notes-speech-to-text/id6447090616)

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Paid · Productivity, #66 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app provides accurate, on-device transcription of audio and video files in over 100 languages. It offers a secure, offline experience with no subscriptions or cloud uploads. Easily record or import files and export transcripts with timestamps.

**Highlights:** 100% offline transcription, Record voice or import audio/video, Supports 100+ languages, Export transcripts with timestamps, Lock screen widget for quick capture, Secure, on-device data storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and accurate transcription
- 🔒 Offline, private processing
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🚀 Impressive speech recognition accuracy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes or freezes with longer recordings
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on older devices
- 🐛 Transcription errors or missing punctuation
- 🐛 Inability to edit transcribed text
- 🐛 Lack of batch export/import functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings disappearing after transcription
- Transcription process getting stuck at 1%
- Crashes on certain iOS/iPadOS versions
- Inability to import audio files consistently

**Requested features**

- Add support for speaker diarization
- Implement real-time transcription mode
- Allow customization of hotkey/shortcut
- Improve integration with Apple Shortcuts
- Provide option to choose transcription model size


### UltraNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UltraNotes Pro Lifetime | $4.99 | 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 Whisper Notes free?

Whisper Notes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UltraNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Whisper Notes or UltraNotes?

Whisper Notes is rated higher. Whisper Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 687 ratings, while UltraNotes averages 4.6 from 187 ratings.

### Do Whisper Notes or UltraNotes have ads?

Neither Whisper Notes nor UltraNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Whisper Notes or UltraNotes?

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