BoardNotes vs UnivNote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BoardNotes
This app combines whiteboard, notebook, PDF management, mind mapping, and flashcard creation into a single, versatile handwriting note-taking tool. It offers a wide array of pen types, organizational features, and study aids to enhance productivity and learning.
- Handwriting note-taking
- Integrated whiteboard
- PDF import and editing
- Mind mapping functionality
- Spaced repetition flashcards
- Multiple pen and brush types
- Layer management
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Feature Introduction: BoardNotes is a versatile handwriting note-taking app that integrates five major functions—whiteboard, notebook, PDF, mind map, and flashcards—covering most note-taking scenarios. It serves as your All-In-One App. Handwriting Pen: 1. BoardNotes utilizes Apple's native pen technology and has developed additional pens tailored for Chinese writing, including a fountain pen, a laser pointer for presentations, and a tape pen for masking notes. 2. Choose from a variety of brushes (laser pen, tape pen, ballpoint pen, straight-line pen, wavy-line pen, custom fountain pen, quill pen, pencil, marker, watercolor pen, fill pen, single-line pen, crayon, freehand pen) to unleash your creativity. 3. Lasso tool (extremely powerful). 4. Eraser (pixel eraser and object eraser). Whiteboard: 1. The whiteboard is ideal for organizing fragmented knowledge, brainstorming, and boosting creativity. 2. Write and draw freely without worrying about boundaries. 3. Customize background colors and grid templates. 4. Add various card types (text, image, video, audio, webpage, file, handwriting). 5. Multiple auxiliary tools: background board, pins, link navigation (supports bidirectional links), connectors, timer (countdown supported), calculator. 6. Quickly locate notes using the search function. Notebook & PDF: 1. Create notebooks and PDFs with multiple paper templates and cover options. Import images from Photos or PDFs from the Files app as pages or covers. 2. Add text, images, stickers, videos, webpage snapshots, audio recordings, links (bidirectional links supported), timers, calculators, and floating PDF windows. 3. Layer functionality—show or hide layers as needed. 4. Insert new pages via blank sheets, images, scanned documents, or files. 5. Cut, copy, and paste pages into other notebooks or PDFs. 6. Duplicate, rotate, or delete pages. 7. Reorder pages via long-press and drag in thumbnail view. 8. Create outlines and add bookmarks. 9. Search (text, handwritten notes, etc.). 10. Import e-books (epub, mobi, azw, etc.). Mind Map: 1. Mind mapping is a key feature within the whiteboard. 2. Nodes support multiple formats (text, image, handwriting, video, audio, webpage snapshot, file). 3. Offers 3 structures and 18 color schemes. 4. Add summaries (brackets). 5. Handwritten mind maps (using handwritten cards). 6. Long-press and drag selected cards into the mind map. 7. Reorder nodes or adjust hierarchy via long-press and drag. Flashcard: 1. Flashcards use the SuperMemo algorithm to automatically schedule optimal review intervals, reminding you before forgetting to maximize memory efficiency. 2. Flashcards support text, images, and handwriting. 3. Quickly create cards from notes in whiteboards, notebooks, or PDFs using the rectangular lasso tool. Download BoardNotes for free on iPad, iPhone, and Mac. For suggestions, please contact us via the in-app feedback feature.
UnivNote
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UnivNote — Smooth PDF Note App UnivNote makes the fundamentals — writing, reading, and organizing on PDFs — fast and reliable, instead of leading with AI. Write on textbooks, slides, papers, and books with iPad and Apple Pencil — open your notes on iPhone and Mac. Recent updates added layers, shapes, memorization tests, exam countdowns, and study time tracking while improving speed, heat, and battery on stroke-heavy pages. ▶ What Makes UnivNote Different · A simple writing tool without AI clutter Responsive pen, fast lasso, easy copy and paste, and a stable PDF reader come first. · Layers — keep the original and your notes apart Keep handwriting, answers, and corrections on 5 layers per note. One tap hides or shows the answer layer everywhere; lock layers to protect originals, move lassoed ink between them. Unused, they tuck behind one button. · Study tools for memorization and review Cover answers with the masking highlighter, tap to reveal. Hide or show all masks, self-grade right/wrong tests, move down the mask list — flow never breaks. Each subject folder shows an exam countdown and logs study time. · Shapes you can re-edit anytime 30+ shapes — lines, arrows, polygons, cylinders, cones, spheres. Drag handles after inserting to tune an ellipse's flatness or a cylinder's shell thickness — great for math and science. · Fast writing with lower heat Input stays responsive as strokes pile up; eraser, paste, undo, and lasso stay smooth. Heat and battery keep improving under load — Split View, screen recording. · Built for lectures and class notes Laser pointer, reading mode, gesture shortcuts, recording, handwriting-synced playback. Recordings survive crashes and continue in the background. · Extend PDF margins on all four sides Add the mm you want per side for problem solving and notes. · Word-aware highlighting on PDF text Long-press and highlights snap to words; text stays black, never washed out. ▶ Main Features · Pen, highlighter, eraser, fountain pen — widths, colors, line styles · Layers — 5 per note, hide, lock, rename, move via lasso · Shape insertion — 30+ flat and 3D shapes, re-edit with handles · Masking highlighter — masks, right/wrong tests, mask list · Exam countdowns + auto study time per subject · Lasso selection — move, resize, rotate, copy, cut, duplicate, delete · Eraser capture delete — wipe all ink inside a closed area · Paste images — photos, screenshots, crop · Share sheet import — PDFs and photos from any app · Audio synced to handwriting — tap a stroke to jump there, up to 3x · Backlinks — all links pointing to this note · Text boxes with text style presets · Favorite pens + per-note tool memory · No-Pencil mode — finger writing, two-finger scroll · Page manager — add, delete, duplicate, rotate, multi-select · Sidebar table of contents — detects and edits PDF Outline · Unified search — PDF text, text boxes, note titles · Reading mode, laser pointer, gesture shortcuts · Design templates — study, planner, journal, creator · Folder library — nested folders, colors, favorites · iCloud sync — notes stay on device when off · WebDAV — import and full backup upload · 27 languages — 한국어/English/日本語/简体中文/繁體中文/Español/Deutsch/Français/Italiano/Português/Nederlands/Svenska/Dansk/Norsk/Suomi/Polski/Čeština/Magyar/Română/Ελληνικά/Русский/Українська/Türkçe/Tiếng Việt/ไทย/Bahasa Indonesia/Bahasa Melayu ▶ Pricing · Free for up to 20 notes · Unlimited Notes is a one-time lifetime purchase · No subscription · No ads · Family Sharing supported · Early Supporters automatically get Unlimited Notes ▶ Privacy · No note data is sent externally · Notes stay on your device or your own iCloud ▶ Recommended Setup · iPad + Apple Pencil recommended; iPhone and Mac supported · iPadOS 18 or later, optimized for 13" and 11" iPad Pro / iPad Air
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: UnivNote at none against BoardNotes's shown. UnivNote also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 10 days). BoardNotes's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. BoardNotes sells 23 one-off in-app purchases and UnivNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
BoardNotes ships an update every 10 days, UnivNote daily. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BoardNotes | UnivNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (115 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 115 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 342 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd. | Jeonghwan Ryu |
Bugs and requests
BoardNotes
Reported bugs
16 issues- Whiteboards erasing automatically
- No automatic backup leading to data loss
- Syncing issues between iPad and Mac
- Pencil tip not appearing on PDF annotations
- App crashes frequently
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- Recording data is lost
- Cannot create new notebooks
- Gear icon for settings missing in dark mode
- Issue with eraser and color selection logic
- Lasso tool missing cut button after cropping
- PDF embeds appear blurry
- Handwriting search not implemented
- Accidental touches/palm rejection issues
- Chinese font display issues in markdown
- App freezes when using search function
- Software flashes back (crashes)
Requested features
24 requests- Sync to Google Drive/other cloud services
- Faster 'add to cards' function
- View carded items in sidebar
- Color coding for pins
- Image opacity adjustment
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- Faster image copy from whiteboard
- Android app version
- WebDAV function
- Markdown editing/viewing function
- Handwriting recognition and search
- Improve palm rejection/anti-touch
- Add more brush types (with stroke variation)
- Search for handwritten text
- Dark Mode UI
- More calculator functions (square root, trig identities)
- In-app browser (ChatGPT, YouTube integration)
- Easier UI navigation of notebook pages
- Ability to change existing page formats
- More in-depth pen fine-tuning
- Optimize UI, move undo/redo to top right
- Adjust pressure sensitivity
- Customizable top toolbar icons
- Add college rule paper
- Translate function for papers
UnivNote
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BoardNotes
- 7 days membership$0.99
- 5 days membership$0.99
- Math Formula Recognition$1.99
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- 1 month membership$1.99
- Annual Membership$3.99
- Permanent Unlock All$3.99
- 6 months membership$3.99
- 6 months membership (discount)$3.99
- Permanent Unlock All$4.99
- Annual Membership$4.99
- 6 months membership2 variants$4.99
- Full version Unlock$5.99
- Annual Membership (discount)$5.99
- 6 months membership$6.99
- Permanent Unlock All$6.99
- Annual Membership2 variants$6.99
- Spring Festival Discount$6.99
- Annual Membership$7.99
- Permanent Unlock All$7.99
- Permanent Unlock All(discount)$7.99
- Permanent Unlock All$8.99
- Permanent Unlock All$9.99
- Permanent Unlock All$19.99
UnivNote
- Unlimited Notes$9.99









