Comparison

Noteshelf vs Freenotes®

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Noteshelf

Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Handwritten note creation
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Audio recording with notes
  • AI-powered summarization and translation
  • Customizable notebooks and templates
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • Document scanning and import
Features
Read full description

Write. Plan. Study. Work. Create. Noteshelf 3 brings natural handwriting, powerful AI, PDF annotation, audio recording and planning together in one beautiful app for iPad, iPhone and Mac. Free to start. FOR STUDENTS • Take lecture and class notes with lifelike pens, pencils and highlighters • Annotate textbooks, worksheets, slides and PDFs • Record audio while you write, so you never miss a word • Use Noteshelf AI to summarize and explain what you've learned FOR PROFESSIONALS • Capture meeting notes and record important discussions • Mark up contracts, reports and presentations • Present your notes on an external display with a laser pointer • Export and share notes as PDFs or images in one tap FOR PLANNERS & JOURNALERS • 200+ templates for digital planners, journals, diaries and trackers • Plan your days, track goals and keep a personal journal • Decorate pages with stickers, photos and custom covers WRITE NATURALLY • A smooth, natural handwriting experience built for Apple Pencil • Write, type, draw and sketch on the same page • Turn handwriting into text and search your notes in 65 languages • Choose lined, dotted or grid paper in any color WORK WITH PDFs & DOCUMENTS • Import and annotate PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint files and images • Highlight, mark up, write and draw directly on your documents • Scan paper documents with the built-in scanner NOTESHELF AI • Summarize handwritten pages in seconds • Explain difficult terms and concepts • Translate text into other languages • Generate notes on any topic RECORD & REMEMBER • Record lectures, meetings and ideas alongside your handwritten notes STAY ORGANIZED & SECURE • Folders, subfolders, tags, bookmarks and a table of contents • Link notebooks together to connect ideas • Lock notes with a password, Face ID or Touch ID • Sync across iPad, iPhone and Mac with iCloud • Automatic backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV YOUR NOTES, YOUR WAY • Custom notebook covers and a toolbar you can rearrange • Presentation mode, dark mode and flexible page layouts FREE TO START Create up to 3 notebooks with core pens and paper for free. Upgrade to Noteshelf Premium for unlimited notebooks, all templates, handwriting recognition, auto-backup and 100 monthly AI credits. Write beautifully. Work smarter. Stay organized. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

About

Freenotes®

This AI-powered digital notepad transforms your device into an intelligent workspace. It offers handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and AI assistance for summarizing documents, answering questions, and aiding in study. Organize notes, sketch ideas, and sync across devices for a seamless paperless experience.

Highlights
  • AI Summaries and Chat with PDFs
  • AI Homework and Study Helper
  • Handwritten Note Organization
  • OCR Search and PDF Annotation
  • Infinite Canvas and Shape Recognition
  • Active Recall Tape and Flashcards
  • Picture-in-Picture Video Note-Taking
Features
Read full description

Freenotes: Freedom to write, organize, and shine Transform your iPad into a powerful AI-driven digital notepad. Freenotes is an all-in-one workspace designed for students and professionals who want the natural feel of handwriting with the power of artificial intelligence. Whether you are annotating a complex PDF, planning your week, or recording a lecture, Freenotes helps you stay organized with seamless, free-form experience. AI Summary Quickly find key points and action items from long recordings or documents. AI Chat with PDF Ask questions directly to your imported files to get instant answers. AI Homework Helper Take a screenshot or upload a document (PDF or photo) to instantly get answers. AI Study Companion Clarify concepts, define terms, and check your handwritten notes for accuracy, turning passive review into active recall. Organize Notes Categorize and organize your notes by projects, courses, or topics, automating the organization of your note library. Quick Search via OCR Search through your handwritten scripts easily using accurate text recognition. PDF Annotation Highlight, underline, and add comments to documents with custom pen styles. Infinite Canvas Sketch ideas or mind map on a whiteboard that expands as you work. Apple Pencil Pro Support Experience low-latency writing that feels like real paper. Shape Recognition Turn rough drawings into clean, perfect geometric shapes for diagrams. Hyperlink Support Navigate through digital planners using clickable internal and external links. Active Recall Tape Hide specific parts of your notes to test your memory and study better. Paper Templates Access various backgrounds including grid, Cornell, and dotted paper. Flashcards Build study sets directly from your pages to help with exam prep. Seamless Video Learning Use Picture-in-Picture (PiP) to take notes while watching online videos (YouTube, lecture recordings), and instantly capture relevant screenshots directly into your notes. iCloud & Google Drive Sync Securely back up your digital notebook to access your data anywhere. Who is Freenotes For? Students: Create study guides, annotate lecture slides, and use the "Active Recall" tape tool for exam prep. Professionals: Record meetings, organize projects into folders, and sign PDF documents on the go. Creatives: Sketch ideas on an infinite whiteboard and export high-quality files to share with your team. Join over 1 million happy users transitioning to a smarter, paperless future. Try Freenotes today and experience the next era of AI note-taking. Privacy Policy: https://www.freenotetech.com/policy/ Terms of Service: https://www.freenotetech.com/terms/

Screenshots

Noteshelf4 screens
Freenotes®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Freenotes® at 64K against Noteshelf's 7.2K. Freenotes® also leads on iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Noteshelf sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Freenotes® sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Noteshelf against 4.7 for Freenotes®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Freenotes® has 64K ratings behind it against 7.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Noteshelf's written reviews are positive against 59% of Freenotes®'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Noteshelf ships an update every 5 days, Freenotes® weekly. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Noteshelf versus Freenotes®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteshelfFreenotes®
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.2K ratings)4.7 (64K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews59.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.2K64K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size558 MB660 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFluid Touch Pte. Ltd.Free Notes AI Note Taker LTD

Customer experience

Noteshelf

All ratings7,160 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.2%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews1,058 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral10.4%
Negative32.3%

Freenotes®

All ratings63,781 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews2,469 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral5.8%
Negative34.9%

User reviews

Noteshelf

From 7.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
  • 📚 Versatile note-taking features
  • 🎨 Customizable templates and covers
  • 🔍 Accurate handwriting recognition
  • 💻 Seamless integration across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔄 Sync issues between devices
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
  • 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
  • 🔧 Buggy or missing features from previous versions

Freenotes®

From 64K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Completely free app with no ads or in-app purchases
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 📚 Comprehensive note-taking features (layers, templates, stickers, etc.)
  • 🎨 Highly customizable (colors, fonts, covers, etc.)
  • 🗂️ Excellent organization tools (folders, notebooks, etc.)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with syncing and iCloud backup
  • 🖌️ Limited customization options for pen/pencil settings
  • 🔍 Lack of handwriting recognition and search
  • 🔗 No support for external links or clickable content
  • 🔀 Difficulty in rearranging or splitting notebooks

Bugs and requests

Noteshelf

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
  • Handwriting recognition not working as expected
  • Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
  • Unexpected loss of data or notes
  • Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to create folders within notebooks
  • Improve page organization and navigation
  • Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
  • Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
  • Add support for custom stickers and templates
Show 1 more
  • Optimize performance and reduce loading times

Freenotes®

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional freezing or lagging when writing/drawing
  • Issues with the shape recognition tool not working as expected
  • Problems with the eraser tool not functioning properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting recognition and search functionality
  • Improve iCloud sync and backup capabilities
  • Expand pen/pencil customization options
  • Implement support for external links and clickable content
  • Introduce features for easier notebook organization and splitting

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Noteshelf

Subscriptions15
  • Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
  • Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$7.997 Days
Show 12 more
  • Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
  • Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$19.991 Month
  • Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$39.991 Year
  • Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Noteshelf Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium1 Month trial$69.991 Year
  • Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$79.991 Year
  • Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium for Noteshelf 2 users$9.99
  • Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime$14.99
17 purchases

Freenotes®

Subscriptions10
  • Freenotes Weekly Plus Member$1.997 Days
  • Freenotes Weekly Pro Member$6.997 Days
  • Premium Freenotes AI Weekly7 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 7 more
  • Freenotes Yearly Plus Member$9.991 Year
  • Freenotes Yearly Plus Member1 Year trial2 variants$9.991 Year
  • Monthly Pro Member Promotion1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Freenotes Monthly Pro Member$19.991 Month
  • Premium Freenotes AI Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Freenotes Yearly Pro Member1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Freenotes Yearly Pro Member$39.991 Year
One-time7
  • Marketplace Content$1.99
  • Marketplace Content$2.99
  • Marketplace Content$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Marketplace Content$9.99
  • Marketplace Content$10.99
  • Freenotes Remove Ads$29.99
  • Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Noteshelf free?
Noteshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Freenotes® free?
Freenotes® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Noteshelf or Freenotes®?
Freenotes® is rated higher. Noteshelf averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while Freenotes® averages 4.7 from 64K ratings.
Do Noteshelf or Freenotes® have ads?
Neither Noteshelf nor Freenotes® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Noteshelf or Freenotes®?
Noteshelf ships an update every 5 days, and Freenotes® weekly. Most recently, Noteshelf was updated on October 28, 2026 and Freenotes® on October 28, 2026.

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