# Noteshelf vs Bambook

The clearest difference is rating: Bambook at 5.0 against Noteshelf's 4.6. Bambook also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 57%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Noteshelf's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (7.1K vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noteshelf sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Bambook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bambook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteshelf has 7.1K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Noteshelf's written reviews are positive against 67% of Bambook's.

Noteshelf ships an update every 5 days, Bambook every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Noteshelf | Bambook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (7.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-ai-notes-and-pdf/id6458735203/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambook-ocr-scanner/id6480379651/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7.1K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 558 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318004740) | [Bambook v.o.f.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1259243137) |

## What reviewers say

### Noteshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-ai-notes-and-pdf/id6458735203)

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:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium for Noteshelf 2 users | $9.99 | one-time |
| Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Bambook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bambook-ocr-scanner/id6480379651)

Digitize handwritten notes with advanced OCR and AI to create editable text, correct spelling, and organize your content. Easily edit, search, and share your scanned notes as PDFs or JPGs.

**Highlights:** Automatic page detection and scanning, Handwritten text to editable digital text conversion, AI-powered spelling and grammar correction, Organize notes with naming, sorting, and batch scanning, Edit scans with cropping, rotating, and text addition, Search notes by name or handwritten content, Share scans to various cloud services and apps

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month | $1.99 | per month |
| 6 Months | $3.99 | per 6 months |
| 12 Months | $4.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Noteshelf free?

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

### Is Bambook free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Noteshelf or Bambook?

Bambook is rated higher. Noteshelf averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while Bambook averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Noteshelf or Bambook have ads?

Neither Noteshelf nor Bambook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Noteshelf or Bambook?

Noteshelf ships an update every 5 days, and Bambook every 3 months. Most recently, Noteshelf was updated on October 25, 2026 and Bambook on October 24, 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.*