Comparison

Noteshelf vs Widget Studio

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

Widget Studio

Design and personalize your iPhone home screen with custom widgets for photos, clocks, weather, and events. This app offers a powerful yet simple editor to create unique themes and express your style without requiring technical skills.

Highlights
  • Live widget editor
  • Photo widgets with slideshows
  • Customizable clock and date widgets
  • Weather forecast widgets
  • Event countdown and agenda widgets
  • Deep customization of fonts, colors, and shapes
Features
Read full description

Your Home Screen, Your Style. Design, create, and personalize beautiful custom widgets in seconds with Widget Studio. Widget Studio is your all-in-one design tool to create a truly unique and personal iPhone experience. Our powerful yet simple live widget editor makes it easy to build stunning creations that match your aesthetic. Turn your home screen into a masterpiece. With custom widgets for your photos, clock, weather, and important events, your options for deep personalization are endless. Whether you're an experienced designer or new to customization, our intuitive tools make it easy to build your first design, create beautiful themes, and express your style. This is your path to the perfect aesthetic. Key Features: Powerful Live Editor What you see is what you get! Customize every detail of your creation and see the changes happen live. Our guided process makes it simple to design your own custom widgets—no technical skills required! This widget maker is the ultimate tool for true customization. All The Widgets You Need Get a complete set of fully customizable designs. Our library is constantly growing! Photo Widget: Showcase your favorite memories. Our editor lets you build beautiful slideshows and apply unique filters and shapes. Date & Time Widget: Design the perfect custom clock. Whether you need an analog or digital timepiece, it's fully customizable with a huge library of fonts. Weather Widget: Get your local forecast at a glance. Track current conditions and hourly forecasts with style. Events Widget: Never miss an important date. Build a custom countdown for vacations, track birthdays, or see your schedule with the agenda widget. Deep Customization Fine-tune every element to create your perfect theme. Fonts: Choose from a curated library of beautiful typefaces. Colors: Pick any color imaginable or create stunning gradients. Shapes: Go beyond the basic rectangle with unique borders and backgrounds. Unlock Your Full Potential with Studio Pro Upgrade to Studio Pro to unlock unlimited widget creation, access pro widget types like Agenda, get exclusive themes, and enjoy premium fonts and advanced styling effects. What is a Widget? A widget is a small application that runs on your home screen to give you at-a-glance information. Widget Studio lets you control the look and feel of these elements for a personalized screen that's truly yours. It's the ultimate widget maker for iOS. Stop settling for a boring screen. Download Widget Studio today and start designing your perfect aesthetic! Your Privacy Matters: Privacy Policy: https://widgets.studio/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://widgets.studio/terms.html

Screenshots

Noteshelf4 screens
Widget Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Noteshelf at none against Widget Studio's shown. Noteshelf also leads on ratings volume (7K vs 6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Widget Studio's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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 Widget Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Widget Studio holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteshelf has 7K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Noteshelf ships an update weekly, Widget Studio every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Noteshelf versus Widget Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteshelfWidget Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7K ratings)4.8 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings7K — better6
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size464 MB174 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFluid Touch Pte. Ltd.Olyndo Ltd

Customer experience

Noteshelf

All ratings6,951 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews1,030 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral10.6%
Negative32.3%

Widget Studio

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Widget Studio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
3 purchases

Widget Studio

Subscriptions2
  • Studio Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Studio Pro Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Studio Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Noteshelf free?
Noteshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Widget Studio free?
Widget Studio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Noteshelf or Widget Studio?
Widget Studio is rated higher. Noteshelf averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while Widget Studio averages 4.8 from 6 ratings.
Do Noteshelf or Widget Studio have ads?
Widget Studio shows ads; Noteshelf does not.
Which is updated more often, Noteshelf or Widget Studio?
Noteshelf ships an update weekly, and Widget Studio every 3 weeks. Most recently, Noteshelf was updated on October 15, 2026 and Widget Studio on October 15, 2026.

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