Comparison

Noteshelf vs Notes for iPad

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

Head to head
About

Noteshelf

Capture notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with natural handwriting and AI assistance. Organize your thoughts with customizable templates and secure cloud syncing. Ideal for students, professionals, and journalers.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with lifelike pens
  • AI summarization and explanation
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Audio recording alongside notes
  • 200+ digital planner templates
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • Secure cloud syncing
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

Notes for iPad

Transform your iPad into a digital notebook with a natural writing experience using Apple Pencil. Organize your life with over 60 templates, add stickers, and sync across devices. Perfect for students, professionals, and creatives.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • 60+ professionally designed templates
  • Extensive sticker library and import options
  • Unlimited notebooks with custom covers
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Export notes as PDF
Features
Read full description

Your perfect digital notebook. Notes for iPad Pencil Planner is a beautifully designed note-taking app that transforms your iPad into an endless paper canvas. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, plan your life with stunning templates, and organize everything in one place. Whether you're a student capturing lectures, a professional planning projects, or a creative sketching ideas — Notes for iPad is the essential tool to capture, organize, and bring your thoughts to life. YOUR ALL-IN-ONE DIGITAL NOTEBOOK • Write, sketch, and draw with realistic Apple Pencil support • Choose from multiple pen styles, colors, and thicknesses • Add typed text with customizable fonts and formatting • Mix handwriting with images and stickers seamlessly 60+ PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED TEMPLATES • Daily planners and to-do lists to organize your day • Weekly and monthly calendars for long-term planning • Habit trackers to build better routines • Meal planners and grocery lists for healthy eating • Workout logs and fitness trackers to reach your goals • Budget sheets and expense trackers for financial control • Meeting notes and project planning templates • And many more — new templates added regularly STICKERS & PERSONALIZATION • 1000+ beautiful stickers to decorate your notes • Categories: productivity, wellness, celebrations, seasons • Import your own photos and custom stickers • Resize, rotate, and layer elements freely STAY ORGANIZED YOUR WAY • Create unlimited notebooks for different areas of life • Convenient sidebar for quick page navigation • Custom covers and colors for each notebook • Archive completed notebooks to keep things tidy SYNC & SHARE • iCloud sync keeps your notes updated across devices • Export any page or entire notebook as PDF • Share your notes via email, AirDrop, or any app DESIGNED FOR COMFORT • Beautiful dark mode for nighttime note-taking • Clean, distraction-free interface • Optimized specifically for iPad's large display • Smooth, lag-free performance Your ideas deserve a beautiful home. Notes for iPad combines the freedom of paper with the power of digital — giving you the perfect space to plan, create, and organize your life. Support: hello@britetodo.com Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ A subscription or one-time purchase is required to access premium templates and features. Weekly, Yearly, and Lifetime Access options are available.

Screenshots

Noteshelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Noteshelf at every 2 days against Notes for iPad's every 2 weeks. Noteshelf also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 40%) and ratings volume (7.3K vs 401). Notes for iPad's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Notes for iPad sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 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 — 4.5 for Noteshelf against 4.6 for Notes for iPad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteshelf has 7.3K ratings behind it against 401, 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 40% of Notes for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Noteshelf ships an update every 2 days, Notes for iPad every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Noteshelf versus Notes for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteshelfNotes for iPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (7.3K ratings)4.6 (401 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.2% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7.3K — better401
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size591 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFluid Touch Pte. Ltd.Brite Technologies LLC

Customer experience

Noteshelf

All ratings7,255 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews1,127 reviews
Positive57.2%
Neutral10.4%
Negative32.4%

Notes for iPad

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

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

Notes for iPad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Noteshelf

Subscriptions8
  • Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$7.997 Days
  • Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • 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
  • Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium for Noteshelf 2 users$9.99
  • Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime$14.99
6 purchases

Notes for iPad

Subscriptions5
  • Notes for iPad - weekly$5.997 Days
  • Weekly Plus$7.997 Days
  • Monthly3 Days trial$17.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Notes for iPad for a year3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$39.99

Questions

Is Noteshelf free?
Noteshelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes for iPad free?
Notes for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Noteshelf or Notes for iPad?
Notes for iPad is rated higher. Noteshelf averages 4.5 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Notes for iPad averages 4.6 from 401 ratings.
Do Noteshelf or Notes for iPad have ads?
Neither Noteshelf nor Notes for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Noteshelf or Notes for iPad?
Noteshelf ships an update every 2 days, and Notes for iPad every 2 weeks. Most recently, Noteshelf was updated on November 11, 2026 and Notes for iPad on November 9, 2026.

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