# Noteshelf vs TailgateFA

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TailgateFA at none against Noteshelf's 17. TailgateFA also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). Noteshelf's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Noteshelf sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. TailgateFA asks for nothing beyond the download.

Noteshelf ships an update weekly, TailgateFA daily. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Noteshelf | TailgateFA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-ai-notes-and-pdf/id6458735203/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 464 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318004740) | [Peter Marcotte](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895246220) |

## 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


### TailgateFA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tailgatefa/id6763282490)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Noteshelf free?

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

### Is TailgateFA free?

TailgateFA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Noteshelf or TailgateFA have ads?

Neither Noteshelf nor TailgateFA shows ads.

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

Noteshelf ships an update weekly, and TailgateFA daily. Most recently, Noteshelf was updated on October 17, 2026 and TailgateFA on October 8, 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.*