Comparison

StoneNote vs GuruMind

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

Head to head
About

StoneNote

Seamlessly take handwritten notes while watching study videos on the same page. This app integrates a video player directly into your notes, allowing for automatic pausing, screenshot capture, and video bookmarking. Organize your work with layered notes and folders, and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Integrated video player within notes
  • Automatic video pause while writing
  • Screenshot capture and insertion
  • Layered notes support
  • Folder-based organization
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Take handwritten notes while watching study videos on the same page. StoneNote seamlessly integrates notes and videos. No need to split screens, watch videos directly on the note page with ease. Capture screenshots effortlessly, enjoy automatic pause while writing, insert video bookmarks, and even recognize speech in the video. Smooth handwriting experience * Our self-developed vector ink engine offers an elegant, smooth, and precise writing experience. * Choose from various brushes: fountain pen, ballpoint pen, and highlighter. * Easily switch brush colors and sizes. * Deeply supports Apple Pencil for precise writing on iPad. Deep integration of notes and videos * Built-in video player within the notes, allowing you to take notes while watching videos. * Automatically pauses video playback when you start writing. * Choose from various video playback modes: side-by-side, top-and-bottom split screen, floating window, etc. * Capture screenshots with a simple two-finger tap and drag them into your notes. * Play videos from your device and online, with the ability to download and cache online videos. * Choose video subtitles and language. * Supports playback speed adjustment, video bookmarks, and video speech recognition. Images and texts * Insert images and text in various ways: click, copy, drag, etc. * Adjust image size, rotate, and freely crop. * Adjust text font, size, and color. Import, annotate, and share * Import various media, including PDF documents and videos. * Write and annotate with various stroke styles. * Export and share your notes. Layered notes support * Non-disruptive, write on separate layers without affecting other layer content. * Easily create and delete layers. * One-click hide or show layers. Effortlessly edit your notes * Use the lasso tool to move, zoom, and modify your notes. * Easily erase strokes with the eraser tool. Well-organized notes * Create folders with unlimited levels to manage your notes. * Move notes between folders. * iCloud sync keeps your notes up-to-date on all devices. * Export your notes in various formats anytime. — Upgrade to StoneNote Pro to unlock unlimited notes and iCloud sync. One-time purchase, no subscription fees, and enjoy future free updates.

About

GuruMind

This app links PDF annotations to mind maps, allowing you to create linked nodes and jump to original text. It supports detailed note-taking, hierarchical mind maps, and a browser-like navigation for complex knowledge systems. Efficiently review PDF highlights with a flashcard-like mode and generate Anki cards from your notes.

Highlights
  • PDF to mind map linking
  • Node notes with bidirectional links
  • Sub-mind maps with browser navigation
  • PDF annotation notes
  • PDF review mode
  • Batch cloze deletion card generation
  • Smart flashcard creation
  • Cloud sync and multi-device collaboration
Read full description

**核心特性**: - **PDF-导图双向联动** - 拖拽 PDF 批注到思维导图自动创建带链接的节点,点击节点跳转到原文位置 - **节点笔记 + 双向链接** - 保持导图简洁的同时深入记录细节,用 [[wiki 链接]] 建立知识网络 - **子导图 + 浏览器式导航** - 像浏览网页一样管理复杂知识体系,彻底解决大型导图可读性问题 - **批注笔记** - 每个 PDF 批注可绑定独立 Markdown 笔记,让标注不只是划线,更是深度思考的载体 - **PDF 复习模式** - 像翻闪卡一样高效复习教材重点,自动遮盖批注内容强制主动回忆 - **批量挖空制卡** - 基于 Rust 图像识别,自动检测高亮区域批量生成 Anki 挖空卡片,节省 90% 制卡时间 - **智能闪卡生成** - 思维导图和 PDF 批注一键导出为 Anki 卡片,支持挖空样式、颜色筛选等多种选项 - **云同步 + 多设备协作** - 支持 S3、WebDAV 等多种同步后端,让知识库随时随地可用 - **真正的跨平台** - 基于 Flutter + Rust,所有平台功能完全一致,UI/UX 保持统一 - **本地优先 + 数据掌控** - 所有核心功能无需网络,数据存储在本地,完全掌控在你手中 隐私政策:https://gurumind.kevin2li.com/guide/privacy.html 使用条款:https://gurumind.kevin2li.com/terms.html

Screenshots

StoneNote4 screens
GuruMind3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: GuruMind at 5.0 against StoneNote's 4.4. GuruMind also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days). StoneNote's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. StoneNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GuruMind sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GuruMind holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: StoneNote has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StoneNote ships an update every 10 days, GuruMind every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
StoneNote versus GuruMind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStoneNoteGuruMind
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB296 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer斯熠 巩名杰 王

Customer experience

StoneNote

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

GuruMind

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

StoneNote

One-time1
  • StoneNote Pro$4.99
3 purchases

GuruMind

Subscriptions2
  • 月度会员1 Month trial$0.991 Month
  • 年度会员$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • 终身会员$14.99

Questions

Is StoneNote free?
StoneNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GuruMind free?
GuruMind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StoneNote or GuruMind?
GuruMind is rated higher. StoneNote averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while GuruMind averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do StoneNote or GuruMind have ads?
Neither StoneNote nor GuruMind shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StoneNote or GuruMind?
StoneNote ships an update every 10 days, and GuruMind every 3 days. Most recently, StoneNote was updated on October 8, 2026 and GuruMind on October 3, 2026.

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