Comparison

Notes vs OpenNotes

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

Head to head
About

Notes

Capture ideas, create to-do lists, and sketch designs with a versatile digital notebook. Customize your notes with various paper templates, stickers, fonts, and colors. Effortlessly organize and share your work as PDFs.

Highlights
  • Customizable paper covers and templates
  • Multimedia tools: pencil, text, photos
  • Vector-based digital pencil for drawing
  • Hundreds of font and color options
  • Organize notes with custom titles and covers
  • Export notes as PDF
Features
Read full description

Take your notes to the next level! Download Notes: Note taking & writing for free and experience the new way of taking digital notes. This notetaking app is as flexible as you are. Jot down ideas, take notes, or sketch your next big idea. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just love doodling, you'll find all the tools you need. UPGRADE YOUR NOTE-TAKING • Choose from various cute and inspiring paper covers. • Work on your content with many available paper templates like Daily Plan, To-do-list, Vocabulary list, and more. • Bring photos from the gallery to your notes with one click. Easily memorize and mark the photos you prefer. • Various sticker selections to make your notes lively and memorable. YOUR NOTES YOUR STYLES WITH CUSTOMIZED TEXTS AND HAND-DRAW OPTION • Use multi-media tools like pencil, and text to work on the content. • Add your text anywhere in the notes and choose from hundreds of available fonts and colors of your choice. • Experience the most lifelike, vector-based digital pencil to freely draw anything you like. Enjoy fine-tuned, responsive, and precise writing. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY PAPER-FREE • Keep all your notes in one place, without the bulk or waste of paper. • Freely add additional pages to your current work to make your note endless. • Organize with hundreds of different notebook covers and specify the title of your choice. SHARE IDEAS EFFORTLESSLY AS PDF • Easily share your notes in PDF format with any contacts and channels. Our note-writer app goes beyond just being a cutting-edge, fast, and reliable note-taking app—it's designed for anyone who takes notes or writes. This smart notepad and writing workspace is perfect for both your iPad and iPhone. Contact us: teammarketing@lutech.ltd Terms of Services: https://lutech.vn/term Privacy Policy: http://lutech.vn/privacy

About

OpenNotes

Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Folder-based organization
  • Add images and text
  • Local-first data storage
  • Export and share notes
Features
Read full description

OpenNotes is a simple, free, open-source notes app built for handwriting, PDFs, and focused organization. Create notebooks, import PDFs, write with Apple Pencil, add images or text, organize notes into folders, and export your work when you need it. OpenNotes is local-first and privacy focused. There are no accounts, no analytics, no tracking, no cloud sync, and your notes never leave your device unless you choose to export or share them.

Screenshots

Notes4 screens
OpenNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenNotes at none against Notes's 4. OpenNotes also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%). Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days). On price, ads, device support 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. Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. OpenNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes ships an update every 2 days, OpenNotes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notes versus OpenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesOpenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.3 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews33.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size180 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLutech-DNMark Miller

Customer experience

Notes

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

OpenNotes

All ratings16 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Notes

Subscriptions4
  • monthly$0.991 Month
  • quarterly$2.493 Months
  • Premium Year$3.491 Year
Show 1 more
  • Loyalty member1 Year trial$3.991 Year
None

OpenNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenNotes free?
OpenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Notes or OpenNotes have ads?
Neither Notes nor OpenNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notes or OpenNotes?
Notes ships an update every 2 days, and OpenNotes every 4 days. Most recently, Notes was updated on September 20, 2026 and OpenNotes on September 6, 2026.

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