Comparison

My Smart Notebook vs Serious Notebook

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

Head to head
About

My Smart Notebook

Read full description

My Smart Notebook is a feature-rich all-in-one notebook & notepad that integrates notes-taking,to-do list, handwriting, sketching, drawing and painting. Whether you're a student, teacher, goodnotes, artist, designer, notability, engineer. My Smart Notebook one else, My Smart Notebook offers powerful tools designed to spark your imagination and creativity. Advanced Features: PDF Integration: Attach and view PDF documents within your notes. Voice Typing: Dictate your notes using voice recognition technology for hands-free note-taking. Drawing and Sketching: Create drawings and sketches directly within your notes. Document Scanner: Scan and digitize physical documents using your device’s camera. QR Code Scanner: Scan QR codes for quick data entry into notes. Language Translation: Translate notes into multiple languages for better accessibility. Contact Access: Integrate your device’s contacts for easy note sharing and management. Calling System: Initiate calls directly from within the app using your device’s contact list.

About

Serious Notebook

A private digital notebook for handwriting, typing, and annotating documents. Import PDFs, scan paper, and organize your thoughts with customizable tools. Keep your work securely on your device with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Handwrite and sketch with Apple Pencil
  • Type notes and highlight on iPhone
  • Import and annotate PDFs
  • Scan paper into notebooks
  • Insert text boxes, sticky notes, photos, and scans
  • Export notebooks as PDF
Read full description

Your handwriting, PDFs, and ideas. A quieter place to think. Write naturally with Apple Pencil on iPad. Type notes and highlight pages on iPhone. Import a PDF planner, annotate a worksheet, or scan paper into a notebook you can keep working in. Serious Notebook keeps your work on your device, with no account, ads, tracking, or subscription. WRITE, STUDY, AND PLAN • Handwrite and sketch on iPad with pen, pencil, highlighter, and eraser tools. Apple Pencil works on compatible iPads. • Type notes and highlight with your finger on iPhone. • Choose blank, ruled, grid, or dot-grid paper in soft white or cream. • Give each notebook its own title and cover. MAKE DOCUMENTS YOUR OWN • Import PDFs as notebooks and annotate their pages. • Scan paper on supported camera-equipped devices, review the pages, then start writing. • Add text boxes and sticky notes. With lifetime access, insert photos, PDF pages, and scans into your notes. • Move, resize, and rotate inserted objects. • Export a notebook or selected pages as PDF to save or share. NEW IN 3.0 Scan several pages straight into your open notebook as movable objects with lifetime access. Take multiple photos, review them, and add them together. On iPad, a clearer top toolbar leaves more room to write. TRY YOUR OWN NOTES The free workspace includes one handwritten notebook plus one separate PDF or scan notebook, up to 10 pages each. Try the included example without using either allowance. ONE LIFETIME PURCHASE Unlock unlimited notebooks, pages, PDF imports, camera scans, and photo insertion with a single non-consumable purchase. No recurring payments. Existing lifetime customers and eligible original paid-app customers keep access. Restore Purchases is available in Settings. PRIVATE, ON YOUR DEVICE Notes, imported documents, photos, and scans stay on the device where you create them. No app account or document upload is required. Notebooks do not automatically sync between devices. Export PDFs regularly to keep a copy of your work. Purchase and restoration use Apple's App Store services. For class notes, project ideas, PDF planners, and everyday thinking on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

My Smart Notebook4 screens
Serious Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: My Smart Notebook at none against Serious Notebook's 1. My Smart Notebook also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Serious Notebook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support. On price 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. Serious Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. My Smart Notebook asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

My Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
My Smart Notebook versus Serious Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMy Smart NotebookSerious Notebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
Ads—No
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
Devices—iPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size253 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperManoj KargarBILGESU KADAN

In-app purchases

None

My Smart Notebook

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Serious Notebook

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$24.99

Questions

Is My Smart Notebook free?
My Smart Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Serious Notebook free?
Serious Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which is updated more often, My Smart Notebook or Serious Notebook?
My Smart Notebook ships an update every 2 months, and Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, My Smart Notebook was updated on October 14, 2026 and Serious Notebook on October 25, 2026.

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