Comparison

DEVONthink To Go 4 vs Nota

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

Head to head
About

DEVONthink To Go 4

Manage your entire knowledge library on your iPad and iPhone. Organize, edit, and annotate documents, notes, and more. Leverage generative AI for summaries, content creation, and advanced search. Syncs privately and securely across devices.

Highlights
  • Document organization and management
  • AI-powered summaries and content creation
  • PDF annotation and editing
  • On-device OCR for searchable documents
  • Cross-device secure synchronization
  • Custom metadata and tagging
  • Shortcuts automation
Features
Read full description

Your entire knowledge library. Always with you. Always private. DEVONthink To Go is your document repository when you're not at your Mac. Collect, organize, edit, and annotate. Use generative AI to work with your stored knowledge or create new documents. Automate with Shortcuts. Our time-tested technology keeps all your data in sync between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone, privately and securely. The professional document and information manager for iPad and iPhone. From DEVONtechnologies, driving innovation since 2002. - Students: Annotate research papers with AI-powered summaries - Teachers: Organize your materials, use AI to create handouts and tests - Researchers: Have your data with you in a robust, powerful knowledge manager - Lawyers: Keep all case files organized and encrypted Have your important documents with you at all times: - Never lose an important document again, keep everything organized - Store PDFs, notes, images, bookmarks, just about any type - File your documents in groups, even more than one group at a time - Use tags, mark documents with flags or as unread, give them a star rating - Versioning lets you return to a previous state of a document - Revision-proof databases prevent edits to documents with special requirements - Sync your data between Macs, iPads, and iPhones, securely and privately Work with your documents: - Edit texts, Markdown files, or rich text documents - Annotate and edit PDFs with common tools - Make scans, scanned PDFs, or images searchable with the built-in, on-device OCR - Add custom, searchable metadata fields to enrich your documents Use generative AI: - Work with your favorite provider and model - Chat with your documents, analyze or summarize them - Transform text or extract text from images and even handwritten notes - Create new images from your data - Find documents using natural language with the AI-powered search assistant - Let the AI make order from chaos, rename documents, add tags, or label or rate them DEVONthink To Go is well-integrated with other apps: - Link to your documents from other apps with universal links - Access all your documents also through the Files app - Clip data from almost any app with the Clip to DEVONthink extension - Use drag-and-drop, inside DEVONthink To Go or between apps - Automate repetitive tasks with Shortcuts actions DEVONthink To Go is great standalone but also works perfectly with DEVONthink for Mac and across multiple devices. Synchronize your databases securely and privately over the local network or through a cloud service of your choice. You decide what data is synced, when, and where. Strong encryption makes sure that your data belongs to you, not to your service provider or us. Privacy policy: https://www.devontechnologies.com/r/privacy End user license agreement: https://www.devontechnologies.com/r/eula

About

Nota

Capture thoughts and ideas while listening to audio content like lectures or audiobooks. This app allows for audio-aligned note-taking, organized storage, and quick definition lookups. It offers a distraction-free environment for staying productive and insightful.

Highlights
  • Audio-aligned note-taking with timestamps
  • Structured note organization by tags and categories
  • Instant definition lookup via Wikipedia/AI
  • Cloud sync for cross-device access
  • Flexible freeform note input
  • Private and secure data storage
Features
Read full description

Nota is your dedicated companion for capturing thoughts while listening to audiobooks, lectures, podcasts, or documentaries. Designed for focused, on-the-go note-taking, Nota helps you preserve ideas without disrupting your listening flow. Whether you’re studying for class, researching a topic, or reflecting on a story, Nota gives you the tools to stay organized, insightful, and productive. Key Features: * Audio-Aligned Note-Taking Take notes seamlessly while listening. Timestamp and tag entries to revisit key moments. * Structured Note Organization Categorize your notes into books, topics, and custom tags for easy retrieval. * Smart Definitions Instantly look up definitions and terms using built-in Wikipedia integration or AI-generated summaries. * Cloud Sync Keep your notes backed up and available across devices (optional with account login). * Flexible Input Type, edit, and reorganize notes the way you think — fast, freeform, and distraction-free. * Private by Design Your thoughts are yours. Data is securely stored and never shared without your consent. Ideal for: * College students capturing key ideas from lectures * Audiobook lovers reflecting on passages and themes * Researchers or podcast listeners collecting quotes and facts * Lifelong learners building a personal knowledge archive Stay present. Stay curious. Take smarter notes with Nota.

Screenshots

DEVONthink To Go 44 screens
Nota4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nota at 100% against DEVONthink To Go 4's 43%. Nota also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). DEVONthink To Go 4's advantage is price (Free vs $5.99) and ratings volume (226 vs 2). On ads and device support 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

DEVONthink To Go 4 is free to download; Nota costs $5.99 up front. DEVONthink To Go 4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Nota asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nota holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DEVONthink To Go 4 has 226 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of DEVONthink To Go 4's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nota's.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DEVONthink To Go 4 versus Nota: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDEVONthink To Go 4Nota
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.7 (226 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings226 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#185 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size191 MB55 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDEVONtechnologies, LLCUnited Futures llc

Customer experience

DEVONthink To Go 4

All ratings226 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral21.4%
Negative35.7%

Nota

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

DEVONthink To Go 4

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly1 Month trial$19.991 Year
None

Nota

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DEVONthink To Go 4 free?
DEVONthink To Go 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nota free?
Nota costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DEVONthink To Go 4 or Nota?
Nota is rated higher. DEVONthink To Go 4 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 226 ratings, while Nota averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do DEVONthink To Go 4 or Nota have ads?
Neither DEVONthink To Go 4 nor Nota shows ads.

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