# Notes for iPhone vs Shoulder Surf

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shoulder Surf at 100% against Notes for iPhone's 34%. Shoulder Surf also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). Notes for iPhone's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (71 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes for iPhone sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Shoulder Surf sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Shoulder Surf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes for iPhone has 71 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Notes for iPhone's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shoulder Surf's.

Notes for iPhone ships an update weekly, Shoulder Surf every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes for iPhone | Shoulder Surf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (71 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-for-iphone-yepnotes/id668384667/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shoulder-surf-meeting-ai/id6760098225/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **71** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 34.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 28 MB | 169 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Karim Angama](https://appshunter.io/developer/510838617) | [WEIRTECH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1146325109) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes for iPhone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-for-iphone-yepnotes/id668384667)

Easily create reminders and take notes with an intuitive interface. Manage your notes and tasks directly from your Apple Watch, and access your most recent entries via widgets. Personalize your experience with themes and ensure your data is backed up and synced across devices.

**Highlights:** Apple Watch management, Voice dictation for notes, Widget for quick access, iCloud backup and sync, Customizable themes, To-do list functionality, Color markers for notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| YepNotes Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| YepNoteS Pro Annual | $11.99 | per year |
| YepNoteS Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


### Shoulder Surf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shoulder-surf-meeting-ai/id6760098225)

This app acts as a meeting copilot, transcribing conversations in real-time and providing instant summaries. It allows users to ask questions about the discussion, generate various file types from meeting content, and chat with past meetings for insights.

**Highlights:** Live transcription with speaker labels, AI-powered Q&A and custom prompts, Generate spreadsheets, Gantt charts, and emails, Attach documents for AI context, Chat with past meetings, Private audio responses, On-device speech recognition

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro | $14.99 | per month |
| Extras: Apple Cloud | $9.99 | one-time |
| Extras: Own API Key | $9.99 | one-time |
| Extras: Both | $14.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes for iPhone free?

Notes for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shoulder Surf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notes for iPhone or Shoulder Surf?

Shoulder Surf is rated higher. Notes for iPhone averages 4.0 out of 5 from 71 ratings, while Shoulder Surf averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Notes for iPhone or Shoulder Surf have ads?

Neither Notes for iPhone nor Shoulder Surf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notes for iPhone or Shoulder Surf?

Notes for iPhone ships an update weekly, and Shoulder Surf every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notes for iPhone was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shoulder Surf on October 28, 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.*