Comparison

Notestudio vs Pensieve Note

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

Head to head
About

Notestudio

Capture, organize, and create notes with a blend of analog feel and digital power. Annotate PDFs, add media, and export in various formats. Offers advanced drawing tools and a customizable interface for focused work.

Highlights
  • Multi-page note creation
  • PDF markup and annotation
  • Flexible note sizes and paper styles
  • Organize with custom folders
  • Export to PDF, PNG, HEIC, JPEG
  • Low-latency drawing with sensitivity
  • Customizable workspace
Features
Read full description

Rediscover note-taking with Notestudio—a perfect fusion of pen-and-paper charm and robust digital tools. Effortlessly capture, organize, and create with multi-page notes tailored to your ideas. The PDF markup feature is a fantastic bonus. KEY FEATURES • Flexible note sizes: A4, Letter, or Screen • Paper styles: Plain, graph, lined, or dotted • Paper colors: White, yellowish, bluish, dark gray, or black • Organize with custom folders and a favorites option • Add photos, scan documents, or copy/paste content • Export as PDF, PNG, HEIC, or JPEG • PDF markup / annotation TOOLS • Fineliner, Ink Pen, and Calligraphy Pen with auto-shape support • Highlighter and Round Highlighter • Object Eraser, Pixel Eraser • Laser tools: Stroke Laser, Point Laser • Easy selection: Text, images, or strokes • Text input DRAWING ENGINE • Low-latency drawing with pressure, angle, and tilt sensitivity • Smart stabilization for smooth strokes • Crisp, anti-aliased vector lines • Realistic "pigment" color mixing • High-quality vector PDF export and print INTUITIVE INTERFACE • Clean, user-friendly layout • Drag panels to customize your workspace • Split View support on iPadOS for dual-note editing • Full-screen mode for focused creativity -- Get unlimited editing with a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Have questions? Reach us at info@luckyclan.com Privacy Policy: https://luckyclan.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://luckyclan.com/terms-use

About

Pensieve Note

Capture and organize your thoughts with a unique note-taking experience. Pin notes to real-world locations using augmented reality, set location-based reminders, and secure private thoughts with a hidden folder. Offers rich text formatting, drawing, voice notes, and powerful organization tools.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality note placement
  • Location-based reminders
  • Hidden folder for private notes
  • Rich text formatting and drawing
  • Voice notes with transcription
  • One-sentence journaling timeline
  • Custom folders and tagging
Features
Read full description

Pensieve Note is where your thoughts find a home — beautiful, organized, and always within reach. Inspired by the magical memory vessel, this app transforms how you capture, organize, and revisit your ideas. PLACE MEMORIES IN THE REAL WORLD Use augmented reality to pin notes to physical locations. Leave a reminder at your favorite coffee shop, attach study notes to your desk, or create a memory trail through your city. Your notes exist in space, not just on screen. LOCATION-BASED REMINDERS Never forget what you needed to remember. Set notes to notify you when you arrive at specific places — grocery lists at the store, talking points before meetings, or reminders when you get home. GHOST MODE — YOUR SECRET SPACE Some thoughts deserve extra privacy. Ghost Mode creates a hidden folder protected by a secret code — invisible to anyone browsing your notes. Your private journal, secure ideas, or surprise plans stay truly private. BEAUTIFUL NOTE-TAKING - 15+ paper styles: College ruled, dot grid, graph paper, Cornell notes, and more - Rich text formatting with colors and styles - Draw and sketch with Apple Pencil support - Add photos, stickers, and voice recordings - Handwriting recognition that converts writing to text VOICE NOTES & TRANSCRIPTION Record your thoughts and let the app transcribe them automatically. Perfect for capturing ideas on the go, recording lectures, or quick voice memos that become searchable text. ONE SENTENCE JOURNALING Build a life timeline, one sentence at a time. Daily prompts help you capture moments that matter. Over time, watch your story unfold in a beautiful, scrollable timeline. POWERFUL ORGANIZATION - Custom folders with beautiful cover images - Tags for cross-referencing notes - Pin important notes to the top - Smart search across all content - Mind maps to visualize connections SECURITY & SYNC - Face ID and Touch ID app lock - iCloud sync across all your devices - Export notes as PDF - Import from other note apps Your thoughts deserve more than plain text files. Give them a home that is as unique as the ideas themselves. Download Pensieve Note and start capturing memories that last. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://doc-hosting.flycricket.io/pensieve-note/60d88c90-b919-46f7-a7e2-41eefa18708c/privacy

Screenshots

Notestudio4 screens
Pensieve Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notestudio and Pensieve Note both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Pensieve Note's written reviews are positive against 91% of Notestudio's. Notestudio's advantage is ratings volume (20 vs 5). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Notestudio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and Pensieve Note sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Notestudio against 5.0 for Pensieve Note. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 5 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Notestudio's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pensieve Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notestudio ships an update every 10 days, Pensieve Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notestudio versus Pensieve Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotestudioPensieve Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (20 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.5 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLucky ClanMena Soliman

Customer experience

Notestudio

All ratings19 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Pensieve Note

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Notestudio

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime License$9.99
2 purchases

Pensieve Note

Subscriptions2
  • Pensieve Note Pro$2.991 Month
  • Pensieve Note Pro$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Notestudio free?
Notestudio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pensieve Note free?
Pensieve Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notestudio or Pensieve Note?
Pensieve Note is rated higher. Notestudio averages 5.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Pensieve Note averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Notestudio or Pensieve Note have ads?
Neither Notestudio nor Pensieve Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notestudio or Pensieve Note?
Notestudio ships an update every 10 days, and Pensieve Note fortnightly. Most recently, Notestudio was updated on October 30, 2026 and Pensieve Note on November 5, 2026.

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