Comparison

ForNote 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

ForNote

Features
Read full description

The notebook that turns Apple Pencil strokes into searchable, organized handwritten notes. ForNote is a native iPad and iPhone notes app for handwriting, sketching, and annotating PDFs. Draw with Apple Pencil, organize notebooks in nested folders, drop a photo or PDF as a page background, and find any handwritten word from Spotlight. HAND-DRAWN PAGES • Draw with Apple Pencil on iPad, or with your finger on iPhone • Pen, marker, eraser, and lasso with a full color picker • Native page-curl animation between pages • Pinch to zoom up to 5× • Floating tool palette you can drag anywhere on screen FOLDERS & ORGANIZATION • Nest folders inside folders — Files-style hierarchy • Drag and drop notebooks and folders between locations • Spring-load on the back arrow to navigate while dragging • Select multiple items at once • Bulk export, move, or delete in a single action PAGE BACKGROUNDS • Drop a photo as a background and annotate over it • Import a PDF — every page becomes a notebook page you can write on • Scan a document with the camera and turn it into pages instantly • Annotate every imported page with Apple Pencil SPOTLIGHT SEARCH • Vision OCR runs in the background on every page you draw on • Search for any handwritten word from Spotlight on your device • Tap a result to jump straight to the exact page • Turkish and English recognition out of the box STATISTICS • Track your writing streak across notebooks, pages, and folders • Library overview with item counts • Content breakdown of OCR-indexed and image-backed pages • Everything stays on-device LIQUID GLASS DESIGN Every card, sheet, and toolbar uses iOS 26's stunning Liquid Glass material. The whole app is built with native SwiftUI — no custom chrome, just the system you already know from Notes, Files, and Reminders. FORNOTE PLUS — TRY FREE • Unlimited notebooks • Unlimited PDF imports • Photos, PDF, and document scanner page backgrounds inside the editor • Detailed writing statistics Start a free trial today. Cancel anytime. Built for students, researchers, planners, and anyone who thinks better with a pen. Available in 3 languages: English, Turkish, and Simplified Chinese. ——————————————— Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://cagandurgun.com/fornoteprivacy

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

ForNote4 screens
Pensieve Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pensieve Note at fortnightly against ForNote's every 11 months. Pensieve Note also leads on iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. ForNote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ForNote ships an update every 11 months, Pensieve Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ForNote versus Pensieve Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForNotePensieve Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCAGAN DURGUNMena Soliman

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ForNote

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Yearly$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Pensieve Note

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

Questions

Is ForNote free?
ForNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pensieve Note free?
Pensieve Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ForNote or Pensieve Note have ads?
Neither ForNote nor Pensieve Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ForNote or Pensieve Note?
ForNote ships an update every 11 months, and Pensieve Note fortnightly. Most recently, ForNote was updated on October 6, 2026 and Pensieve Note on October 24, 2026.

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