Comparison

Notes 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

Notes

This app helps you create, organize, and manage daily notes, to-do lists, and reminders with a clean, user-friendly interface. It's designed for distraction-free writing and staying focused on your tasks and ideas.

Highlights
  • Create and edit notes
  • Manage task lists with checkboxes
  • Set reminders
  • Supports dark mode
  • Intuitive design
Features
Read full description

Notes - Notebook, Notepad is the simple and powerful app to create, organize, and manage your daily notes, to-do lists, and reminders. Whether you're jotting down quick thoughts or planning a full task list, this notepad app helps you stay focused and productive. Designed with a clean, user-friendly interface, Notes - Notebook, Notepad makes it effortless to write and manage your notes. It's the perfect digital notebook to capture your ideas anytime, anywhere. Key Features: - Create and edit notes and notebooks easily - Manage task lists with checkboxes - Set reminders to never miss a thing - Supports dark mode for comfortable night use - Minimal and intuitive notepad design for distraction-free writing Whether you're a student, professional, or someone who just loves staying organized, this Notes app is built to support your productivity. Download Notes - Notebook, Notepad today and enjoy a fast, simple, and reliable note-taking experience! Terms of Use (EULA): https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Ya8WEwoAiVivIeRlPKiOiVgsLa2TvtssKPaR2IHGb8/edit?usp=sharing Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y-lKc67Cc1aNBtA4C8mVX87eC2IznZjR8NVladTiNtk/edit?usp=sharing

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

Notes4 screens
Serious Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Serious Notebook at none against Notes's shown. Serious Notebook also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Notes's advantage is ratings volume (17 vs 1) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, 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. Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Serious Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Serious Notebook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 17 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes ships an update every 11 days, Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 3 level
Notes versus Serious Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesSerious Notebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (17 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings17 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNguyen ThanhBILGESU KADAN

Customer experience

Notes

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative0.0%

Serious Notebook

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Premium3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • Yearly Premium$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$24.99
1 purchases

Serious Notebook

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$24.99

Questions

Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Serious Notebook free?
Serious Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notes or Serious Notebook?
Serious Notebook is rated higher. Notes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Serious Notebook averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Notes or Serious Notebook have ads?
Notes shows ads; Serious Notebook does not.
Which is updated more often, Notes or Serious Notebook?
Notes ships an update every 11 days, and Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Serious Notebook on October 25, 2026.

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