Comparison

StarNote vs Dark PDF

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

Head to head
About

StarNote

This app offers a realistic pen-on-paper handwriting experience on tablets with an infinite canvas for notes and sketches. It includes advanced layering, PDF annotation, and a robust organizer for efficient digital note-taking and planning.

Highlights
  • Realistic low-latency handwriting
  • Infinite canvas for unlimited space
  • Layered design for complex projects
  • Deep PDF annotation and markup
  • Robust file management and search
  • Lifetime access with one-time purchase
  • Free templates and digital assets
Read full description

StarNote is a clean and powerful note-taking app for handwriting, PDF annotation, study, work, and everyday planning. Write naturally with your stylus, organize notebooks, mark up PDFs, and keep all your ideas in one simple workspace. Built for students, professionals, and tablet users, StarNote helps you take class notes, review lecture slides, annotate documents, plan your day, and build a paperless study or work system. With smooth handwriting, flexible notebooks, PDF markup, and digital planning tools, StarNote makes it easy to capture ideas and stay organized. No monthly subscription. Choose a one-time purchase and enjoy a long-term note-taking tool without ongoing fees. Download StarNote and start building your digital notebook today.

About

Dark PDF

Features
Read full description

Dark PDF turns any PDF into a calm, eye-friendly reading experience. Read for hours at night — no glare, no strain, just clean pages in beautiful dark themes. Whether it's a textbook, contract, research paper, or a novel, Dark PDF makes long reading sessions comfortable on iPhone and iPad. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • 4 handcrafted dark themes — true black, dim, sepia and more for any lighting • Easy on the eyes — cut eye strain during late-night and long reading sessions • Real-time search — find any word instantly with live highlighting • Jump to any page in a tap — no endless scrolling • Pick up where you left off — recent files always one tap away • Built for iPhone & iPad — a native, responsive layout on every screen • Reads offline — your documents stay private on your device TRY IT FIRST Open a sample and feel the dark reading experience right away. When you're ready for your full library, start a 3-day free trial and unlock every theme and premium feature. Cancel anytime. PRIVACY FIRST Your files never leave your device. No accounts, no document tracking, no clutter. Give your eyes the reading experience they deserve. — Premium is an auto-renewing subscription (monthly or yearly) with a 3-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. It auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Terms: https://moz6.com/app-term • Privacy: https://moz6.com/app-privacy • info@moz6.com

Screenshots

StarNote4 screens
Dark PDF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StarNote at every 2 weeks against Dark PDF's monthly. 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. StarNote sells 21 one-off in-app purchases and Dark PDF sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarNote ships an update every 2 weeks, Dark PDF monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
StarNote versus Dark PDF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarNoteDark PDF
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (94 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings94 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size422 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOnyx International Inc.Muhammet Ozturk

In-app purchases

21 purchases

StarNote

One-time21
  • StarNote AI Trial$0.99
  • Templates\Stickers$3.90
  • Templates\Stickers$4.49
Show 18 more
  • Templates\Stickers$4.79
  • Templates\Stickers$5.00
  • Templates\Stickers$5.79
  • StarNote Lifetime PRO$5.99
  • Templates\Stickers$6.69
  • Templates\Stickers$6.79
  • StarNote AI Plus$6.99
  • Templates\Stickers$7.79
  • Templates\Stickers$8.99
  • Templates\Stickers$9.79
  • Templates\Stickers$9.99
  • Templates\Stickers$10.99
  • Templates\Stickers$11.49
  • Templates\Stickers$11.90
  • Templates\Stickers$12.99
  • StarNote AI Pro$22.99
  • Templates\Stickers$38.90
  • Templates\Stickers$42.90
4 purchases

Dark PDF

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly - Unlimited - Black Friday3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly - Unlimited Pdf,Black Friday3 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Monthly - Unlimited PDF$49.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Yearly - Unlimited PDF$99.991 Year

Questions

Is StarNote free?
StarNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dark PDF free?
Dark PDF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StarNote or Dark PDF have ads?
Neither StarNote nor Dark PDF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarNote or Dark PDF?
StarNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Dark PDF monthly. Most recently, StarNote was updated on October 21, 2026 and Dark PDF on October 16, 2026.

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