# StarNote vs Notely

StarNote and Notely both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of StarNote's written reviews are positive against 33% of Notely's. StarNote also leads on ratings volume (94 vs 8) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Notely's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. StarNote sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. Notely asks for nothing beyond the download.

StarNote holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: StarNote has 94 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of StarNote's written reviews are positive against 33% of Notely's.

StarNote ships an update every 2 weeks, Notely every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | StarNote | Notely |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (94 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starnote-handwritten-notes/id6751570915/reviews)** | [4.4 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **94** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | **74.4% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 422 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Onyx International Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527846836) | [JUSTIN WEI SUN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874016949) |

## What reviewers say

### StarNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starnote-handwritten-notes/id6751570915)

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

**In-app purchases (21)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| StarNote AI Trial | $0.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $3.90 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $4.49 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $4.79 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $5.00 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $5.79 | one-time |
| StarNote Lifetime PRO | $5.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $6.69 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $6.79 | one-time |
| StarNote AI Plus | $6.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $7.79 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $8.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $9.79 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $9.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $10.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $11.49 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $11.90 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $12.99 | one-time |
| StarNote AI Pro | $22.99 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $38.90 | one-time |
| Templates\Stickers | $42.90 | one-time |


### Notely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471)

This app offers a private and flexible digital notebook for handwriting, typed notes, and PDF annotation. Convert handwriting to editable text, draw with precision tools, and organize your work with folders and backups. Keep ideas accessible without an account or internet connection.

**Highlights:** Handwriting to editable text conversion, Precision drawing tools, PDF annotation and markup, Organized library with folders, On-device search, Portable backups

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is StarNote free?

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

### Is Notely free?

Notely is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, StarNote or Notely?

StarNote is rated higher. StarNote averages 4.6 out of 5 from 94 ratings, while Notely averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.

### Do StarNote or Notely have ads?

Neither StarNote nor Notely shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, StarNote or Notely?

StarNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Notely every 4 days. Most recently, StarNote was updated on October 14, 2026 and Notely on October 13, 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.*