StarNote vs PaperFlow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
PaperFlow
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Write by hand and link like you type. A word you wrote becomes a link, your handwritten pages sit in the same graph as the notes you type, and one search reads both. CIRCLE A WORD. IT BECOMES A LINK. Lasso a word on the page, tap "Link to a note" and pick the note. That note lists the page under "Mentioned in". A link like [[Calculus II - notebook#page=12]] opens your handwriting on page 12. HANDWRITTEN AND TYPED, ONE GRAPH Every notebook you write is a node beside the notes you type, with links and backlinks both ways. Tap a node to see what it connects to. TYPE A WORD. FIND THE PAGE YOU WROTE. One search covers your handwriting, the notes you type and the text inside your PDFs. Your handwriting is read on your device, and it stays handwriting: it turns into text only when you ask. THE SYNTAX YOU ALREADY TYPE Wikilinks with autocomplete, note embeds, callouts, YAML properties, a templates folder, a daily note, LaTeX, Mermaid flowcharts and code blocks. Tabs, split panes, floating windows, a command palette and a quick switcher. PLAIN FILES, ON YOUR DEVICE Your notes are files: .md for what you type, .ink for what you write. The vault shows up in the Files app, every notebook exports to PDF or PNG, and the whole vault exports as a zip. Everything works offline, and two devices writing on the same page don't erase each other. A PEN WORTH WRITING WITH Press and the line thickens; tilt the pencil and it shades. Squeeze or double-tap Apple Pencil to switch tools, hover shows where the tip will land, and Pencil Pro's barrel roll turns the nib. Your palm leaves no mark. A different paper on every page. PDFS AND GOODNOTES NOTEBOOKS COME IN Import a PDF and write on top of it. Goodnotes notebooks open as PaperFlow notebooks. WHAT'S FREE, WHAT'S PLUS The notebook is free forever, with no page limit: writing, linking, search, the graph, import and export. That list doesn't shrink. PaperFlow Plus adds sync across your devices with a copy in the cloud, AI that suggests links up to a monthly allowance, and MCP access so your own AI assistant can read and write the vault once you allow it. 7 days free for new subscribers. PAPERFLOW PLUS Monthly or annual subscription with a free trial, renewed automatically until you cancel in your device Settings. The price is shown in the app before you confirm. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://paperflow.dev/privacy/en Support: https://paperflow.dev/support
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: PaperFlow at every 3 days against StarNote's every 2 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. StarNote sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and PaperFlow sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
StarNote ships an update every 2 weeks, PaperFlow every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | StarNote | PaperFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (126 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 74.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 126 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 422 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Onyx International Inc. | Freedom It |
In-app purchases
StarNote
- StarNote AI Trial$0.99
- Templates\Stickers$3.90
- Templates\Stickers$4.49
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- StarNote Lifetime PRO$5.99
- Templates\Stickers$6.69
- Templates\Stickers$7.79
- Templates\Stickers$9.79
- Templates\Stickers$9.99
- Templates\Stickers$12.99
- StarNote AI Pro$22.99
PaperFlow
- PaperFlow Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- PaperFlow Plus (Annual)7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Founder Plan (lifetime)$99.90









