NoteKit vs OpenNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NoteKit
Capture ideas, tasks, and sketches in one place with this note-taking and drawing application. It offers a simple yet powerful interface for writing, organizing notes into folders, and creating drawings or doodles.
- Type notes
- Draw diagrams and doodles
- Organize notes by folders
- Intuitive minimal design
- Free to use
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Introducing NoteKit – the note-taking & drawing app designed to help you capture every idea, task, and sketch seamlessly in one place. Whether you're jotting down quick notes, organizing your to-do lists, or sketching out your creative concepts, NoteKit offers the perfect blend of simplicity and powerful features. Key Features: Write and Draw: Quickly type your notes or unleash your creativity with the all-new drawing tools. Draw diagrams, create doodles, or sketch out your thoughts and ideas. Easy Organization: Sort your notes by folders to keep everything neat and easy to find. Intuitive Interface: The sleek, minimal design ensures a distraction-free experience, so you can focus on what matters most. No matters who you are, NoteKit offers the perfect space to write, draw, and organize everything you need with ZERO fees. Try it today and take your note-taking to the next level!
OpenNotes
Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.
- Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
- PDF import and annotation
- Folder-based organization
- Add images and text
- Local-first data storage
- Export and share notes
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OpenNotes is a simple, free, open-source notes app built for handwriting, PDFs, and focused organization. Create notebooks, import PDFs, write with Apple Pencil, add images or text, organize notes into folders, and export your work when you need it. OpenNotes is local-first and privacy focused. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking. Your notes live on your device, with optional backup to your own iCloud so they survive a lost iPad or a deleted app. Nothing is ever sent to us — your notes stay in your Apple account, readable by no one else.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NoteKit at 5.0 against OpenNotes's 4.4. OpenNotes's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NoteKit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenNotes has 25 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
NoteKit ships an update every 3 days, OpenNotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NoteKit | OpenNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.4 (25 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Huy Nguyen | Mark Miller |
Customer experience
NoteKit
OpenNotes
In-app purchases
NoteKit
No in-app purchases
OpenNotes
No in-app purchases
