Comparison

Pearnotes vs ShortShot

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

Head to head
About

Pearnotes

Features
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ASK YOUR NOTES - Save a drawing, photo, or PDF and the title, summary, and tags are filled in. - Ask a question and get an answer from your notes. Available where Apple Intelligence is enabled. PDFS AND PHOTOS - Add a PDF to a note and annotate it page by page, then share it as a PDF or a PNG. - Add a photo as the canvas background and draw on top of it. - Write and sketch with Apple Pencil, Apple Pencil Pro, or your finger. - Pearnotes can open onto a blank page. TIMERS AND D-DAY Set a countdown, a time, or a date, in any timezone. Recurring timers show D-Day. Color changes as the time gets close. Pin a timer to a widget. ICLOUD SYNC Notes and timers stay in sync over iCloud. Access them on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

About

ShortShot

Features
Read full description

ShortShot is built for photos that are useful right now and meaningless later. Instead of filling your photo library with one-off pictures of locker numbers, parking locations, hotel room doors, or temporary notes, ShortShot keeps those photos separate and easy to reach. Open the app, take the picture, and it stays available exactly for as long as you need it. When you come back soon after, or return to the same place, ShortShot can immediately surface the most relevant active photo again so it is ready when you need it. When you are done, delete it with one tap. If you prefer, ShortShot can also remove expired reminder photos automatically.

Screenshots

Pearnotes4 screens
ShortShot3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Pearnotes at 17.6 against ShortShot's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pearnotes ships an update every 10 days, ShortShot every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Pearnotes versus ShortShot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPearnotesShortShot
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size7 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBraveyo LLCJens Krueger

In-app purchases

None

Pearnotes

No in-app purchases

None

ShortShot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pearnotes free?
Pearnotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShortShot free?
ShortShot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pearnotes or ShortShot have ads?
Neither Pearnotes nor ShortShot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pearnotes or ShortShot?
Pearnotes ships an update every 10 days, and ShortShot every 5 days. Most recently, Pearnotes was updated on October 30, 2026 and ShortShot on October 25, 2026.

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