Comparison

NoteBox vs NoteSam

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

Head to head
About

NoteBox

Features
Read full description

NoteBox is A simple and efficient notebook app designed to help you capture ideas, organize thoughts, and manage daily life with ease. Whether it’s study notes, work records, to-do lists, or personal moments, everything can be saved and found in one place. With a clean and intuitive interface, the app lets you focus on writing without distractions. Open it, start typing, and never lose an important thought again. Key Features β€’ Quick Notes β€” Create notes instantly and capture ideas anytime β€’ Smart Organization β€” Organize notes with folders or tags β€’ Easy Search β€” Find what you need quickly with keyword search β€’ Multi-Purpose Use β€” Perfect for study, work, and daily notes β€’ Minimal Design β€” Clean layout for a smooth writing experience Whether you’re a student, professional, or someone who loves writing things down, this notebook app is your reliable companion for staying organized and productive.

About

NoteSam

Features
Read full description

NoteSam β€” Handwritten Notes for iPad Built by a mathematician who needed a handwriting notebook that actually kept up with the Apple Pencil. Couldn't find one. Wrote it. Private by design. Your notes live on your device. Sync goes only where you point it β€” iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, S3, SFTP. Your note content is never shared or used for ads. The free version offers optional rewarded ads to unlock premium items; Pro has no ads. WRITING β€’ Native PencilKit engine tuned for low-latency Apple Pencil β€’ Vector strokes β€” infinite zoom, no pixelation β€’ Pressure + tilt sensitivity β€’ Palm rejection that just works READING & ANNOTATION β€’ PDF import β€” annotate textbooks, contracts, lecture notes β€’ EPUB reader with text-anchored highlights that survive font-size changes β€’ Voice memos attached to the page ORGANIZATION β€’ Unlimited folders and notebooks β€’ Template marketplace β€” grid, dot, music, planner, more β€’ OCR search across handwritten notes PRIVACY End-to-end encryption (AES-256-GCM + Argon2id). Your cloud provider sees ciphertext only. Analytics records a few in-app events such as sign-up and purchase, and our ad partners measure ad performance β€” never the content of your notes. Your handwriting, your PDFs, your voice memos β€” those never leave your device unless you sync them yourself. OFFLINE-FIRST Everything works without a network connection. Sync is additive. Free tier: unlimited notebooks, PDF + EPUB import, all core drawing tools. Pro unlocks the template marketplace and multi-provider sync. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Custom Terms: https://notesam.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://notesam.app/privacy

Screenshots

NoteBox4 screens
NoteSam3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NoteBox at none against NoteSam's 2. NoteBox also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. NoteSam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. NoteBox asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoteBox ships an update every 4 days, NoteSam every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
NoteBox versus NoteSam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteBoxNoteSam
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days β€” betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size19 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerιšι¦™ ζž—Cryptosam LLC

In-app purchases

None

NoteBox

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

NoteSam

Subscriptions2
  • NoteSam Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • NoteSam Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is NoteBox free?
NoteBox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NoteSam free?
NoteSam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NoteBox or NoteSam have ads?
Both NoteBox and NoteSam show ads.
Which is updated more often, NoteBox or NoteSam?
NoteBox ships an update every 4 days, and NoteSam every 3 months. Most recently, NoteBox was updated on November 13, 2026 and NoteSam on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons