Comparison

Notes for iPad vs OpenNotes

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

Head to head
About

Notes for iPad

Transform your iPad into a digital notebook with a natural writing experience using Apple Pencil. Organize your life with over 60 templates, add stickers, and sync across devices. Perfect for students, professionals, and creatives.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • 60+ professionally designed templates
  • Extensive sticker library and import options
  • Unlimited notebooks with custom covers
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Export notes as PDF
Features
Read full description

Your perfect digital notebook. Notes for iPad Pencil Planner is a beautifully designed note-taking app that transforms your iPad into an endless paper canvas. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, plan your life with stunning templates, and organize everything in one place. Whether you're a student capturing lectures, a professional planning projects, or a creative sketching ideas — Notes for iPad is the essential tool to capture, organize, and bring your thoughts to life. YOUR ALL-IN-ONE DIGITAL NOTEBOOK • Write, sketch, and draw with realistic Apple Pencil support • Choose from multiple pen styles, colors, and thicknesses • Add typed text with customizable fonts and formatting • Mix handwriting with images and stickers seamlessly 60+ PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED TEMPLATES • Daily planners and to-do lists to organize your day • Weekly and monthly calendars for long-term planning • Habit trackers to build better routines • Meal planners and grocery lists for healthy eating • Workout logs and fitness trackers to reach your goals • Budget sheets and expense trackers for financial control • Meeting notes and project planning templates • And many more — new templates added regularly STICKERS & PERSONALIZATION • 1000+ beautiful stickers to decorate your notes • Categories: productivity, wellness, celebrations, seasons • Import your own photos and custom stickers • Resize, rotate, and layer elements freely STAY ORGANIZED YOUR WAY • Create unlimited notebooks for different areas of life • Convenient sidebar for quick page navigation • Custom covers and colors for each notebook • Archive completed notebooks to keep things tidy SYNC & SHARE • iCloud sync keeps your notes updated across devices • Export any page or entire notebook as PDF • Share your notes via email, AirDrop, or any app DESIGNED FOR COMFORT • Beautiful dark mode for nighttime note-taking • Clean, distraction-free interface • Optimized specifically for iPad's large display • Smooth, lag-free performance Your ideas deserve a beautiful home. Notes for iPad combines the freedom of paper with the power of digital — giving you the perfect space to plan, create, and organize your life. Support: hello@britetodo.com Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ A subscription or one-time purchase is required to access premium templates and features. Weekly, Yearly, and Lifetime Access options are available.

About

OpenNotes

A free, open-source note-taking app designed for handwriting and PDF annotation. Organize notes into folders, import documents, and export your work. It prioritizes privacy with local-first storage and optional iCloud backups.

Highlights
  • Handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Add images and text
  • Folder organization
  • Local-first privacy
  • Optional iCloud backup
  • Export notes
Features
Read full description

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

OpenNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenNotes at none against Notes for iPad's 6. OpenNotes also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 40%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Notes for iPad's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (401 vs 39). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notes for iPad sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. OpenNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notes for iPad holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes for iPad has 401 ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Notes for iPad's written reviews are positive against 67% of OpenNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes for iPad ships an update every 2 weeks, OpenNotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Notes for iPad versus OpenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotes for iPadOpenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (401 ratings) — better4.4 (39 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings401 — better39
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrite Technologies LLCMark Miller

Customer experience

Notes for iPad

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

OpenNotes

All ratings38 ratings
Positive84.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Notes for iPad

Subscriptions5
  • Notes for iPad - weekly$5.997 Days
  • Weekly Plus$7.997 Days
  • Monthly3 Days trial$17.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Notes for iPad for a year3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$39.99
None

OpenNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notes for iPad free?
Notes for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenNotes free?
OpenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notes for iPad or OpenNotes?
Notes for iPad is rated higher. Notes for iPad averages 4.6 out of 5 from 401 ratings, while OpenNotes averages 4.4 from 39 ratings.
Do Notes for iPad or OpenNotes have ads?
Neither Notes for iPad nor OpenNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notes for iPad or OpenNotes?
Notes for iPad ships an update every 2 weeks, and OpenNotes every 5 days. Most recently, Notes for iPad was updated on November 9, 2026 and OpenNotes on November 10, 2026.

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