Notely vs YouNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notely
This app offers a private and flexible digital notebook for handwriting, typed notes, and PDF annotation. Convert handwriting to editable text, draw with precision tools, and organize your work with folders and backups. Keep ideas accessible without an account or internet connection.
- Handwriting to editable text conversion
- Precision drawing tools
- PDF annotation and markup
- Organized library with folders
- On-device search
- Portable backups
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Notely is a notebook for iPad and iPhone that feels like paper and keeps everything on your device. Write by hand, mark up PDFs, record a lecture while you take notes, then study from what you wrote. There's no account and no cloud. Your notes stay where you wrote them. New in 1.4 Notely has a hand-drawn look now, with drawn icons and handwritten headings. I also rebuilt the pencil from scratch. It picks up the grain of the paper and responds to pressure, and if you tilt Apple Pencil on its side it shades like a real one. Record the lecture with your notes Press record and keep writing. Notely transcribes on your device as you go and remembers when each stroke was written. Later, tap a line of ink and the audio jumps to what was being said at that moment. Tapping a line in the transcript works too. Transcription depends on on-device speech support for your language and device. If it isn't available, Notely still saves the audio. Study from your own notes Make flashcards yourself, or lay tape over part of a page and quiz yourself on what's underneath. Cards come back on a spaced review schedule, and you can turn on reminders for when they're due. On devices with Apple Intelligence, Notely can also draft cards from a note and answer questions about it, with a link back to the page each answer came from. You review every draft before it's saved. Handwriting that turns into text Tap the handwriting button and Notely turns your writing into typed text, on the device. Anything it can't read confidently stays as ink. Search also looks inside your handwriting, typed text and PDFs. Pages or open space Use Letter or A4 pages, or switch a note to an infinite canvas when you need room to think. There's always a blank page waiting at the end, and if you don't use it, it's left out when you export. Templates include Cornell notes, dot grid, lab reports, math and physics pages, and music staff. Import PDFs and write on them, or scan paper pages with the camera. Private by default Notely works offline, with no analytics and no ads. Lock any note with Face ID or a password. Locked notes are kept out of Spotlight search and the widget. A few more things - Export pages as PDF or PNG - Back up notes to a .vectora archive and restore them without overwriting anything - Bring notebooks over from Goodnotes or Notability (PDF exports work best; native import is experimental) - A home screen widget with recent notes and a New note button - Shortcuts actions to create a quick note or open recent notes - Folders, tags and smart collections Notely is made by one person. If something bugs you, the support page reaches me directly.
YouNotes
This digital note-taking app helps you organize thoughts for learning, work, and creativity. Create personalized notebooks, draw on a freeform canvas, and brainstorm with mind maps. It offers a smooth and reliable experience for all your note-taking needs.
- Personalized notebooks with custom covers
- Freeform canvas for writing and drawing
- Whiteboard mode with zooming
- Mind map creation for idea organization
- Insert images, text, and shapes
- Flexible editing tools
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YouNotes is a digital note-taking app designed for learning, work, and creative thinking. Everything you need is in one place—notes, PDF annotation, an infinite whiteboard, mind maps, text documents, and more. In addition to Apple's built-in drawing tools, YouNotes provides a complete set of creative tools including Lasso Selection, Text, Mind Map, Shapes, and a Laser Pointer, making handwriting, annotation, organization, and layout feel more natural and intuitive. With YouNotes, you can enjoy: • Infinite Canvas Combine mind maps, handwritten notes, images, stickers, and shapes on an unlimited canvas where your ideas can grow without boundaries. • Mind Maps Create expressive mind maps by freely mixing text, images, and handwriting, making your ideas more visual, flexible, and engaging. • Seamless Sync Across Devices Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud Sync, so your notes are always available wherever you are. • Multiple Interaction Modes Choose between Apple Pencil Mode, Finger Drawing Mode, and Reading Mode to match the way you like to work. • Teaching & Presentations Use the built-in Laser Pointer to highlight important content during classes, meetings, or presentations. • Dark Mode Enjoy a comfortable viewing experience at night while reducing eye strain and helping extend battery life. From a simple idea, to a single page of notes, to an entire knowledge system, YouNotes is designed to be your quiet, reliable creative companion—helping every thought become clearer and every note more meaningful. Looking Ahead Traditional note-taking is about recording information, organizing it yourself, and searching for answers on your own. As YouNotes continues to evolve, my vision is to transform it into an AI-powered notebook built for the future. More than just a place to write, YouNotes will integrate powerful AI capabilities that actively support your learning—from capturing ideas to understanding concepts, from asking questions to finding answers. Every note will become more valuable as AI helps organize knowledge, explain complex topics, and solve problems—like having a personal tutor by your side whenever you need one. Privacy Policy: https://younote.aiyue.pro/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: YouNotes at 100% against Notely's 33%. YouNotes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4). Notely's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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. YouNotes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. Notely asks for nothing beyond the download.
YouNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Notely's written reviews are positive against 100% of YouNotes's.
Notely ships an update every 4 days, YouNotes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notely | YouNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (8 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JUSTIN WEI SUN | Yangjiang AiYue Information Technology Co., LTD |
Customer experience
Notely
YouNotes
In-app purchases
Notely
No in-app purchases
YouNotes
- Annual Membership$2.991 Year
- Lifetime Membership$5.99









