Comparison

Notely vs AINotes

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Handwriting to editable text conversion
  • Precision drawing tools
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Organized library with folders
  • On-device search
  • Portable backups
Features
Read full description

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.

About

AINotes

Capture ideas naturally with a professional note-taking and document annotation app. Enjoy smooth, paper-like handwriting on an infinite canvas with features like layers, split-screen editing, and extensive import/export options. Organize your study, work, and creative projects effortlessly.

Highlights
  • Paper-like handwriting with Apple Pencil support
  • Infinite canvas for freeform ideation
  • Multi-layer editing for complex content
  • Annotate PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, and ebooks
  • OCR for text recognition from scanned documents
  • Organize notes with folders and templates
  • iCloud sync and local backups
Features
Read full description

AINotes is a professional note-taking and document annotation app for iPad and iPhone, with smooth, paper-like handwriting. Use Apple Pencil, an infinite canvas, freeform layout, multiple layers, and split-screen editing to capture ideas naturally and keep your study, work, and creative projects organized. AINotes is currently free to use, with no subscription required for its core features. WRITE NATURALLY • Optimized for iPhone and every iPad size, with pressure sensitivity and tilt support on compatible Apple Pencil models • Write and draw with a fountain pen, ballpoint pen, brush pen, or pencil • Use a highlighter, shapes, magnifier, laser pointer, ruler, and other precision tools • Customize stroke colors, widths, and styles, then refine content with the precision eraser and lasso tools THINK WITHOUT LIMITS • Create structured paged notes or explore ideas freely on an infinite canvas • Zoom and pan smoothly to organize outlines, build mind maps, plan projects, and develop creative sketches • Freely move, resize, and rotate handwriting, text, images, and shapes • Use multiple layers to edit complex content independently, and view or edit multiple notes side by side READ & ANNOTATE MULTIPLE FORMATS • Import PDF, DOC, and PPT files; Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents; and ebooks in EPUB, MOBI, and AZW3 formats • Read imported documents and ebooks, then add handwriting, highlights, shapes, text, and comments • Import screenshots, photos, worksheets, exam papers, and other images, then crop, resize, rotate, and arrange them freely • When you need to capture paper content, scan documents, recognize text with OCR, and use smart correction and filters for clearer results • Export finished work as a PDF, individual images, or a single long image STAY ORGANIZED, MAKE IT YOUR OWN • Organize classes, projects, meetings, and personal notes with folders • Search note titles and content to quickly find what you need • Personalize notes with beautiful covers and ruled, grid, dot grid, blank, Cornell note, and other paper templates • Write comfortably in low light with Dark Mode • Sync notes between iPhone and iPad with iCloud, and create local backups that you can restore when needed FREE TO USE • No subscription or payment is required to access the core features • Work offline and capture ideas wherever you are • Export and share in multiple formats while keeping control of your notes and backups BUILT FOR STUDY, WORK & CREATIVITY Use AINotes for classroom notes, reviewing mistakes, lesson planning, handout annotation, meeting notes, document review, ebook reading, study notes, project planning, digital journaling, creative sketches, and everyday inspiration. Start using AINotes today—write naturally, think without limits, and turn every idea into something clear and useful. For technical support or feedback, contact us: Email: feedback@prodsoft.net Privacy Policy: https://www.prodsoft.net/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.prodsoft.net/terms_of_use.html

Screenshots

Notely4 screens
AINotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notely and AINotes both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of AINotes's written reviews are positive against 33% of Notely's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Notely against 4.5 for AINotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of Notely's written reviews are positive against 100% of AINotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notely ships an update every 5 days, AINotes every 9 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Notely versus AINotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotelyAINotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8 ratings)4.5 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings810 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB188 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJUSTIN WEI SUNPRODSOFT PTE LTD

Customer experience

Notely

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

AINotes

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Notely

No in-app purchases

None

AINotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notely free?
Notely is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AINotes free?
AINotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notely or AINotes?
AINotes is rated higher. Notely averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while AINotes averages 4.5 from 10 ratings.
Do Notely or AINotes have ads?
Neither Notely nor AINotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notely or AINotes?
Notely ships an update every 5 days, and AINotes every 9 days. Most recently, Notely was updated on October 31, 2026 and AINotes on October 31, 2026.

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