Notely vs OpenNotes

Notely is a private, flexible notebook for handwriting, typed notes, PDFs, and visual thinking on iPad and iPhone. Write naturally, clean up a page when you choose, and keep your work available without an account or internet connection. TURN HANDWRITING INTO EDITABLE TEXT Tap the handwriting button to convert canvas writing fully on device. Matched pen and pencil strokes become fitted, editable text immediately in one undoable step. Unmatched ink stays on the page, and unreadable handwriting is never removed. You can also scan physical pages or import photos as typed text. DRAW WITH PRECISION Use pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso, shape recognition, and a resizable ruler. Zoom from a full-page overview into extreme detail while curves and typed text stay crisp. Pan with one finger when finger drawing is off. Apple Pencil pressure, hover, double tap, and squeeze are supported on compatible hardware, and smart Pencil gestures are customizable. REAL PAGES OR AN INFINITE CANVAS Add, duplicate, reorder, name, section, bookmark, and delete pages while ink, text, images, and sticky notes move together. Intentional blank pages stay in exports. Prefer open space? Switch to a seamless whiteboard instead. Imported PDF pages remain protected and navigation-only. FIND WHAT YOU WROTE Search titles, typed text, sticky notes, handwriting, images, and PDF text with a private on-device index. Results include highlighted context and page or source details. Unlocked note titles and typed text can also appear in system Spotlight; locked and trashed notes stay excluded. TEXT THAT STAYS TIDY Place and move text boxes with a finger or Apple Pencil. Text boxes fit their contents automatically instead of stretching across the page. Use headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, lists, checklists, fonts, sizes, and colors. Resize a block manually whenever you want a fixed layout. ANNOTATE PDFS AND SCANS Import PDFs from Files and mark them up with the same drawing and text tools. Add images, scan physical pages, or recognize text from Photos. Export paged notes as PDF or as individual PNG pages. ORGANIZE A LARGE LIBRARY Use color-coded folders and subfolders, favorites, templates, trash recovery, modified/created/title sorting, grid or list layouts, and multi-select actions. Move, favorite, export, trash, restore, or permanently delete several notes together. New notes open as soon as they are created while the library updates in the background. MOVE BETWEEN IDEAS Keep several notes open, switch between them, close individual notes, or open another existing note without returning to the library. Copy, cut, and paste mixed lasso selections across open notes. Focus Mode hides the interface when you want only the page. PORTABLE, VALIDATED BACKUPS Back up one note, a selection, a folder, or the full library to a portable Notely archive, then restore it additively without overwriting existing notes. Attachments and archive contents are validated before restore. Locked notes are never placed into a portable backup unless you remove their lock first. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Notely works offline and stores notes locally on your device. There is no required account, cloud sync, analytics, or personal-data collection. Lock individual notes with Face ID or a password when you want another layer of privacy. MORE TO EXPLORE - Quick Note and Recent Notes actions in Shortcuts - A configurable Study Buddy widget with quick capture and recent unlocked notes - Drawing replay with speed and timeline controls - Per-orientation toolbar placement with a visible drag handle - A consistent light interface designed around paper and ink - Letter, A4, portrait, landscape, and paper-style defaults Apple Pencil, hover, squeeze, Face ID, camera scanning, Spotlight, and Shortcuts features require compatible hardware and system support.

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, no tracking, no cloud sync, and your notes never leave your device unless you choose to export or share them.