# Notely vs OpenNotes

The clearest difference is rating: Notely at 5.0 against OpenNotes's 4.3. OpenNotes's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Notely holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenNotes has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Notely ships an update every 2 days, OpenNotes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notely | OpenNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471/reviews)** | [4.3 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opennotes-notes-and-pdf-markup/id6771224004/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **16** |
| Positive reviews | — | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 4 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 9 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JUSTIN WEI SUN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874016949) | [Mark Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836539324) |

## What reviewers say

### Notely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### OpenNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opennotes-notes-and-pdf-markup/id6771224004)

Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, PDF import and annotation, Folder-based organization, Add images and text, Local-first data storage, Export and share notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notely free?

Notely is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is OpenNotes free?

OpenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notely or OpenNotes?

Notely is rated higher. Notely averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while OpenNotes averages 4.3 from 16 ratings.

### Do Notely or OpenNotes have ads?

Neither Notely nor OpenNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notely or OpenNotes?

Notely ships an update every 2 days, and OpenNotes every 4 days. Most recently, Notely was updated on September 27, 2026 and OpenNotes on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*