Comparison

Notely vs Notebook

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 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.

About

Notebook

Features
Read full description

Turn conversations, documents, images, and everyday thoughts into clear, organized notes. Smart Notes gives you one flexible workspace to capture ideas, organize information, and quickly find what matters. Write from scratch, record a conversation, scan printed text, import an image, or sketch freely—then turn that content into a useful note. CAPTURE IDEAS YOUR WAY • Write or paste text into a clean note editor • Record conversations and turn speech into searchable text • Scan documents with your camera • Import images and extract text with OCR • Draw, recognize handwriting, and export your canvas to PDF TURN INFORMATION INTO ACTION Create concise summaries, highlight key ideas, and organize important details into notes that are easier to review and share. Keep the original content alongside the summary whenever you need more context. STAY READY FOR EVERY MEETING Connect Google Calendar or use calendars already available on your iPhone or iPad. View upcoming events and open Google Meet links directly from your workspace. KEEP EVERYTHING ORGANIZED • Search across notes, recordings, and scans • Filter notes by content type • Pin important items for quick access • Edit and revisit saved content • Listen to supported notes with text-to-speech BUILT FOR FOCUS Smart Notes brings writing, recording, scanning, drawing, meetings, and organization into one streamlined experience across iPhone and iPad. Capture the idea now. Organize it when you are ready. Privacy Policy: https://policy.nextteam.site/privacy Terms of Use: https://policy.nextteam.site/term

Screenshots

Notely4 screens
Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notely at every 2 days against Notebook's monthly. Notebook's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Notely versus Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotelyNotebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB163 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJUSTIN WEI SUNNguyen Anh

In-app purchases

None

Notely

No in-app purchases

None

Notebook

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notely free?
Notely is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Notely or Notebook have ads?
Neither Notely nor Notebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notely or Notebook?
Notely ships an update every 2 days, and Notebook monthly. Most recently, Notely was updated on September 27, 2026 and Notebook on September 20, 2026.

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