Comparison

NoteSam vs Folio

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

Head to head
About

NoteSam

Features
Read full description

NoteSam — Handwritten Notes for iPad Built by a mathematician who needed a handwriting notebook that actually kept up with the Apple Pencil. Couldn't find one. Wrote it. Private by design. Your notes live on your device. Sync goes only where you point it — iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV, S3, SFTP. Your note content is never shared or used for ads. The free version offers optional rewarded ads to unlock premium items; Pro has no ads. WRITING • Native PencilKit engine tuned for low-latency Apple Pencil • Vector strokes — infinite zoom, no pixelation • Pressure + tilt sensitivity • Palm rejection that just works READING & ANNOTATION • PDF import — annotate textbooks, contracts, lecture notes • EPUB reader with text-anchored highlights that survive font-size changes • Voice memos attached to the page ORGANIZATION • Unlimited folders and notebooks • Template marketplace — grid, dot, music, planner, more • OCR search across handwritten notes PRIVACY End-to-end encryption (AES-256-GCM + Argon2id). Your cloud provider sees ciphertext only. Analytics records a few in-app events such as sign-up and purchase, and our ad partners measure ad performance — never the content of your notes. Your handwriting, your PDFs, your voice memos — those never leave your device unless you sync them yourself. OFFLINE-FIRST Everything works without a network connection. Sync is additive. Free tier: unlimited notebooks, PDF + EPUB import, all core drawing tools. Pro unlocks the template marketplace and multi-provider sync. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Custom Terms: https://notesam.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://notesam.app/privacy

About

Folio

Features
Read full description

Write a note in Markdown and see it laid out as a real page — then export it when it is ready. Folio is for people who already write in Markdown, including Obsidian vaults. The preview is paginated, so you can check margins, page breaks, and the finished reading experience as you write. WRITE AND PREVIEW • See your note on a page with margins and page breaks, not only as a continuous web preview • Use Markdown and Obsidian-style callouts, wikilinks, highlights, tags, properties, math, and Mermaid diagrams • Link a notes folder to resolve embedded images and notes on your device • Start from a blank page or a built-in template STYLE AND EXPORT • Choose from 16 built-in themes and 20 typefaces • Export PDF, Word (.docx), EPUB, RTF, or plain text • Share a Markdown file into Folio or convert with Shortcuts • Save back to the original file or replace the last export in the same folder FREE AND FOLIO PRO Writing, live preview, built-in themes, and Markdown features are free. Your first three PDF exports are free. Folio Pro unlocks unlimited PDF exports, Word, EPUB, RTF, and the custom theme builder. Folio Pro is available monthly, annually, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The annual plan includes a 7-day free trial. Subscription terms and the current price are shown before purchase. No account is required. Folio renders documents on your device; notes are not uploaded for preview or export. You choose when to export or share a file. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

NoteSam3 screens
Folio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Folio at none against NoteSam's shown. Folio also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. NoteSam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Folio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoteSam ships an update every 3 months, Folio every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
NoteSam versus Folio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteSamFolio
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCryptosam LLCRUEBEN ANSOLIWEN AKANKOBATENG

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NoteSam

Subscriptions2
  • NoteSam Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • NoteSam Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Folio

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is NoteSam free?
NoteSam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Folio free?
Folio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NoteSam or Folio have ads?
NoteSam shows ads; Folio does not.
Which is updated more often, NoteSam or Folio?
NoteSam ships an update every 3 months, and Folio every 3 weeks. Most recently, NoteSam was updated on October 14, 2026 and Folio on October 9, 2026.

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