Comparison

HandyNote vs ScribblePad

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

Head to head
About

HandyNote

Features
Read full description

*New for iOS 26 user: note transcribe (voice to text). HandyNote is a powerful but easy to use note taking app. Whether you are a student taking exams, a professional managing projects, or a creator sketching out ideas, HandyNote combines powerhouse features with a beautifully simple interface. A note in HandyNote includes title, rich text content, (optional) drawing on canvas or photo from album, voice recording and pdf attachment. Rich text content supports text translation. User can also change text styling, text font, text size and text color, etc. Content input also support live camera to text. Text content support text to speech for easy review on the road. HandyNote supports using stylus pen on ipad and finger drawing on iphone. Sketch drawing can directly share or upload. Optional audio recording supports built-in mic, bluetooth mic and bluetooth earbuds for voice recording. You can record your own voice anywhere, hand-free. User can generate PDF for each note. PDF will include title, rich text content, and optional sketch drawing. Another user of HandyNote can import the PDF through ios Files app, as an attachment. So, you can share HandyNote content to students or teammates. HandyNote support category and tags for easy search. Notes are auto sorted by category and title. Search your notes by title, or one click to show notes with tag. Each HandyNote can further add "Status" for each note, such as "Favorite", "Urgent", "Closed", etc, for easy reference. Widget is also supported by HandyNote. User can choose what notes to display in widget, such as "Favorite" status. HandyNote supports auto iCloud Sync. User can start creating a new note on iPhone with text content and voice recording, then continue with iPad sketch drawing. It is automatically, privately, sync using your own iCloud. Privacy Policy: https://wimlog.com/privacy Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ScribblePad

A private, free note-taking and PDF annotation app for Apple devices. It offers natural handwriting, organization tools, and optional cloud backup to your own storage. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Organize notes with subjects and notebooks
  • On-device handwriting search (OCR)
  • Audio recording synced to notes
  • Optional Google Drive/iCloud backup
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

The free, private note app for iPhone, iPad & Mac. No subscription, no account, no tracking — just fast handwriting, PDF markup, and backup to YOUR own cloud. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, organize notes into colorful subjects, and keep everything synced to your own Google Drive or iCloud. Nothing lives on our servers — your notes stay yours. WRITING & TOOLS • Smooth, low-latency ink (PencilKit) — pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso • Pinch to zoom, palm rejection, and ruler • Add text boxes, shapes, images, and stickers on top of your ink ORGANIZE • Subjects → notebooks → pages, drag to reorder • Templates: blank, ruled, grid, dotted + your own custom pages • Search your handwriting instantly with on-device OCR PDF & IMPORT/EXPORT • Import and annotate PDFs • Export as PDF, PNG, or the native .scribble format • Share notes with other ScribblePad users AUDIO • Record audio synced to your strokes — replay your notes in time PRIVATE BACKUP & SYNC (OPTIONAL) • Back up to your own Google Drive (the app only sees files it creates) or iCloud • Works fully offline — the cloud is yours, not ours No sign-up. No ads. No data collection. Just a beautiful place to think.

Screenshots

HandyNote4 screens
ScribblePad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ScribblePad at none against HandyNote's 4. ScribblePad also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. HandyNote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ScribblePad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HandyNote ships an update fortnightly, ScribblePad every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
HandyNote versus ScribblePad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandyNoteScribblePad
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWimlogSagar Seth

In-app purchases

4 purchases

HandyNote

Subscriptions3
  • 1 month subscription service$1.991 Month
  • 3 months subscription service$5.993 Months
  • 1 year subscription service$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Canvas Wallpaper$2.99
None

ScribblePad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HandyNote free?
HandyNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ScribblePad free?
ScribblePad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HandyNote or ScribblePad have ads?
HandyNote shows ads; ScribblePad does not.
Which is updated more often, HandyNote or ScribblePad?
HandyNote ships an update fortnightly, and ScribblePad every 4 days. Most recently, HandyNote was updated on October 5, 2026 and ScribblePad on September 23, 2026.

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