# Papyrus vs Glass Notes

The clearest difference is monetization model: Glass Notes at free against Papyrus's free with in-app purchases. Papyrus's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Papyrus sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Glass Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Papyrus against 5.0 for Glass Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Papyrus ships an update weekly, Glass Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papyrus | Glass Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyrus-research-library/id6766133716/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glass-notes-private-notepad/id6790164760/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 8 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 29 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zhenda Fu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896207907) | [Birkan Aksoy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1626910993) |

## What reviewers say

### Papyrus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papyrus-research-library/id6766133716)

Organize, annotate, and cite research papers within a native Apple ecosystem. This workspace allows you to import PDFs and citation records, take notes, and manage your reading collections as structured projects. It offers local-first storage with optional cloud sync and various export formats.

**Highlights:** Read and annotate PDFs, Organize citation records, Take Markdown notes, Search entire library, Create structured projects, Local-first storage, Optional iCloud/WebDAV sync

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Papyrus Lifetime Unlock | $3.99 | one-time |
| Papyrus Lifetime Unlock | $5.99 | one-time |


### Glass Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/glass-notes-private-notepad/id6790164760)

Capture thoughts with visually appealing glass cards that change color based on their background. Organize notes with color tags, checklists, and folders. Protect your private entries with Face ID and access them easily via home screen widgets.

**Highlights:** Visually appealing glass card design, Color-coded note organization, Interactive checklists, Folder-based note grouping, Face ID/Passcode protection, Home screen widgets, Private data storage

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Glass Notes Full Access | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Papyrus free?

Papyrus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Glass Notes free?

Glass Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Papyrus or Glass Notes?

Papyrus and Glass Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Papyrus or Glass Notes have ads?

Neither Papyrus nor Glass Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Papyrus or Glass Notes?

Papyrus ships an update weekly, and Glass Notes every 8 days. Most recently, Papyrus was updated on October 24, 2026 and Glass Notes on October 25, 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.*