# Serious Notebook vs ScribblePad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ScribblePad at none against Serious Notebook's 1. ScribblePad also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Serious Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ScribblePad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Serious Notebook ships an update every 2 weeks, ScribblePad every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Serious Notebook | ScribblePad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribblepad-notes-and-pdf/id6778096521/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 6 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BILGESU KADAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896346142) | [Sagar Seth](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778096523) |

## What reviewers say

### Serious Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/serious-notebook/id6769515671)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |


### ScribblePad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribblepad-notes-and-pdf/id6778096521)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Serious Notebook free?

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

### Is ScribblePad free?

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

### Do Serious Notebook or ScribblePad have ads?

Neither Serious Notebook nor ScribblePad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Serious Notebook or ScribblePad?

Serious Notebook ships an update every 2 weeks, and ScribblePad every 4 days. Most recently, Serious Notebook was updated on September 21, 2026 and ScribblePad on September 23, 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.*