# AINotes vs OpenNotes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: AINotes at 100% against OpenNotes's 60%. AINotes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4). OpenNotes's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

AINotes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenNotes has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of AINotes's written reviews are positive against 60% of OpenNotes's.

AINotes ships an update every 9 days, OpenNotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AINotes | OpenNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ainotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6770277194/reviews)** | [4.4 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opennotes-notes-and-pdf-markup/id6771224004/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 223 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PRODSOFT PTE LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896729840) | [Mark Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836539324) |

## What reviewers say

### AINotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ainotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6770277194)

This app offers a natural handwriting experience on an infinite canvas for note-taking and document annotation. Organize study, work, and creative projects with features like multiple layers, split-screen editing, and PDF annotation. It supports various file formats and offers iCloud sync for seamless device transfer.

**Highlights:** Infinite canvas for freeform ideation, Paper-like handwriting with Apple Pencil support, Annotate PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, and ebooks, Multiple layers for complex editing, Split-screen editing for side-by-side notes, OCR for text recognition from scanned documents, iCloud sync across iPhone and iPad

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### OpenNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opennotes-notes-and-pdf-markup/id6771224004)

Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, PDF import and annotation, Folder-based organization, Add images and text, Local-first data storage, Export and share notes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AINotes free?

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

### Is OpenNotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, AINotes or OpenNotes?

AINotes is rated higher. AINotes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while OpenNotes averages 4.4 from 25 ratings.

### Do AINotes or OpenNotes have ads?

Neither AINotes nor OpenNotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, AINotes or OpenNotes?

AINotes ships an update every 9 days, and OpenNotes every 5 days. Most recently, AINotes was updated on October 5, 2026 and OpenNotes on October 7, 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.*