Comparison

Infinite Canvas Notes vs Mena

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

Head to head
About

Infinite Canvas Notes

Create an infinite canvas for notes, mind maps, and project planning. Annotate PDFs, draw with Apple Pencil, and organize research visually. Integrates various content types for a flexible workspace.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas for notes and ideas
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Mind mapping and diagram creation
  • Project planning and task management
  • Handwriting conversion to text
  • Import and organize various content types
Features
Read full description

Canvio is a notes, whiteboard, PDF annotation and planning app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Create an infinite canvas where you can write, draw, type, connect ideas, organize research, annotate PDFs, plan projects and keep everything in one flexible workspace. CREATE YOUR OWN CANVAS Start by creating a canvas, naming it and choosing an icon. Use an infinite canvas for open thinking, or choose structured sizes like A4, A5, Letter, iPad or a custom canvas size. Each canvas can also include multiple pages, so one project, subject or idea can stay organized in one place. WRITE, TYPE AND CUSTOMIZE TEXT • Double tap anywhere on the canvas to start writing quickly • Add text with fonts, custom fonts, font size, styles and colors • Customize text background colors, borders and strokes • Place text anywhere and move it freely on the canvas • Use Canvio for class notes, study notes, ideas, planning and visual thinking DRAW WITH APPLE PENCIL • Draw with pen, pencil, marker, highlighter and ruler tools • Use Apple Pencil for smooth handwriting, sketching and annotation • Draw directly on the canvas or inside separate drawing cards • Convert handwriting or drawing text into editable text objects • Use smart shapes to turn rough hand-drawn shapes into clean shapes BUILD MIND MAPS, DIAGRAMS AND FLOWCHARTS • Connect ideas with smooth connectors • Add lines, rectangles, triangles, polygons, circles and arrows • Create mind maps, concept maps, flowcharts and diagrams • Add sticky notes, symbols, images and text blocks • Organize everything with layers, grouping, multi-select, move and delete tools PLAN PROJECTS AND TASKS Canvio is not only for notes. It also helps you plan and organize work visually. • Add to-dos with due dates, priority and subtasks • Use templates for comparison, project boards, mind maps, meeting notes, weekly planning and study planning • Build project boards, research boards, study plans and brainstorming spaces • Keep tasks, notes, diagrams and references together on the same canvas ANNOTATE PDFS AND DOCUMENTS • Open PDFs page by page like a book • Swipe or scroll through PDF pages • Draw, highlight and write directly on PDF pages • Extract PDF pages or content back onto your canvas • Use PDFs together with notes, images, drawings, audio and tasks SCAN, IMPORT AND CAPTURE IDEAS Bring different types of content into one place instead of switching between many apps. • Add images from your gallery or camera • Scan images and turn them into PDF-style documents • Extract text from images using OCR • Add tables for structured information • Record audio notes or import audio files • Play audio directly from the canvas • Add YouTube links and watch videos inside your workspace CUSTOMIZE YOUR WORKSPACE • Choose canvas background palettes • Use dots, grid, lines, columns or blank backgrounds • Switch between light mode and dark mode • Organize large ideas with pages inside each canvas • Zoom in for details or zoom out to see the full picture EXPORT, SHARE AND SYNC When your work is ready, export it easily. • Export the full canvas as PNG or PDF • Save clean, high-quality notes, diagrams, plans and boards • Sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac BUILT FOR STUDENTS, CREATORS AND PROFESSIONALS Students can create study notes, mind maps, PDF annotations, research boards and exam plans. Professionals can plan projects, create meeting notes, organize tasks, build diagrams and present ideas clearly. Creators and designers can collect inspiration, sketch concepts, create mood boards, organize references and brainstorm visually. Canvio gives your ideas more room than a normal notes app. Write by hand, type, draw, annotate, plan, connect and organize everything on one powerful canvas. Free to download. No account is required to start. Create your first canvas and give your ideas room to grow. Terms of Use: https://ak375456.github.io/canvio-site/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://ak375456.github.io/canvio-site/privacy.html

About

Mena

Features
Read full description

Private visual notes for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Build mind maps on an infinite canvas, study with FSRS flashcards, and sync through your private iCloud storage — no account required. Mena is an infinite canvas and visual second brain for iPad. Sketch ideas, build mind maps, embed media, and turn any board into spaced-repetition flashcards you actually review — no account required. Infinite canvas Pan, zoom, and draw with no page limits. Pastel sticky notes, shapes and connectors for mind maps and flowcharts, frames, tables, and 19 polygon shapes. Apple Pencil support with Draw to Shape — sketch a rough shape and Mena snaps it perfect. Every kind of content Drop anything onto your board: sticky notes, rich text and Markdown, code blocks with syntax highlighting, images, PDFs with full page navigation, video, audio files, and live maps. Record voice memos directly on the canvas — ink drawn during recording is seekable by playback time. Web embeds and URL preview cards keep sources right where you need them. Paper templates Note pages come in blank, lined, dotted, and grid. Change one page or every blank page at once, and choose auto, light, or dark paper independently of your system theme. The same page renders identically in the reader, sidebar, overview grid, library thumbnail, and exported PDF. Study with FSRS Turn any deck board into spaced-repetition flashcards. Mena uses FSRS — the most accurate scheduling algorithm available — to surface cards exactly when you need them. Again / Hard / Good / Easy grading with interval preview. Cloze deletion with one tap. Auto-generate flashcards from your notes on-device, no network needed. Study dashboard Track your streak, retention rate, and 14-day due forecast. See today's review count at a glance. Import and export decks Import any .apkg file directly. Mena imports your cards, scheduling data, embedded images, and cloze deletions. Export any deck back as .apkg. Slides & presentation Draw a frame around anything and it becomes a slide. Open the filmstrip panel, jump to any slide, present full-screen, or export the whole deck as a crisp PDF. 6 board types Board — infinite whiteboard. Note — vertical scroll page. Journal — one auto-created page per day. Atlas — a spatial map of all your boards. Document — PDFs, scans and images read page by page and marked up with Apple Pencil. Deck — FSRS study deck with review session. Home screen widgets 4 widget types for home screen and lock screen: Quick Capture (today's note in one tap), Board Preview (live thumbnail of any board), Today's Study (due count, streak, retention), and Deck (per-deck stats). All fully configurable. Share from anywhere A share extension catches text, links, images, PDFs, and videos from any other app — tap Share → Mena, pick a board, done. Private iCloud sync Every board, element, and attachment syncs across your Apple devices through your private iCloud CloudKit database. No Mena account. No third-party cloud server stores your Mena content. Flashcard generation runs on-device. Optional web embeds and Unsplash search connect only when you choose to use them. Mena fits how your brain actually works — capture, connect, and remember. Free & Pro Free covers 3 boards, 3 notes, 3 documents and 5 decks; journals and system boards are never limited. Mena Pro lifts every limit — Pro Monthly and Pro Yearly renew automatically, Pro Lifetime is a one-time purchase. iCloud sync is free on every plan. Pro Monthly and Pro Yearly start with a 1-week free trial for eligible new subscribers; the subscription is charged to your Apple Account when the trial ends unless you cancel at least 24 hours before. Prices appear in the app before you buy, and you can restore purchases at any time. Privacy Policy: https://apps.cihat.dev/mena/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Infinite Canvas Notes4 screens
Mena4 screens

Verdict

The call

Infinite Canvas Notes and Mena are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Infinite Canvas Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Mena 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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Infinite Canvas Notes versus Mena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInfinite Canvas NotesMena
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAftab fazal QayumCihat Salik

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Infinite Canvas Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Canvio Pro$2.991 Month
  • Canvio Pro$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Canvio Local Pro$14.99
  • Lifetime Cloud Upgrade$29.99
  • Canvio Pro Lifetime$59.99
3 purchases

Mena

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly: Flowchart Notes$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly: Diagram & Quiz7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Forever: Concept Mapping$49.99

Questions

Is Infinite Canvas Notes free?
Infinite Canvas Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mena free?
Mena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Infinite Canvas Notes or Mena have ads?
Neither Infinite Canvas Notes nor Mena shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Infinite Canvas Notes or Mena?
Infinite Canvas Notes ships an update every 3 days, and Mena every 3 days. Most recently, Infinite Canvas Notes was updated on October 31, 2026 and Mena on November 8, 2026.

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