Comparison

PinNote vs CalibratedNotes

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

Head to head
About

PinNote

Features
Read full description

PinNote turns your daily notes into Live Activities, right there on your Lock Screen, without unlocking your phone. Create a daily note in seconds. It appears instantly on your Lock Screen. Note: iPhone clears Lock Screen notes after up to 12 hours. As long as you open PinNote at least every 12 hours, your notes refresh on their own and stay pinned for good. Nothing is ever lost. FEATURES โ€” Inline editing directly in the list โ€” Gesture-based: swipe to edit or delete, drag to reorder, pull to create โ€” Custom colors, fonts, and text alignment โ€” Up to 5 notes on your Lock Screen at once โ€” Add a note directly from Control Center โ€” one tap, anywhere HOW IT WORKS PinNote is for your daily notes, the quick things you want in sight all day. Each note is a Live Activity. Add a note โ†’ it pins to your Lock Screen. Done with it โ†’ swipe it away and it will appear as "done". Tick a note to switch it between to do and done. Only to dos show on your Lock Screen. Clear one from your Lock Screen and it's marked done automatically. FREE TRIAL Try every feature free for 7 days. After that, choose your plan: โ€” One-time purchase: unlock forever, no recurring fees. โ€” Monthly plan: low monthly subscription, cancel anytime. Made with love in Brussels, by Quentin Hocdรฉ. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

CalibratedNotes

Features
Read full description

CalibratedNotes Capture ideas, solve problems, and organize everything in one powerful digital notebook. CalibratedNotes combines the freedom of handwriting with intuitive organization to help you take better notes. Whether you're recording lecture notes, solving mathematical equations, sketching engineering concepts, or planning projects, CalibratedNotes provides a clean, distraction-free workspace designed to keep you focused. Create notebooks for school, work, or personal use, customize your pages, and keep everything organized exactly the way you want. Write Naturally Enjoy a responsive handwriting experience with adjustable pen sizes, multiple ink colors, a highlighter, and an eraser. Every tool is designed to make writing feel comfortable, whether you're taking quick notes or filling pages with detailed calculations and sketches. Stay Organized Create unlimited notebooks, organize them into folders, customize notebook colors, and quickly switch between subjects or projects. As your collection grows, finding your notes remains simple and efficient. Custom Page Templates Choose the page layout that fits your work. Select from blank, lined, dotted, graph, and grid paper for everything from lecture notes to engineering drawings, mathematical calculations, bullet journals, and project planning. Handwriting & Text Combine handwritten notes with movable text boxes to create organized, professional-looking pages. Easily add mathematical and scientific symbols whenever you need them. Draw and Sketch Create engineering diagrams, graphs, charts, flowcharts, geometric figures, scientific illustrations, and technical sketches directly within your notebooks. Keep drawings and written notes together for a more organized workflow. Built for STEM CalibratedNotes makes it easy to organize engineering calculations, mathematical equations, scientific notes, laboratory observations, and technical diagrams in one place. Perfect for documenting complex ideas while keeping everything neat and easy to review. Flexible Pages Add, duplicate, and delete pages whenever you need. Whether you're writing a single page or an entire semester's worth of notes, your notebooks grow with your ideas. Customize Your Workspace Personalize notebook colors, organize folders your way, and choose page templates that match your workflow. CalibratedNotes adapts to your style instead of forcing you into a fixed layout. Features Writing Smooth handwriting Adjustable pen sizes Multiple pen colors Highlighter tool Eraser tool Organization Unlimited notebooks Unlimited pages Folder organization Custom notebook colors Fast notebook navigation Page Templates Blank paper Lined paper Dotted paper Graph paper Grid paper Productivity Movable text boxes Mathematical symbols Scientific symbols Duplicate pages Delete pages Drawing Engineering diagrams Graphs and charts Flowcharts Technical sketches Scientific illustrations Geometric drawings Whether you're taking notes in class, solving equations, sketching ideas, planning projects, or organizing your daily tasks, CalibratedNotes provides a flexible workspace designed to help you write naturally and keep everything in one place. Download CalibratedNotes today and experience a smarter way to write, organize, and create. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

PinNote4 screens
CalibratedNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CalibratedNotes at every 2 days against PinNote's every 2 weeks. CalibratedNotes also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. PinNote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month and CalibratedNotes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PinNote ships an update every 2 weeks, CalibratedNotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on August 20, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
PinNote versus CalibratedNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPinNoteCalibratedNotes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS18.615.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQuentin HocdeAIDEN JASON SEXTON

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PinNote

Subscriptions1
  • PinNote Monthly$2.001 Month
One-time1
  • PinNote Lifetime$5.99
1 purchases

CalibratedNotes

Subscriptions1
  • CalibratedNotes Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is PinNote free?
PinNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is CalibratedNotes free?
CalibratedNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PinNote or CalibratedNotes have ads?
Neither PinNote nor CalibratedNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PinNote or CalibratedNotes?
PinNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and CalibratedNotes every 2 days. Most recently, PinNote was updated on August 20, 2026 and CalibratedNotes on September 12, 2026.

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