Comparison

University Notes vs Stargazer

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

Head to head
About

University Notes

This app transforms your handwritten or typed notes into effective study materials. It offers multiple methods for active recall and memorization, including hiding information with colored sheets, highlighting, and digital tape. Organize your notes with folders and annotate PDFs directly.

Highlights
  • Active recall study methods
  • Handwritten and typed notes
  • PDF annotation
  • Memorization sheets
  • Digital tape for hiding answers
  • Note organization with folders
  • Customizable pens and highlighters
Features
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Handwritten notes for studying, active recall, and exam prep Turn the notes you already take into study material you can actually use. Write by hand or type, organize class and lecture notes, annotate PDFs, build study guides, hide key information, and test yourself before quizzes, midterms, finals, entrance exams, and professional certification exams. Use your own notes for active recall, review, and exam preparation instead of simply storing information. □ 4 ways to study with your own notes 1. Memorize key information with colors Write important words, definitions, formulas, dates, or vocabulary in orange, blue, or other colors using handwriting or keyboard text. Place the Memorization Sheet over your notes to hide the answers. Try to recall the information first, then reveal it to check yourself. Long-press the icon to change the sheet color. 2. Hide highlighted sections for active recall Highlight important sentences, diagrams, anatomy charts, or sections of PDF textbooks and lecture materials. In Memorization Mode, choose which highlighter colors are hidden. For example, use yellow for regular emphasis and red for material you want to memorize. 3. Keep questions and answers on separate layers Write questions, answers, and explanations on different layers. Hide the answer layer, test yourself, rewrite your response, and practice the same digital worksheet again. 4. Cover answers with digital tape Use the Tape tool in Memorization Mode to cover definitions, formulas, vocabulary, answers, or sections of PDFs without changing your original note colors. Tap a tape strip to reveal just that answer, or use the Memorization Sheet to cover several areas at once. □ Review faster with the floating Memorization Sheet Instead of revealing highlighted areas one by one, drag the floating Memorization Sheet over your notes. Only the area beneath the sheet is hidden, making it useful for tables, lecture PDFs, study guides, vocabulary lists, diagrams, and exam materials. □ Practical note-taking tools ・Handwriting and keyboard input ・Multiple pens and highlighters ・Tabs for switching between notebooks ・Ruler, compass, and shapes ・Stickers, sticky notes, and comments ・Detailed eraser settings, including deleting only highlighter marks ・Categories, folders, and subfolders ・Chapters for separating lessons or topics □ Write directly on PDFs Annotate PDFs with handwriting or keyboard text. If a PDF does not leave enough room for notes, extend the right side of the page to create extra space for annotations, solutions, explanations, or review notes. □ Use handwriting and typing together Write by hand or select where you want to type and enter text directly without creating a text box first. □ Keep your notes organized Sort notes with categories, folders, and subfolders, and add chapters inside a notebook to separate lessons, topics, or units. □ Notebook templates Choose from built-in templates including blank paper, ruled paper, grid paper, and handwritten To-Do pages. You can also reuse layouts you create for study sheets, daily reports, professional logs, or exam review pages. □ Recommended for ・High school students taking notes and preparing for tests ・College students organizing class notes, lecture materials, and study guides ・Students working with PDF textbooks and course materials ・Medical, nursing, and pharmacy students ・Students preparing for entrance exams or professional certification exams ・Anyone who wants handwriting, typing, PDF annotation, and memorization tools in one digital notebook Write it down, hide what you want to remember, recall it from memory, and check your answer. Use the notes you already created for active recall, review, and exam preparation.

About

Stargazer

Explore the night sky by pointing your device upwards. Identify planets, constellations, stars, and satellites. Features an AI assistant for astronomy questions and an augmented reality mode to visualize celestial bodies.

Highlights
  • Point-and-identify celestial objects
  • AI-powered astronomy assistant
  • Augmented reality solar system exploration
  • Constellation artwork and facts
  • Night photography planning
  • Printable star charts
  • Interactive sky quiz
Features
Read full description

Point your phone at the sky, tap a star or planet, and explore what you are looking at. Stargazer brings a live sky map, observing tools and astronomy guides together in one app. TWIN SKY: NOW BESIDE LATER See two calculated skies for the same observing location, from 15 minutes to eight hours apart. Link direction and zoom for comparison, or explore each view independently. Weather, darkness and your horizon affect actual visibility. GUIDED OBSERVING SESSIONS Work through your saved targets with the sky visible. The guide prioritises targets becoming low sooner. Aim, skip or explicitly mark a target observed; aiming alone never logs an observation. NIGHTSTAND A large dimmable bedside clock over a quietly changing real-time sky. Landscape is the default: prop Duo with its hinge at the top, with clock and weather over the sky on the facing display. See Moon phase and available weather, switch to red night vision, and choose whether to keep the screen awake. The clock uses your device’s time zone. Weather needs an internet connection and includes its update time. AN OBSERVING DESK BESIDE YOUR SKY On iPhone Duo, iPad and other roomy windows, keep the sky visible beside your observing workspace. Browse targets, check their altitude and find them in the sky without covering the view. A compact observing desk is also available on ordinary iPhones. COMPARE TWO TARGETS Compare the altitude of two objects across the night, preview the sky at a chosen time and jump to each target’s highest point within the charted window. Charts use your device’s local time. Actual visibility also depends on weather, darkness and your horizon. PLAN YOUR NIGHT Keep a saved target checklist, mark what you have observed and write field notes about your equipment, conditions and discoveries. Plans and notes are saved locally on your device. A TABLETOP OBSERVATORY Use separate sky and control panes in tabletop mode. Native Duo fold handling follows the available window and reserved fold region, while your target and observing plan stay together as the layout changes. POINT, SEARCH AND EXPLORE Explore planets, the Moon, stars, constellations, deep-sky objects and satellites. Search by name, tap an object for details, save favourites or use guidance to locate it. Constellation artwork and adjustable sky layers help you read the sky. EXPLORE IN 3D AND AR Explore the solar system, planets and moons in 3D. Supported iPhones and iPads also offer AR views. Discover lunar features and landing sites, and see how Moon phases work. NOVA YOUR ASTRONOMY GUIDE Ask about objects and astronomy. Compatible devices use Apple’s on-device models when available; built-in local answers remain available otherwise. A kids mode uses simpler explanations. MORE FOR YOUR NEXT NIGHT OUT • Tonight’s overview, meteor showers and satellite passes • Time travel through the sky • Night photography planning • Stargazing conditions and dark-sky tools • Printable star charts and shareable cards • A sky quiz and astronomy facts • Red night-vision mode • Home-screen widgets No account is required. Location helps calculate your sky. Optional weather, maps and online imagery use their respective services; attribution and data information are available in the app.

Screenshots

University Notes4 screens
Stargazer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: University Notes at 4.6 against Stargazer's 3.0. University Notes also leads on ratings volume (28 vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Stargazer's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 83%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

University Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: University Notes has 28 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of University Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Stargazer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

University Notes ships an update every 3 days, Stargazer weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
University Notes versus Stargazer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniversity NotesStargazer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (28 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings28 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB55 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFoodmenu.world Inc.Kendal Slack

Customer experience

University Notes

All ratings28 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral10.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral13.0%
Negative4.3%

Stargazer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

University Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Stargazer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is University Notes free?
University Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stargazer free?
Stargazer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, University Notes or Stargazer?
University Notes is rated higher. University Notes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Stargazer averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do University Notes or Stargazer have ads?
Neither University Notes nor Stargazer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, University Notes or Stargazer?
University Notes ships an update every 3 days, and Stargazer weekly. Most recently, University Notes was updated on November 5, 2026 and Stargazer on November 6, 2026.

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