PDF vs 100 Notes Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
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Scan, edit, sign and OCR PDFs on your iPhone. Your files never leave the device. PDF-PRO is a private, offline PDF editor and scanner for contracts, invoices, receipts and everyday documents. Read, scan and annotate for free. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited merge, split, compress, OCR, signatures, watermarks and password protection โ the yearly plan includes a 3-day free trial. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH โข Sign a contract without printing it โข Scan paper and photos into a clean PDF โข Merge, split or reorder pages before you send โข Compress a large file so it fits in email or chat โข Extract text with on-device OCR โข Lock a PDF with a password, or add a watermark READ & ANNOTATE โข Smooth reader with continuous scroll, pinch-to-zoom and single-page mode โข Highlight, underline, strikeout, freehand ink and text notes โข Search inside the document and jump to a page SCAN & CONVERT โข Camera scan for paper documents, invoices and receipts โข Photos to A4 PDF, or export pages as images ORGANIZE โข Merge PDFs, split by page range, drag to reorder, rotate or delete pages โข Folders, favorites and search in your on-device library OCR โข Recognize text on the current page or the whole file โข Copy or share the result โ processed on your iPhone, not a server SIGN & PROTECT โข Handwritten signature stamp you can place and resize โข PDF password and a diagonal copyright watermark PRIVACY Every merge, split, compress, OCR and encrypt step runs locally. No account. No cloud upload. FREE vs PRO Free: read, scan and basic annotation. Pro: unlimited signature, OCR, compress, password, watermark, merge and split. โข Yearly โ best value, 3-day free trial โข Monthly โ month to month โข Lifetime โ pay once Subscriptions renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage in Apple ID settings. Terms of Service (Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
100 Notes Studio
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Optimized for iPhone Duo. Built with the latest SDK, the app fills the entire inner display and automatically adjusts its layout whether the device is folded or open. Handwrite notes that feel like pen on paper: 29 pens and brushes, from fountain pen and pencil to fude brush and watercolor, and your handwriting is searchable later. Mark up lecture PDFs, record audio right on the page you are writing, then review with flashcards and spaced repetition. Choose from 100 notebook styles. Core editing works offline. WRITE WITH CHARACTER 29 distinct pens and brushes โ fountain pen, calligraphy, fude brush, technical pen, watercolor wash, charcoal, mechanical pencil (2B/4B/6B) and more โ each with its own texture and stroke response. Pressure and tilt shape supported strokes, while palm rejection helps prevent stray marks. Pixel, whole-stroke, and precision erasers handle corrections. Use the lasso to move, scale, copy, or delete strokes, plus a ruler, eight shape tools, and a laser pointer for presentations. 100 DISTINCT NOTEBOOK STYLES Each Studio Style has its own cover, paper structure, color palette, dividers, stamps or stickers, toolbar accent, and widget appearance. The collection includes minimal, linen, Japanese grid, academic, engineering, music, meeting, research, planner, travel, wellness, recipe, creative, and dark-paper systems. Browse and preview all 100 styles before choosing one. MORE THAN A CANVAS Fixed pages or an infinite canvas, with A4, A5, Letter, screen, and custom sizes in portrait or landscape Formatted text with bold, italic, underline, fonts, colors, lists, checklists, tables, and links PDF import and markup with highlights, underlines, strike-through, text notes, handwriting, rotation, cropping, page insertion, extraction, merging, and export Audio recordings attached to the page you choose On-device handwriting and PDF text recognition, with search across titles, body text, handwriting, and attachments Study tools with linked flashcards, cloze cards, and FSRS spaced repetition Stickers, washi tape, and an auto-numbered table of contents Nested folders, tags, pins, favorites, archives, recoverable trash, and restorable page history Ink layers with opacity, visibility, and locking, plus a reference view that keeps a PDF or image beside the page Widgets and quick capture for faster access PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, ads, third-party tracking or analytics, and no external AI. Editing, search, and study work offline. Notes stay on your device unless you choose to export or back them up. Lock the workspace or an individual notebook with device authentication. FREE CORE, OPTIONAL ONE-TIME UPGRADE The free version includes the core editor, 29 writing tools, PDF markup, page audio attachments, handwriting search, and study tools, with 1 active notebook of up to 5 pages and 2 of the 100 styles. An optional one-time upgrade adds unlimited notebooks and pages, all 100 styles, vector-ink PDF export, restorable page history, and encrypted backup. A focused home for handwriting, documents, and study. Privacy Policy https://alice51849.github.io/100notes-support/privacy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: 100 Notes Studio at every 2 days against PDF's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. PDF sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and 100 Notes Studio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PDF ships an update every 3 weeks, 100 Notes Studio every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 100 Notes Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 days โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ็ฑๅ ๅ | Guan Feng Lai |
In-app purchases
- PDF-PRO Monthly$3.991 Month
- PDF-PRO Yearly (3-Day Trial)3 Days trial$24.991 Year
- PDF-PRO Lifetime Pass$59.99
100 Notes Studio
- Lifetime Studio$5.99









