Comparison

Nodebook vs Tackboard

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

Head to head
About

Nodebook

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Nodebook combines a document reader with an infinite mind map. Highlight a passage in a PDF, EPUB, video, audio file or web page, and it appears on your canvas as a node, linked to the exact place it came from. There is nothing to set up. You read, you select a passage, you choose a colour — and the map builds itself. For students, researchers, writers and teachers working with more sources than anyone can keep in their head. READ EVERY FORMAT Ā· Free • Open PDFs, EPUBs, text files and imported web pages, as well as video and audio. • Read continuously or page by page, with chapters and bookmarks. • Every document reopens exactly where you left it. • Documents live on your device. ANNOTATE THE PAGE Ā· Free • Built-in OCR reads scanned books word by word in 12 languages, so a scan highlights like any PDF. • Select an equation, handwritten or printed, and Nodebook renders it as LaTeX. • Write, underline and draw on the page with a stylus, finger or mouse. • Crop any part of a page — diagram, table, photo — and send it to the map. • Insert a notepad mid-page: the PDF opens up for a comment that stays attached to that paragraph. • Six highlight colours let you follow six separate threads. BUILD THE MAP Ā· Nodebook Plus • An infinite canvas with no templates and no limit on nodes or depth. • Drag a single node or a whole branch to reorganise your thinking. • Drop one node onto another to merge them, and separate them later. • Set snippets aside in the drawer, and keep a mini-map in view as you read. • Export the map as a PDF or a FreeMind file, and the outline as a Word document. • Back everything up into one .nodebook file and pick what to restore. OUTLINE AND SEARCH Ā· Nodebook Plus • View the same map as a classic indented outline, and edit titles and text in it. • Search the full text of every snippet, filter by tag or colour, and retag or recolour in bulk. CONNECT YOUR NOTES Ā· Nodebook Plus • Create wiki-links between notes: start typing a title and Nodebook suggests matches. • Click one and a preview shows you the target without losing your place. REVISE WITH FLASHCARDS Ā· Nodebook Plus • Turn any snippet into a flashcard and review it with spaced repetition. • Group cards by area, tag or source, or build your own sets. WRITE YOUR OWN DOCUMENTS Ā· Nodebook Plus • A rich-text editor with headings, lists and quotations. • Draw vector diagrams inside the text, erase single strokes and undo freely. WORK TOGETHER Ā· Nodebook Max • Share a project as a viewer or an editor, and watch the other person's highlights appear live as you work. • Send a file to another account with all your highlights and drawings intact. • Every project keeps a version history with dates and authors, and restores to any point. PLANS • Nodebook is free to install, with the reader and its annotation tools included. • Buy Nodebook Plus once — $39.99 — for full offline functionality, including mind maps creating and editing, flashcards and more. • Subscribe to Nodebook Max for the cloud: sync across your devices, collaboration and version history. $8.99 a month, or $89.99 a year. Max renews automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, and again within 24 hours before each period ends, unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours earlier. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Prices are shown in your local currency. Terms of Use: https://nodebook.me/terms Privacy Policy: https://nodebook.me/privacy

About

Tackboard

Features
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Tackboard turns your ideas into colorful sticky notes on an endless, infinitely zoomable canvas. • Quick Capture — jot text, photos, and voice memos onto notes in seconds • Organize Your Way — group notes into boards, add tags, and pin your favorites • Never Miss a Thing — set a time-based alarm or a location reminder so nothing slips by • Rich Formatting — bulleted, numbered, and checklist lists, right in your notes • Sketch & Draw — add freehand drawings and doodles right on any note • Personalize — choose a solid color or a background photo/illustration for every note • Stay in Sync — notes, boards, tags, and settings sync automatically across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud • Full History — every edit is saved, so you can always look back and restore an earlier version • Search Instantly — find any note by its content, tag, or board — even text inside your photos • Attach Anything — add photos, documents, and voice memos for extra context • Lock Private Notes — protect sensitive notes with Face ID or a passcode Tackboard is free to use, with an optional ad-free upgrade available. Terms of Use: https://vincentchiu.com/tackboard/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://vincentchiu.com/tackboard/privacy.html

Screenshots

Nodebook4 screens
Tackboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Nodebook at none against Tackboard's shown. Nodebook also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Nodebook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Tackboard sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nodebook ships an update daily, Tackboard fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Nodebook versus Tackboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNodebookTackboard
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily — betterFortnightly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size145 MB14 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperKamil ZabiegalaVincent Chiu

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Nodebook

Subscriptions2
  • Nodebook Max - Monthly14 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Nodebook Max - Yearly14 Days trial$89.991 Year
One-time1
  • Nodebook Plus$39.99
4 purchases

Tackboard

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Nodebook free?
Nodebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tackboard free?
Tackboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nodebook or Tackboard have ads?
Tackboard shows ads; Nodebook does not.
Which is updated more often, Nodebook or Tackboard?
Nodebook ships an update daily, and Tackboard fortnightly. Most recently, Nodebook was updated on October 19, 2026 and Tackboard on October 6, 2026.

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