Comparison

Whitespace vs Noteful

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

Head to head
About

Whitespace

This app combines note-taking simplicity with text editor power, allowing you to structure and format diverse items like articles or lists. Organize your thoughts and projects within customizable spaces, with features for writing, organizing, and editing your content.

Highlights
  • Unlimited items and spaces
  • Markdown syntax highlighting
  • Attach photos and videos
  • Full text search
  • Color-coded spaces
  • Backup and restore (Pro)
  • Passcode lock
Features
Read full description

Whitespace combines the simplicity of note taking tool with the power of a text editor. You define the structure and format of your items, which can be anything from a simple list to a long article. Then, categorize them into one or many spaces, as to put your items in context, like a web of ideas. Some Ways to Use Whitespace: - to record a journal: daily, travel, thoughts... - to manage lists: todo, shopping, packing, homework... - to collect: books to read, website links, wish lists... - to reflect: life quotes, philosophical moments, innovative ideas... - to work: blogging, writing papers, documents... - to capture: photo albums for events, videos - to study: take class notes, write up assignments, record homework - Whatever else you can think of! Writer - Unlimited Items and Spaces - Clean, simple and intuitive interface - Markdown syntax highlighting - Attach photos and videos - Full screen mode Organizer - Recent items - Quick add item or camera - Full text search - Intuitive gestures - Color coded spaces - Backup and Restore (Pro) - Passcode lock Editor - Structure and Formatting Toolbar - Trackball for cursor navigation - Drag and Drop Reorder paragraphs - Item info (word count, etc.) - Email items Make sure to share this app with your friends! We promise to keep the app updated! Dynotes Mobile Technology LTD. www.dynotes.com Follow us on Twitter @dynotes and Facebook! Supports iOS 7. Works on iOS 5+

About

Noteful

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF and document annotation
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Layers for annotations
  • Audio recording synced with notes
  • Import PDFs and MS Office documents
Features
Read full description

Noteful is your one-stop note-taking app to experience the new paperless revolution on iPad. Perfect for annotating documents, taking class notes or even building your personal knowledge system. It is time to put aside the paper clutter, as Noteful is a versatile tool that helps you to accelerate your learning and knowledge work. Take Beautiful Handwritten Notes • Natural, fluid and precise handwriting experience • Precise handwriting on iPad with Apple Pencil native support • Custom-built ink engine InfiniteStroke that captures and converts your strokes into high-resolution vector ink • 3 brushes available: ballpoint pen, fountain pen and highlighter • Switch between pen sizes and colours • Recognise geometrical shapes Markup, Highlight, Annotate • Import PDFs, MS Office documents to a notebook • Add images, shapes and typed text to notes • Use multiple paper templates in a single notebook • Export and share handwritten annotations as PDF • Use Quick Create to create a new notebook for quick sketching Powerful Tagging • Organise quickly by tagging with #tag or even #nested/tag anywhere in notebooks • More flexible than folders; Notes can be organised by subjects, by topics or by priorities • Browse notebooks or pages by tags • Rename, delete or re-assign tags to easily re-organise your library Layers in Notebook • Add annotation on separate layers without changing original content* • Hide or show layers independently • Rearrange layers • Make it possible to composite complex layout* All Your Notes, All the Time • Sync to all your iPhone and iPad devices* • Take textbooks, slides, handwritten notes and PDF documents with you wherever you go • Notebooks synced with iCloud are encrypted via account-based keys Powerful Editing • Erase strokes with eraser • Double tap on Apple Pencil to switch to eraser tool • Move and resize annotations with lasso tool • Unlimited undo, redo • Support Split View for multitasking Audio Record Notes • Record audio while you take notes • Audio playback position synced with the notes Modern App Design • A minimalist UI that maximizes content space • Streamlined design that requires fewer taps for common functions • Different orientations are available for the main toolbar • A clean UI that lets you focus on note-taking and the content We will be adding new features so please stay tuned for future updates. — Noteful is free to use without time limit but with certain features (marked with*) only available to users who upgrade to Noteful Pro via In-app purchase. Noteful Pro is available for one-time purchase and the features will be unlocked forever. — If you have support questions or product suggestions, please contact us by support. Wishing you happy note-taking! Customer Support: support@getnoteful.com Privacy Policy: https://www.getnoteful.com/privacy

Screenshots

Whitespace4 screens
Noteful4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Noteful at 4.8 against Whitespace's 2.8. Noteful also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 56%) and ratings volume (24K vs 10). Whitespace's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.4). 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. Whitespace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Noteful sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Noteful holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteful has 24K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Whitespace's written reviews are positive against 87% of Noteful's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Whitespace ships an update every 2 months, Noteful fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Whitespace versus Noteful: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhitespaceNoteful
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (10 ratings)4.8 (24K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.0% of reviews87.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1024K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB157 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDynotes Mobile Technology LTD.Noteful Technologies Ltd

Customer experience

Whitespace

All ratings10 ratings
Positive30.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral24.0%
Negative20.0%

Noteful

All ratings23,951 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,259 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative6.6%

Bugs and requests

Whitespace

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Noteful

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Lasso tool not working properly with PDFs
  • Eraser tool not functioning as expected

Requested features

6 requests
  • Handwriting recognition and search
  • More text editing options (bullet lists, etc.)
  • Improved PDF handling and annotations
  • Custom templates and sticker support
  • Expanded cloud storage options (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.)
Show 1 more
  • Customizable pen pressure and smoothing

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Whitespace

One-time1
  • Upgrade for Backup, Restore and Remove Ads$1.99
1 purchases

Noteful

One-time1
  • Noteful Pro, Lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is Whitespace free?
Whitespace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Noteful free?
Noteful is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Whitespace or Noteful?
Noteful is rated higher. Whitespace averages 2.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Noteful averages 4.8 from 24K ratings.
Do Whitespace or Noteful have ads?
Neither Whitespace nor Noteful shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Whitespace or Noteful?
Whitespace ships an update every 2 months, and Noteful fortnightly. Most recently, Whitespace was updated on November 1, 2026 and Noteful on November 7, 2026.

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