Comparison

Notepad+ Pro vs Notebook

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

Head to head
About

Notepad+ Pro

This app transforms your iPad into a digital notebook for taking notes, sketching, and annotating documents. It offers a variety of templates, editing tools, and export options to enhance productivity and creativity.

Highlights
  • Take notes and sketch digitally
  • Annotate PDFs and other files
  • Organize notes on virtual boards
  • Password protection for notes
  • Export notes in PDF or image format
  • Customizable templates
  • Apple Pencil support with palm rejection
Read full description

Fully optimized for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil! Notepad+ is pen and paper right on your iPad exactly when you need them. Take notes, draw, make sketches, annotate PDFs, create lists and memos, export your notes, and discover other great features. From now on you can be more productive than ever! CREATE & ANNOTATE - Take notes in lectures, seminars, business meetings, and conferences - Аnotate and edit files in various formats: PDF, Excel, Keynote, Numbers and more - Organize notes on a virtual board - Quickly assign a unique title to each note - Change the template of any note in seconds - Protect sensitive notes with a password - Always pick up where you left off with the autosave feature CUSTOMIZE & EDIT - Move images easily from other apps using iOS 11 Drag and Drop - Choose your template from 8 template galleries (Basic, Education, Lifestyle, Business, Sports, Games, Photo Frames, Music) - Enjoy the editing options you're used to: easily cut, copy and paste any content - Make the most of ink pens, highlighters and colors for true handwriting experience - Enlarge parts on your screen to better see words and images with Magnification Tool - Zoom in and out to pay attention to details while sketching or drawing - Add photos to make your notes more visually appealing - Use helpful Icons, funny smileys and add text next to them to make your notes more catchy and emotional - Hide sensitive content with a single tap using Blur - Reorganize your notes with a drag-and-drop gesture, sort them by date created or modified - Use the iPad keyboard to type your notes - Experience all the advantages of maximum portability when using Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro - Use your finger or stylus when writing or drawing - Use Apple Pencil to create sketches or take notes without accidental marks or blots applying palm rejection function - Adjust the palm rest to prevent marks - Photo extension: mark up images right in your iPad's Photos app, use pens and highlighters to add notes and captions easily. - Create notes by importing and editing files in numerous formats: Excel (.xls), Keynote (.key), Numbers (.numbers), Pages (.pages), PDF (.pdf), Powerpoint (.ppt), Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Rich Text Format Directory (.rtfd), Keynote ’09 (.key), Numbers ‘09 (.numbers), Pages ‘09 (.pages) EXPORT & SHARE - Share a page or the whole notebook - Select a format (PDF or image) for better manageability - Email, print, save to Photos or iTunes - Use the Quick Search to find important notes in an instance GET 24/7 SUPPORT - Ask questions about the app and get immediate help with managing your notes - just contact us at support@apalon.com Notepad+ gives you the best of a digital notebook, all in one place. AdChoices: http://www.apalon.com/privacy_policy.html#4 For complete access to all Notepad+ features, you will need to allow access to the following: *Photos – so you can import your snapshots, mark them up, and save them. *Camera – so you can take photos and edit them within the app. *Contacts – so you can add them to documents and email your notes.

About

Notebook

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and tasks with a versatile digital notebook. Create rich notes with text, files, audio, and video. Organize content visually, collaborate in real-time, and access everything across your devices.

Highlights
  • Rich note creation with text, files, audio, and video
  • Checklist creation for task management
  • Bookmark collection and offline reading
  • Kanban-style note organization
  • Real-time collaboration and sharing
  • AI-powered journaling suggestions
  • Cross-device and cloud synchronization
Features
Read full description

Zoho Notebook is a free, ad-free note-taking app for students, teams and researchers: capture, find and reuse what you write down — typed notes, Apple Pencil handwriting, voice recordings with AI transcription, checklists, files and document scans in one note. Syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and other devices. WHAT PEOPLE USE NOTEBOOK FOR 1. MEETING AND LECTURE NOTES Record with audio or video cards; Notebook AI turns it into searchable text with timestamps, so you jump straight to the decision instead of replaying it. Structured minutes with title, participants, decisions and action points sit in the note beside your highlights. Record screen and self at once; longer videos get chapters. 2. STUDY AND RESEARCH Record lectures and search the transcript weeks later. Scan textbooks and business cards, handwrite and sketch with Apple Pencil, use OCR to find text inside photos and handwritten notes, so nothing you captured becomes unfindable. A long note becomes an AI mind map before an exam. 3. DAILY TO-DOS AND JOURNALING Dedicated checklist cards keep tasks beside your notes, and recurring reminders keep them on schedule. Journaling prompts come from your own activity, easier to keep than a blank page. 4. FILES, SCANS, AND SAVED READING Add PDFs, Word docs and spreadsheets with file cards. Articles, videos, recipes and how-tos become Smart Cards, formatted automatically, readable offline and ad-free. Group it all into nested collections. QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK Is it free? Yes, with 2GB of free storage and no ads. Notebook Pro adds more storage, longer notes, larger attachments, Email-In to save emails as notes, premium covers, and custom recurring reminders. Can I move my notes from Evernote, Google Keep, or OneNote? Yes, with dedicated migration tools; it arrives organized. Is my data private? Notes are encrypted in transit and at rest. We never sell your data and never show ads. Lock notes or notebooks with a password, Touch ID or Face ID; previews stay hidden until unlocked. Does it work offline? Yes. Create, edit and read offline, then pick up on another device once it syncs to the cloud. What can Notebook AI do? Transcribe audio and video, build mind maps, summarize and simplify, fix grammar, set tone (casual, professional, friendly, direct, or confident), translate into any language, draft notes, checklists, tables, code or a template from a prompt, and suggest tags. Notebook AI is a separate add-on. Does it use on-device AI and Siri? Yes. An on-device Knowledge Graph links ideas across notebooks and answers questions from your own notes. Siri creates and updates notes by voice with the app closed, and On-Screen Awareness summarizes what's on screen without switching apps. Can I share with non-users? Yes. @mention people to collaborate in real time, or publish a public note or video by link. MORE INSIDE - Search by title, content, tag, collaborator, or notebook; filter by any card type, contact, or link; search within one note; sort by date or relevance, with auto-suggestions and recent searches, offline and across languages - iPhone: text-search audio notes, share via iMessage, dictate with Siri, recent notes from the Notification Bar, SharePlay in calls - iPad: drag and drop, split view, slide over, multiple windows, Stage Manager - Apple Watch: record audio, scribble notes, check off lists, add photo notes, record in one tap from a watch face complication - VoiceOver and a dark interface - Roll back to any of a note's last 10 versions Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled and are charged to your Apple Account. Prices vary by location. Manage in your account settings. Privacy - https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html Terms - https://www.zoho.com/terms.html

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notebook at Free against Notepad+ Pro's $19.99. Notebook also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). Notepad+ Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On rating, review sentiment and ads 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

Notebook is free to download; Notepad+ Pro costs $19.99 up front. Notebook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month. Notepad+ Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Notepad+ Pro against 4.7 for Notebook. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.3K and 24K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Notepad+ Pro's written reviews are positive against 64% of Notebook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notepad+ Pro ships an update every 2 months, Notebook every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Notepad+ Pro versus Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotepad+ ProNotebook
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (6.3K ratings)4.7 (24K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.7% of reviews64.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.3K24K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMosaic S.r.l.Zoho Corporation

Customer experience

Notepad+ Pro

All ratings6,340 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.6%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews1,187 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral12.7%
Negative26.5%

Notebook

All ratings23,850 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews607 reviews
Positive64.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative25.0%

User reviews

Notepad+ Pro

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Useful templates
  • 🚀 Responsive with Apple Pencil
  • 👍 Great for note-taking and sketching
  • 👍 Versatile for various use cases

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Templates won't download
  • 🐛 Laggy or unresponsive writing experience
  • 🐛 Inability to organize notes into folders
  • 🐛 Limited color and pen options
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer devices

Notebook

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Highly organized and customizable
  • 👍 Visually appealing and intuitive
  • 🔒 Secure with password protection
  • 🤳 Seamless cross-device sync
  • 📝 Versatile note-taking features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional sync and stability issues
  • 🔀 Inconsistent note order after editing
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 📤 Lack of export/backup options
  • 🔗 Difficulty inserting links in notes

Bugs and requests

Notepad+ Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes or freezing
  • Disappearing or corrupted notes
  • Inability to open or export PDF files
  • Unresponsive or 'dead' areas on the screen
  • Inconsistent performance with Apple Pencil

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to create custom templates
  • Improved palm rejection and gesture support
  • Sync and backup capabilities across devices
  • More advanced text editing and formatting options
  • Conversion of handwritten notes to digital text

Notebook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing notes
  • Syncing problems across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved sorting and reordering options for notes
  • Enhanced search capabilities
  • Ability to export notes in various formats
  • More customization options for notebook covers
  • Integration with other productivity apps

In-app purchases

None

Notepad+ Pro

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Notebook

Subscriptions7
  • Notebook Pro$2.491 Month
  • Notebook Pro Plus$3.991 Month
  • Notebook AI$4.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Notebook Personal$14.991 Year
  • Notebook Pro2 variants$24.991 Year
  • Notebook Pro Plus$39.991 Year
  • Notebook AI$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Notepad+ Pro free?
Notepad+ Pro costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notepad+ Pro or Notebook?
Notebook is rated higher. Notepad+ Pro averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while Notebook averages 4.7 from 24K ratings.
Do Notepad+ Pro or Notebook have ads?
Neither Notepad+ Pro nor Notebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notepad+ Pro or Notebook?
Notepad+ Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Notebook every 6 days. Most recently, Notepad+ Pro was updated on October 11, 2026 and Notebook on October 12, 2026.

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