# Mio vs MarginNote 4

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mio at none against MarginNote 4's 13. MarginNote 4's advantage is ratings volume (736 vs 75) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MarginNote 4 sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Mio asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Mio against 4.5 for MarginNote 4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 4 has 736 ratings behind it against 75, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Mio's written reviews are positive against 58% of MarginNote 4's.

Mio ships an update monthly, MarginNote 4 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mio | MarginNote 4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mio-ask-mathstudio-with-ai/id884690417/reviews)** | [4.5 (736 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 75 | **736** |
| Positive reviews | 51.1% of reviews | **58.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 330 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pomegranate Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/293619496) | [Beijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/723205556) |

## What reviewers say

### Mio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mio-ask-mathstudio-with-ai/id884690417)

This AI-powered assistant solves math problems, plots graphs, and answers general knowledge questions directly on your device. It can process image input for homework and offers offline capabilities for most functions, only connecting online for live data.

**Highlights:** AI math problem solving, Real-time graph plotting, Image input for homework, Offline knowledge assistant, Live data retrieval, General knowledge inquiries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### MarginNote 4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-4-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

This app integrates reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards into a unified study environment. It supports active learning with features like study sets, book compilation, and dual-article views. Enhance your understanding with visual learning tools and AI-powered content extraction for long-term memory retention.

**Highlights:** Integrated reading, note-taking, mind mapping, and flashcards, Quick Extend Note and Handwriting Layers for annotation, Study Set for organizing PDFs, EPUBs, videos, and audio, Mind Map and Concept Diagram for visual learning, AI Content Detection for formula and chart extraction, FSRS spaced-repetition algorithm for reviews, iCloud sync across Apple devices

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Subscription to MAX (6 months) | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Subscription to MAX (Annually) | $12.99 | per year |
| MarginNote Max Annual | $16.99 | per year |
| 14 days Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock PRO Forever (New) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX based on PRO (New) | $40.00 | one-time |
| Unlock MAX Forever (New) | $51.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 📚 Great for academic/research use
- 👍 Useful note-taking and organization
- 🖊️ Improved handwriting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🕰️ Slow and laggy sync between devices
- 🤯 Steep learning curve, poor documentation
- 💰 Expensive upgrade from previous version

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing annotations when using extend function
- Inability to restore accidentally deleted mind maps
- Inconsistent behavior with PDF file management

**Requested features**

- Improved iCloud/cloud sync reliability
- More intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Better support for external document libraries
- Ability to disable auto-excerpt selection


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mio free?

Mio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is MarginNote 4 free?

MarginNote 4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mio or MarginNote 4?

Mio is rated higher. Mio averages 4.5 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while MarginNote 4 averages 4.5 from 736 ratings.

### Do Mio or MarginNote 4 have ads?

Neither Mio nor MarginNote 4 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mio or MarginNote 4?

Mio ships an update monthly, and MarginNote 4 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mio was updated on October 17, 2026 and MarginNote 4 on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*