Comparison

Mio vs MarginNote 5

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

Head to head
About

Mio

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
Read full description

Mio is your all-in-one AI math and knowledge assistant, running completely on your iPhone and iPad. Mio is powered by a proprietary computer algebra system, and can answer math questions, solve equations, and plot graphs in real time faster than any other AI assistant on the App Store! And now, when Mio needs a little extra help, it can use Apple's Foundation Language Models (available starting with iOS 26) right on your device! No internet connection required. Mio only connects online when you ask for live data such as currency exchange rates or weather conditions. Everything else, including nutrition data, is processed completely on your device. With Mio, you can even use image input to snap photos of your homework with no limit. But Mio doesn't stop at math alone. Wondering about the weather or need quick facts? Just ask! Mio's capabilities extend beyond equations, making it a versatile tool for all sorts of inquiries. Embrace the power of instant answers and unlock a world of knowledge with Mio on your iPhone and iPad.

About

MarginNote 5

This app enhances reading and studying with integrated note-taking and flashcard creation. It offers task-based templates for focused learning, AI assistance for content breakdown, and spaced repetition for effective review. Organize your research and master material with a comprehensive study workflow.

Highlights
  • Task-based reading templates
  • AI-powered content breakdown
  • Integrated flashcard creation
  • Spaced repetition review
  • Mind map organization
  • PDF and EPUB import
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

MarginNote is a PDF tool for in-depth reading and study. Keep PDF highlights linked to mind-map cards, then add those cards to review. MarginNote 5 introduces task-based templates for reading, question practice, and vocabulary. MarginNote has evolved since 2013. The upgrade from MarginNote 4 is free. Your study sets, notes, and purchases remain intact. MARGINNOTE 5: ONE TASK, ONE SETUP • Templates — a template sets the bottom tools, menus, pens, and excerpt colors. The "Standard" template has four modes: Excerpt, Handwrite, Organize, and Recall. Each mode groups tools for that task. • Template Gallery — install official templates in one tap. Some templates include examples to help you get started: – Card Practice: write answers by hand on question cards, check your answers, and focus your next review on questions you haven't mastered yet. AI can split a whole workbook into cards. – Reading Vocabulary: collect words while reading English; an offline dictionary provides base forms, pronunciation, and definitions, and finished cards join review when automatic review is enabled. • Make it yours — the corresponding controls are highlighted as you edit. Find features and settings with Feature Search, and export or share your templates. • Traditional Interface — open the template menu and choose "Traditional Interface" (except on iPhone Duo). SYNC YOU CAN SEE The home screen shows where sync stands. The Sync Center lists notes and original documents separately and tells you when a document is still downloading. Manual sync reports results and offers a protective snapshot. Applying cloud changes also protects local study data. THE CARD AT THE CENTER • Organize excerpts by chapter; for books without a table of contents, AI can build one. • Title Links — notes on concepts you've studied resurface as you read new documents. • Extend — open writing space anywhere on a PDF: inline, in the margin, or folded away. AI AS AN ASSISTANT, NOT A SUBSTITUTE AI Breakdown · Question Extraction · AI TOC · AI OCR card templates · translation · chat. Save any answer as a card, or turn its outline into mind-map branches. Online AI sends task text or images to the service provider used for the request. REVIEW: THINK FIRST, THEN LOOK Use Recall mode to hide and reveal answers in the mind map. Add cards to a review deck for FSRS spaced repetition. Write directly on card snapshots while you review. On iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26+, when Apple Intelligence is enabled and its model is available on a supported device and in a supported region, on-device recall hints work offline without MarginNote credits. THE FULL WORKFLOW PDF, EPUB, Office-to-PDF import (online), video and audio · Zotero, cloud drives and external folders · side-by-side documents · handwriting layers and mind-map backgrounds · mind-map PDF export (structure or card flow) · read aloud · fast OCR WHO IT IS FOR Anyone who rereads material and needs to remember it: medical and law students, exam takers, researchers, language learners, serious readers. ACROSS YOUR DEVICES iPhone, iPad and Mac with one Apple Account; iCloud syncs study sets, notes and review progress. Native Apple Pencil handwriting on iPad. Also adapted for iPhone Duo. ABOUT PURCHASES Free to download. Some features require Pro (one-time unlock) or Max (subscription or one-time unlock). MarginNote Agent requires Max and uses MarginNote credits. Some online AI uses MarginNote credits; external AI is billed by its provider. A Max subscription includes 500 credits/month while active. Questions: service@marginnote.com Terms of Use: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf Privacy Policy: https://dist.marginnote.cn/MarginNote_Privacy_Policy.pdf

Screenshots

Mio4 screens
MarginNote 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mio at none against MarginNote 5's 10. MarginNote 5's advantage is ratings volume (739 vs 75) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. MarginNote 5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months. Mio asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Mio against 4.5 for MarginNote 5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MarginNote 5 has 739 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 5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mio ships an update monthly, MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mio versus MarginNote 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMioMarginNote 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (75 ratings)4.5 (739 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews58.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings75739 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB372 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPomegranate Apps LLCBeijing Yunsi Software Technology Co., Ltd

Customer experience

Mio

All ratings75 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral11.1%
Negative37.8%

MarginNote 5

All ratings739 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews568 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral15.5%
Negative26.1%

Bugs and requests

Mio

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

MarginNote 5

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

In-app purchases

None

Mio

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

MarginNote 5

Subscriptions3
  • Subscription to MAX (3 months)7 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Subscription to MAX (Annually)1 Month trial$12.991 Year
  • MarginNote Max Annual1 Month trial$16.991 Year
One-time6
  • 14 days Free Trial2 variantsFree
  • Upgrade to PRO from MN3(iOS)$4.99
  • Unlock PRO Forever (New)$12.99
Show 3 more
  • Upgrade to MAX from MN3(macOS)$19.99
  • Unlock MAX based on PRO (New)$40.00
  • Unlock MAX Forever (New)$51.99

Questions

Is Mio free?
Mio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MarginNote 5 free?
MarginNote 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mio or MarginNote 5?
MarginNote 5 is rated higher. Mio averages 4.5 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while MarginNote 5 averages 4.5 from 739 ratings.
Do Mio or MarginNote 5 have ads?
Neither Mio nor MarginNote 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mio or MarginNote 5?
Mio ships an update monthly, and MarginNote 5 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Mio was updated on November 1, 2026 and MarginNote 5 on November 3, 2026.

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