# Mio vs MarginNote 5

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Mio | MarginNote 5 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (75 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mio-ask-mathstudio-with-ai/id884690417/reviews) | **[4.5 (739 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 75 | **739** |
| 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** | Freemium |
| Size | 11 MB | 372 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 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marginnote-5-ai-notesmindmap/id1531657269)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription to MAX (3 months) | $4.99 | per 3 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 (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 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*