Comparison

Transom Note vs Paper

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

Head to head
About

Transom Note

Capture, tag, and organize your writing ideas effortlessly. This app helps writers keep track of every thought, project, and tag, making it easy to retrieve them when inspiration strikes. Export your notes in various formats for seamless integration into your writing workflow.

Highlights
  • Capture and tag ideas
  • Organize thoughts by project
  • Search by tag or project
  • Archive or delete notes
  • Export notes as PDF, CSV, or rich-text
Features
Read full description

Made for writers, by writers, Transom lets you capture and tag every little scrap of an idea so that you can easily find it whenever you're ready to write — without having to fumble through emails-to-self, messy notebooks, and clunky multi-purpose apps. How it works: create a Thought to add it to your Transom notes. Easily add Tags and file it under a Project. When it's time to sit down and write, all those brilliant little gems will be right at your fingertips (and not buried in that old notebook — no, the other one. Or was it in an email?). Search by Tag, Project name, or use simple keyword search. Once you've used a Thought, archive or delete it to declutter your list. And if you want to copy your Thoughts to something long-form, export a custom list of Thoughts as PDF, CSV, rich-text file. Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you: help@wearetransom.com.

About

Paper

This app offers a clean and configurable writing environment for various creative projects. It supports Markdown and plain text, syncs with iCloud, and integrates with other tools. Users can publish drafts to popular blogging platforms and export documents in multiple formats.

Highlights
  • Gorgeous writing space
  • Silky-smooth typing
  • Deep personalization (Pro)
  • Markdown or Plain Text support
  • iCloud sync
  • Publish to Medium, WordPress, Ghost
  • Export to PDF, HTML, DOCX, ePub
Features
Read full description

“This is a super-clean writing space with a lot of configurability that stays out of sight when you don’t need it.” App Store Review 2020 # STORY Read it here → paper.pro/story # HIGHLIGHTS · Gorgeous writing space · Silky-smooth typing · Deep personalization (Pro) · Markdown or Plain Text · Syncs with iCloud · Integrates with TextExpander · Publishes drafts to Medium, WordPress, Ghost, or Micro.blog · Exports to PDF, HTML, RTF, DOCX, ePub, image, or clipboard · Works seamlessly across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac # PRO FEATURES Basic adjustments like text size are free in Paper. More advanced personalization can be purchased with Pro Features. You will not be buying anything blindly, though. The trial period for Pro Features is untimed, so you can take your time to decide if they are a worthy investment. While trialing Pro Features, you might occasionally see a popup. Simply press Reset in the popup to get rid of it completely. Pro Features are either a subscription or a one-time purchase. Both the subscription and the one-time purchase unlock Pro Features on all your iPhones and iPads that share the same Apple ID. This subscription (or one-time purchase) applies only to iPhones and iPads. Macs require a separate subscription (or one-time purchase). The one-time purchase is hidden by default. To enable it, go to the Settings app → Apps → Paper → Purchases → toggle "Show Lifetime Option". If you want to upgrade from a Monthly subscription to a Yearly one (or to a Lifetime license), go to Paper’s page in the App Store and press the rounded button with the price next to the Yearly subscription option (or next to the Lifetime in-app purchase). # BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS & ORGANIZATIONS Businesses, schools, and organizations can use one of the following methods to purchase the Pro version of the app: · Apple Business Manager · Apple School Manager · Volume Purchasing The Pro version of the app can be accessed from this link → paper.pro/get # MARKDOWN FORMATTING SYNTAX # Heading 1 ## Heading 2 ### Heading 3 #### Heading 4 ##### Heading 5 ###### Heading 6 **Bold** __Bold__ *Italic* _Italic_ ~Underline~ ~~Strikethrough~~ ==Highlight== ::Highlight:: `Inline Code` ``` Code Block ``` [Link Text](http://paper.pro) ![Alt Text](http://image.jpeg) - Bulleted List - Bulleted List - Nested Bulleted List * Bulleted List * Bulleted List * Nested Bulleted List 1. Numbered List 2. Numbered List 3. Numbered List 1. Nested Numbered List - [ ] Task List - [x] Task List > Blockquote >> Nested Blockquote >>> 2x Nested Blockquote Text that needs a footnote[^Footnote description] ++ Inline comment ++ /* Inline comment */ %% Comment block | Col 1 | Col 2 | | ------ | ------ | | Cell 1 | Cell 2 | | Cell 3 | Cell 4 | --- ← Horizontal Rule \_ ← Markdown Escape ° ← HTML Escape # FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ## How do I share my document? · On the main screen with documents: Tap and hold the document. Select "Share" from the menu. · In the document editor: Tap the title of the document in the top bar, then tap the round "Share" button in the popup. ## How do I print my document? · On the main screen with documents: Tap and hold the document. Select "Print" from the menu. · In the document editor: Tap the title of the document in the top bar. Select "Print" from the menu. ## Can I draw in the app? No. Paper is purely a plain-text editor. ## Can I add pictures? You can only link to public images on the Web. ## Can I password-protect my notes? No. ## Paper changes the font when I switch between alphabetic and non-alphabetic keyboards. How do I prevent it? · Change the keyboard to a non-alphabetic one (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc.). · Tap the "Settings" button in the top right corner. · Under the "Font" submenu, toggle "Keep for ABC Keyboards". ## Need more help? You can reach me via the in-app chat → "Settings" button in the corner → "Chat with the Maker" # TERMS OF USE paper.pro/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Transom Note4 screens
Paper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Paper at 1.7K against Transom Note's 82. Paper also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Transom Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paper sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Transom Note against 4.7 for Paper. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paper has 1.7K ratings behind it against 82, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Transom Note's written reviews are positive against 72% of Paper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Transom Note ships an update every 3 months, Paper monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 8, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Transom Note versus Paper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTransom NotePaper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (82 ratings)4.7 (1.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings821.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVoidMediaMihhail Lapushkin

Customer experience

Transom Note

All ratings82 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative28.3%

Paper

All ratings1,703 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews229 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.8%

Bugs and requests

Transom Note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Paper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Files randomly disappearing
  • Cursor issues causing freezes
  • Syncing and iCloud integration problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add image support
  • Improve file management and recovery
  • Expand font and customization options
  • Implement team/collaborative writing features
  • Add text formatting options like italics and bold

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Transom Note

One-time1
  • Prompt Credit$0.99
6 purchases

Paper

Subscriptions4
  • Pro Features — Discounted$14.991 Month
  • Pro Features$29.991 Month
  • Pro Features — Discounted$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Features$99.991 Year
One-time2
  • Pro Features — Discounted$99.99
  • Pro Features$199.99

Questions

Is Transom Note free?
Transom Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paper free?
Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Transom Note or Paper?
Paper is rated higher. Transom Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Paper averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.
Do Transom Note or Paper have ads?
Neither Transom Note nor Paper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Transom Note or Paper?
Transom Note ships an update every 3 months, and Paper monthly. Most recently, Transom Note was updated on June 8, 2026 and Paper on September 23, 2026.

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