Comparison

Mach Note vs Highlights

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

Head to head
About

Mach Note

This app allows for versatile note-taking with freehand drawing on native PDFs, audio recording with a 3D visualizer, and RTF word processing. Notes sync across devices via iCloud, and documents can be annotated and exported for various platforms.

Highlights
  • Freehand drawing on native PDF notes
  • Audio recording with 3D visualizer
  • RTF word processing
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • iCloud HandOff for seamless device switching
  • DOC/DOCX read support on iOS, read/write on OS X
  • Speech-to-Text dictation
Features
Read full description

Mach Note is the most innovative, flexible, compatible, and powerful Note-Taking application! Mach Note features Freehand Notes in a Native PDF format, Audio recording in a Native M4A format, and Word processing in RTF format. Using the PDF format, Freehand Notes are synced across all your devices (via iCloud) so you always have the latest version of your Notes with you — regardless of device. And since Mach Note uses the PDF format, you can annotate PDFs with powerful Note-taking tools *and* your Notes are ready for Mobile, Desktop, Web, and Print right from the get go: No more manually exporting notes and uploading files — Mach Note handles everything for you! Mach Note also lets you record Audio using your device’s built in microphone, and you can see your Audio with our stunning 3D Visualizer which works for both Recording and Playback. As well as being super easy to use; with all these features Mach Note gives you with an unparalleled Note-taking experience. And best of all, Mach Note is free for iOS and only $4.99 (U.S.) for OS X! With iCloud Drive, you can take Notes on the go and have your Notes ready at your Mac or Windows PC already downloaded when you get home* And If that wasn’t enough, PDFs and RTFs can be transferred instantly from one device to another with iCloud HandOff so you can start working on one device, and continue on another (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)** Ridiculously Advanced Features! - Freehand draw on Notes using native PDF format with “Vector" note taking tools such as Pencil, Eraser, and Highlighter; keeping PDF file sizes small - Record Audio in M4A format with stunning 3D Visualizor; M4A Audio files are synced to all your devices - RTF Word processing support for instances when all you need is the keyboard - iCloud support keeps your documents in Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac; and with iCloud Drive, Windows PCs and well* - iCloud HandOff lets you start work on one device and continue on another (iPhone, iPad, and Mac)** - DOC/DOCX Read support on iOS, DOC/DOCX Read/Write support on OS X - Text Tool lets your Touch/Click to Type anywhere (iPad/Mac) - Cut Tool Makes it easy to reposition PDF content - Add Images, Text, and Web Pages to a PDF instantly (iPad/Mac) - Full Speech-To-Text Dictation support anywhere you can Type (Press Dictation key on keyboard on iOS, press “Fn” key twice on OS X) - iCloud is completely optional — Mach Note works just as well offline as online! * iCloud Drive Support for Windows requires iCloud Drive install, iCloud Drive for Mac requires OS X 10.10 or later; iCloud Drive supports PDF/RTF/RTFD/DOC/DOCX **iCloud HandOff requires both Bluetooth 4.0/LE and WiFi on and enabled; iCloud HandOff works with PDF/RTF/RTFD only ***Large PDF Documents in the Cloud (such as large eBooks) is not recommended*** ***If you have any issues please restart your device!***

About

Highlights

This app is a fast and lightweight PDF reader designed for research. It allows users to read, highlight, and annotate documents, and then extract this information into organized notes. Advanced features include table data extraction, text recognition, and smart copying of annotations into various formats.

Highlights
  • Read and browse PDF documents
  • Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
  • Add comments and sticky notes
  • Extract annotations into organized notes
  • Convert table data and recognize text
  • Smart copy annotations to various formats (CSV, BibTex)
  • Lookup citation metadata and DOI links
Features
Read full description

"... an app that students, academics, and anyone who does substantial amounts of PDF-based research should try" - Macstories.net "It’s the novel approach to PDF annotation that makes this app a cut above the rest"- TapSmart.com *** "App of the Day" - App Store, US *** USE HIGHLIGHTS FOR FREE Highlights is a fast and lightweight PDF reader (under 10MB) packed with features to help you do your best research. Free users have access to standard PDF reader features including document browsing, reading and annotating. There are NO ADS, time limits or tracking. READ PDF DOCUMENTS • Open PDF documents from anywhere • Browse files using the familiar document browser • Open PDFs in Single Page or Two Page scroll mode • Double tap to Smart Zoom in on a paragraph or figure • Scrub smoothly to the desired page • Search the entire document in an instant • Navigate using any connected keyboard or mouse STORE YOUR FILES WHERE YOU WANT • Full support for "Open In Place" lets you make edits to the file where it is • Access your files from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box using the document browser • Or keep them privately on device only HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE FASTER • Select text with your finger, Apple Pencil or mouse pointer • Highlight, underline, strikethrough text and make image selections • Add comments to annotations or as individual sticky notes • Annotate with fewer taps using context aware popovers • Default annotation colors prevents you from having to repeatedly setting the color for the same type of annotation every time TURN ANNOTATIONS INTO NOTES • As you markup text and images the contents are extracted and sorted into notes • Customize the formatting and contents of your notes • Sort the annotations chronologically or create your own color coding EXTRACT TABLE DATA AND RECOGNIZE TEXT • Convert images containing text or tables to actual text and tables using machine learning - letting you get to the underlying data with a single tap SMART COPY Copy annotations to the desired format with one tap: • Text markup as text • Image selections as images • Tables as CSV • Citations as BibTex LOOKUP CITATIONS • Highlights will fetch DOI-links and metadata • Markup any reference and tap the link icon to look it up • If you have read the work already or have it in your reference manager library, Highlights will link you to it EXPORT ANYWHERE • Save or share your notes as portable files: Markdown, TextBundle, HTML, WebArchive or PDF • Share them to your favorite notes app: Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, Evernote, DEVONThink, Keep It, MindNode, Notion, Obsidian, Roam Research or Ulysses • Or send them to a colleague via mail. It's your notes, you decide where they go MUCH MORE • Dark mode • Multi-window support on iPadOS • Keyboard shortcuts and navigation • Support for system Copy and Undo gestures • Alternative app icons • Custom accent colors • Apple Pencil double-tap gestures • Power annotation tools For a full list of features see: highlightsapp.net/features HIGHLIGHTS PRO The Highlights Pro subscription unlocks advanced features on your iPhone, iPad and Mac: • Export options for other apps and easily editable formats • Extract information using table and text recognition • Customize accent colors and alternative app icons • Power annotation tools • Citation lookups • Smart Copy Highlights Pro includes a 14-day free trial. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off within 24-hour prior to the end of of the current period. Payments will be charged to your iTunes account and your account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. For more information about Highlights Pro: highlightsapp.net/pro Privacy Policy: highlightsapp.net/privacy Terms of Use: highlightsapp.net/terms

Screenshots

Mach Note4 screens
Highlights4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Highlights at 4.5 against Mach Note's 3.0. Highlights also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 2). Mach Note's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Mach Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Highlights sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Highlights holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highlights has 1.6K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Mach Note's written reviews are positive against 53% of Highlights's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mach Note ships an update every 9 months, Highlights fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mach Note versus Highlights: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMach NoteHighlights
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews53.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings21.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB37 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMach Software DesignJonas Myren Ribe

Customer experience

Mach Note

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Highlights

All ratings1,619 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews467 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral15.2%
Negative31.5%

Bugs and requests

Mach Note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Highlights

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Highlights and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Text selection issues, especially with footnotes
  • Compatibility problems with certain PDF files
  • Syncing issues across devices
  • Export functionality not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add handwriting and freeform annotation support
  • Implement a table of contents or bookmarking feature
  • Allow editing of notes directly in the app
  • Provide a one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Improve search capabilities with visual results and navigation

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Mach Note

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
3 purchases

Highlights

Subscriptions3
  • Highlights Pro: Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Highlights Pro14 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Highlights Pro: Legacy Upgrade1 Year trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Mach Note free?
Mach Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Highlights free?
Highlights is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mach Note or Highlights?
Highlights is rated higher. Mach Note averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Highlights averages 4.5 from 1.6K ratings.
Do Mach Note or Highlights have ads?
Neither Mach Note nor Highlights shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mach Note or Highlights?
Mach Note ships an update every 9 months, and Highlights fortnightly. Most recently, Mach Note was updated on October 5, 2026 and Highlights on October 18, 2026.

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