Mach Note vs Notewise
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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!***
Notewise
This app offers a versatile digital canvas for note-taking, PDF annotation, and sketching. It leverages AI to summarize content, generate quizzes, and transcribe audio. Designed for students, professionals, and creators, it provides tools for organization, collaboration, and enhanced productivity.
- AI-powered note summarization and quizzing
- Handwritten notes and PDF annotation
- Audio recording with synced transcripts
- OCR for searchable handwriting
- Real-time collaboration
- Infinite freeform canvas
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Featured on the App Store. 8M+ downloads. Trusted by millions worldwide. Your meetings, lectures, ideas, and research don’t arrive in one format. Your notes shouldn’t have to either. Notewise brings together what you write, record, draw, read, and save. Capture it once, then find it again, ask about it, learn from it, and build on it. Notewise is an AI note-taking app for iPhone and iPad with handwritten notes, audio recording and transcription, PDF annotation, documents, web sources, and AI search and chat. ■ CAPTURE EVERYTHING IN ONE NOTE • Write, type, or handwrite notes • Sketch ideas and diagrams on a freeform canvas • Record meetings, lectures, conversations, and voice notes • Import 25+ file formats, including PDFs, documents, slides, images, and more • Add website links and bring web research into your notes • Scan paper notes and whiteboards Start with whatever is in front of you. Add things in any order, and keep related notes, recordings, files, and ideas together as you go. ■ SEARCH & ASK ACROSS YOUR NOTES Search handwritten notes, typed text, audio transcripts, PDFs, documents, and images. Ask Notewise AI about the note you’re in or across all your notes. Search the web when you need more context. Answers can cite the notes, recordings, files, and sources behind them, so you can always see where the information came from. Search less. Pick up where you left off and keep thinking. ■ RECORD, TRANSCRIBE & ASK IN REAL TIME Stay focused on the meeting, lecture, or conversation instead of trying to write down every word. • Automatic transcription in 20+ languages • Key points, decisions, and next steps • Ask questions while a meeting or lecture is still happening • Ask across past recordings later • Keep audio, meeting notes, PDFs, and related documents together Meeting notes become more than transcripts. Class notes stay useful long after the lecture ends. ■ WRITE, DRAW & ANNOTATE FREELY Handwrite a page. Draw a diagram. Work through a problem. Mark up a PDF. Move things around until the idea makes sense. Choose from 30+ brushes and tools — including pencil, oil paint, watercolor, highlighter, lasso, tape, shapes, tables, rulers, sticky notes, and more. Start from 20+ templates or create your own, from Cornell notes to meeting notes and custom workflows. ■ TURN NOTES INTO FLASHCARDS, QUIZZES & PODCASTS Good notes don’t all look the same. Turn study notes, meeting notes, or research into AI notes, summaries, flashcards, quizzes, podcasts, and more — using the same material in the format that helps you most. Summarize a recording. Ask questions about a PDF. Search handwritten notes. Find connections across different notes. Sometimes you want AI. Sometimes you just want a blank page. Notewise gives you both. ■ FOR WORK, STUDY & RESEARCH Use Notewise for meeting notes, lecture recording, handwritten and digital notes, voice notes, PDF annotation, research papers, brainstorming, and search across everything you save. On iOS 27, use Siri AI to create, edit, and find information in your notes, or Visual Intelligence to surface related content from what you see. Whether you’re building a company, studying for an exam, researching your next idea, or simply trying to remember what matters, Notewise gives your thinking one place to grow. ■ PRIVACY FIRST Notewise is built by a small, independent team. We don’t sell your data or show ads. Your notes are encrypted, secure, and under your control. ■ TRY NOTEWISE FREE Start with 10 free canvas notes and import your own slides and documents. Explore Notewise with a 7-day free trial, while core features remain free to use. Write. Record. Draw. Remember. Privacy Policy: https://www.notewise.dev/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://www.notewise.dev/terms-conditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Notewise at 4.6 against Mach Note's 3.0. Notewise also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (283 vs 2). Mach Note's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Mach Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Notewise sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Notewise holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notewise has 283 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 Notewise's.
Mach Note ships an update every 9 months, Notewise every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mach Note | Notewise |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 4.6 (283 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 53.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 283 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 431 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mach Software Design | ZIIKR |
Customer experience
Mach Note
Notewise
Bugs and requests
Mach Note
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Notewise
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes on every update
- Handwritten content randomly disappears
- Annotations vanishing intermittently
- Lasso selection tool malfunctions
- Text input fields not responding
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- App freezes when highlighting large areas with markers
- Handwriting input not registering
- Palm rejection issues causing unwanted marks
- Shape recognition failures
- Scribble-to-erase function unreliable
- PDF export causing app crashes
- Notes auto-deleting or getting corrupted
- Sync getting stuck mid-process
- Slow and delayed cross-device synchronization
- UI elements obscuring page content after 20+ minutes of use
- Copy-paste functionality limited and unreliable
- App performance degradation over time
- Glitchy behavior with shape drawing mode
Requested features
20 requests- Add layers feature for advanced editing
- Implement automatic zoom box that follows writing
- Add pencil, waterbrush, and crayon drawing tools
- Sticker marketplace or sticker customization
- Horizontal page flipping/swiping navigation
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- Ability to pause real-time syncing
- MacBook native app with full feature parity
- More shape customization (arcs for graphing)
- Improved text formatting and customization options
- Single page view mode (vertical and horizontal)
- Notebook organization beyond just pages
- Magnifying glass tool like GoodNotes
- More pen and pencil style options
- Line spacing customization for text
- PDF import from web/internet
- Printing functionality
- Audio recording and sharing capabilities
- Hyperlink support on desktop version
- Scroll locking to prevent accidental page movement
- Better shape recognition (arrows, parentheses)
In-app purchases
Mach Note
- Remove Ads$0.99
Notewise
- Notewise Cloud Basic Monthly$4.991 Month
- Notewise Cloud Starter Monthly$6.991 Month
- Notewise Cloud Pro Monthly$15.991 Month
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- Notewise Cloud Basic Yearly$28.991 Year
- Notewise Cloud Starter Yearly7 Days trial$36.991 Year
- Notewise Cloud Pro Yearly7 Days trial$129.991 Year
- Notewise Marketplace Content$1.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$2.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$3.99
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- Notewise Marketplace Content$4.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$5.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$6.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$7.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$8.99
- Notewise Marketplace Content$9.99
- Notewise Unlimited$19.99









