Comparison

Notebook vs Agenda

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

Head to head
About

Notebook

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and tasks with a versatile digital notebook. Create rich notes with text, files, audio, and video. Organize content visually, collaborate in real-time, and access everything across your devices.

Highlights
  • Rich note creation with text, files, audio, and video
  • Checklist creation for task management
  • Bookmark collection and offline reading
  • Kanban-style note organization
  • Real-time collaboration and sharing
  • AI-powered journaling suggestions
  • Cross-device and cloud synchronization
Features
Read full description

Zoho Notebook is a free, ad-free note-taking app for students, teams and researchers: capture, find and reuse what you write down — typed notes, Apple Pencil handwriting, voice recordings with AI transcription, checklists, files and document scans in one note. Syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and other devices. WHAT PEOPLE USE NOTEBOOK FOR 1. MEETING AND LECTURE NOTES Record with audio or video cards; Notebook AI turns it into searchable text with timestamps, so you jump straight to the decision instead of replaying it. Structured minutes with title, participants, decisions and action points sit in the note beside your highlights. Record screen and self at once; longer videos get chapters. 2. STUDY AND RESEARCH Record lectures and search the transcript weeks later. Scan textbooks and business cards, handwrite and sketch with Apple Pencil, use OCR to find text inside photos and handwritten notes, so nothing you captured becomes unfindable. A long note becomes an AI mind map before an exam. 3. DAILY TO-DOS AND JOURNALING Dedicated checklist cards keep tasks beside your notes, and recurring reminders keep them on schedule. Journaling prompts come from your own activity, easier to keep than a blank page. 4. FILES, SCANS, AND SAVED READING Add PDFs, Word docs and spreadsheets with file cards. Articles, videos, recipes and how-tos become Smart Cards, formatted automatically, readable offline and ad-free. Group it all into nested collections. QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK Is it free? Yes, with 2GB of free storage and no ads. Notebook Pro adds more storage, longer notes, larger attachments, Email-In to save emails as notes, premium covers, and custom recurring reminders. Can I move my notes from Evernote, Google Keep, or OneNote? Yes, with dedicated migration tools; it arrives organized. Is my data private? Notes are encrypted in transit and at rest. We never sell your data and never show ads. Lock notes or notebooks with a password, Touch ID or Face ID; previews stay hidden until unlocked. Does it work offline? Yes. Create, edit and read offline, then pick up on another device once it syncs to the cloud. What can Notebook AI do? Transcribe audio and video, build mind maps, summarize and simplify, fix grammar, set tone (casual, professional, friendly, direct, or confident), translate into any language, draft notes, checklists, tables, code or a template from a prompt, and suggest tags. Notebook AI is a separate add-on. Does it use on-device AI and Siri? Yes. An on-device Knowledge Graph links ideas across notebooks and answers questions from your own notes. Siri creates and updates notes by voice with the app closed, and On-Screen Awareness summarizes what's on screen without switching apps. Can I share with non-users? Yes. @mention people to collaborate in real time, or publish a public note or video by link. MORE INSIDE - Search by title, content, tag, collaborator, or notebook; filter by any card type, contact, or link; search within one note; sort by date or relevance, with auto-suggestions and recent searches, offline and across languages - iPhone: text-search audio notes, share via iMessage, dictate with Siri, recent notes from the Notification Bar, SharePlay in calls - iPad: drag and drop, split view, slide over, multiple windows, Stage Manager - Apple Watch: record audio, scribble notes, check off lists, add photo notes, record in one tap from a watch face complication - VoiceOver and a dark interface - Roll back to any of a note's last 10 versions Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled and are charged to your Apple Account. Prices vary by location. Manage in your account settings. Privacy - https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html Terms - https://www.zoho.com/terms.html

About

Agenda

This app integrates notes with your calendar, allowing you to associate notes with specific dates or events. It offers a rich text editor and supports attaching files and photos, with cross-device syncing and collaboration features. The core functionality is free, with optional premium features available via subscription.

Highlights
  • Notes linked to calendar dates/events
  • Timeline view of notes
  • Rich text editor with formatting
  • Attach files and photos to notes
  • Cross-device syncing (iCloud/Dropbox)
  • Project and category organization
  • Real-time collaboration
Features
Read full description

Most notes apps lose track of time. You write something, it disappears into a folder, and a week later you can't remember why you made that decision or what you prepared for that meeting. Agenda fixes this. Every note lives on a timeline alongside your calendar. Prepare for next week's client meeting, capture decisions as they happen, and look back at exactly what led you here — all in one view. "It's my favorite new app in years." — John Gruber, daringfireball.net "Every notes app should work like Agenda." — Khoi Vinh, subtraction.com "One of the most interesting note-taking apps I've used." — John Voorhees, MacStories YOUR NOTES, CONNECTED TO YOUR CALENDAR Attach any note to a date or link it directly to a calendar event. Mark notes as "On the Agenda" to surface them in a dedicated overview — your shortlist of what matters right now. A REAL TEXT EDITOR Headings, lists, tables, checklists, indented blocks, and preformatted text — with the simplicity of plain text input. Focus on what you're writing; Agenda handles how it looks. FILES, PHOTOS, AND LINKS Attach files and images to any note. Everything syncs across your devices and can be previewed inline. PROJECTS AND CATEGORIES Group notes into projects, group projects into categories. Drag to reorder, collapse to focus, or let the timeline do the organizing for you. MAC, IPAD, AND IPHONE Agenda syncs across all your devices via iCloud or Dropbox. Share individual notes for real-time collaboration — useful for team meetings or shared lists. FREE TO USE, FOREVER Agenda is free with no time limits. Premium features are available through a yearly subscription — and you keep every feature you unlock, even if you cancel. A one-time lifetime purchase is also available.

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Agenda4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Notebook at 24K against Agenda's 3.7K. 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. Notebook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Agenda sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $39.99 per year. 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 — 4.7 for Notebook against 4.6 for Agenda. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 24K ratings behind it against 3.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 65% and 64% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Agenda weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Notebook versus Agenda: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookAgenda
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings) — better4.6 (3.7K ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews — better63.7% of reviews
Number of ratings24K — better3.7K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB123 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperZoho CorporationMomenta B.V.

Customer experience

Notebook

All ratings23,853 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews603 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral10.4%
Negative24.9%

Agenda

All ratings3,678 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews876 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral14.5%
Negative21.8%

User reviews

Notebook

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Highly organized and customizable
  • 👍 Visually appealing and intuitive
  • 🔒 Secure with password protection
  • 🤳 Seamless cross-device sync
  • 📝 Versatile note-taking features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional sync and stability issues
  • 🔀 Inconsistent note order after editing
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 📤 Lack of export/backup options
  • 🔗 Difficulty inserting links in notes

Agenda

From 3.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 📅 Excellent calendar integration
  • 💻 Seamless sync across devices
  • 🗓 Date-focused note-taking
  • 🔍 Helpful search and tagging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🤔 Steep learning curve for some
  • 🔍 Difficult to find specific notes
  • 💰 Expensive premium subscription
  • 🖌 Lack of Apple Pencil support

Bugs and requests

Notebook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing notes
  • Syncing problems across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved sorting and reordering options for notes
  • Enhanced search capabilities
  • Ability to export notes in various formats
  • More customization options for notebook covers
  • Integration with other productivity apps

Agenda

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Text formatting inconsistencies
  • Unresponsive UI in certain cases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Ability to insert images and files
  • Project templates and subfolders
  • Google Calendar integration
  • Improved note formatting options

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Notebook

Subscriptions7
  • Notebook Pro$2.491 Month
  • Notebook Pro Plus$3.991 Month
  • Notebook AI$4.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Notebook Personal$14.991 Year
  • Notebook Pro2 variants$24.991 Year
  • Notebook Pro Plus$39.991 Year
  • Notebook AI$49.991 Year
5 purchases

Agenda

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Subscription macOS+iOS7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Premium Features iPadOS+iOS$44.991 Year
One-time3
  • Premium Features iOS & iPadOS$14.99
  • Premium macOS, iOS & iPadOS$34.99
  • Lifetime Premium Features$179.00

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Agenda free?
Agenda is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Agenda?
Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Agenda averages 4.6 from 3.7K ratings.
Do Notebook or Agenda have ads?
Neither Notebook nor Agenda shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Agenda?
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, and Agenda weekly. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Agenda on September 23, 2026.

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