Comparison

Notebook vs Notes Writer

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

Notes Writer

This app is a comprehensive note-taking and PDF editing solution for mobile devices. It allows users to write, format, and organize notes, annotate PDFs, fill forms, and scan documents. The app offers advanced editing tools, powerful search, and seamless sharing and export options.

Highlights
  • Write and format notes
  • Annotate PDFs and fill forms
  • Organize with unlimited notebooks
  • Powerful full-text search
  • Document scanning
  • Sync with cloud services
  • Export to multiple formats
Features
Read full description

You have lecture notes to take, a story to tell, article to publish, whether it’s today’s journal entry, tomorrow’s thesis, highlight important things in ebooks and PDFs, fill out a PDF form or get the most from your business meetings. Notes Writer is an excellent assistant in study and business, also being effective for writing down your ideas and thoughts and sharing them! Students, teachers, writers, doctors, journalists, scholars and business professionals use Notes Writer daily to store notes, annotations, memos, signed PDFs, papers, highlighted PDF text-books, lectures and more. With Notes Writer you can: + WRITE. EDIT. FORMAT · Write Everywhere: Use Notes Writer as an stand-alone writing app even if you don’t have a computer or you are offline in the wilds · Create rich text format (RTF) and advanced Markdown (MD) documents · Define margins, headers/footers, paper sizes, MLA and APA style format · Live counters: characters, words, sentences, lines, Avg. Word length, Words per sentence & reading time · Text to Speech for proofreading · Dictation lets you speak text instead of typing · Typewriter: Distraction-Free mode, letting you focus on what you’re writing · Over 30 languages typing support including Japanese, Chinese, Arabic & Hebrew · Extra keys: tab, forward delete, cursor up/down/left/right, etc. + ANNOTATE PDFs. FILL FORMS. SIGN DOCUMENTS. · PDF Annotations: highlight, strikeout, underline, notes, voice notes, pencil, stamp, sign... · Fill out forms. Supports PDF AcroForms standard · Sign with your own signature documents, contracts, forms · Digital Signature Validation + ORGANIZE. STRUCTURE. FIND. · Organize your work in unlimited notebooks, folders and subfolders · Create notebooks and projects in your own tree-like structure: Sections, Classes, Lectures, Grades, Drafts, Folders, Chapters, Research, etc. · Design the cover of your notebooks · Full-text search your library of documents and projects + SCAN NOTES. RESEARCH. PDF LIBRARY · Split view: Open two PDFs or handwritten notes simultaneously on screen. Compare or use them as book and paper · Full PDF reader and manager included for reference files, text books, ebooks, articles, resources, papers, etc. · Use the camera of your iPad/iPhone to scan documents, notes, recipes, tickets, etc. as PDF · Open PowerPoint, Word and Excel files + SHARE NOTES. EXPORT PDF, HTML… · Open attachments directly from the Mail app · Sync via iCloud, Dropbox, Box, WebDAV and Google Drive · Convert to multiple formats RTF, Markdown, PDF, ePub, HTML, RTFD, TXT, etc. · Zip folders/notebooks and email them + AUTOMATIC BACKUPS. BE SAFE. PROTECT YOUR WORK · Protect your work with an app security passcode · Protect any folder or project with a passcode · Automatic Backups of your notes and notebooks Notes Writer is more than an innovative, fast and reliable note-taking, PDF annotator and writing app designed for anyone who take notes or writes. This is a smart notepad and writing workspace for your iPad and iPhone. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html EULA https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Notes Writer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notebook at 65% against Notes Writer's 45%. Notebook also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (24K vs 7.3K). On price, update cadence, 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. Notebook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Notes Writer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24K and 7.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 45% of Notes Writer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Notes Writer weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notebook versus Notes Writer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookNotes Writer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings) — better4.5 (7.3K ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews — better45.2% of reviews
Number of ratings24K — better7.3K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB371 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZoho CorporationKairoos Solutions SL

Customer experience

Notebook

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

Notes Writer

All ratings7,289 ratings
Positive86.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews951 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral15.2%
Negative39.5%

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

Notes Writer

From 7.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth writing experience
  • 💡 Versatile note-taking features
  • 🔒 Good privacy
  • 👍 Useful for various purposes (notes, PDF annotations, etc.)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔒 Limiting free version with paywalls
  • 🐛 Bugs with erasing, page management, and file corruption
  • 🐛 Laggy performance and slow loading times

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

Notes Writer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing or getting corrupted
  • Inability to recover deleted documents
  • Unexpected behavior when adding/deleting pages
  • Syncing issues and broken links between documents

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more brushes and pen customization options
  • Improve the clipping/selection tool
  • Implement OCR and handwriting search
  • Provide a Mac version

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
7 purchases

Notes Writer

Subscriptions2
  • Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Notes Writer Unlock All and AI3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time5
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$3.99
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$4.99
  • Full Version Unlock Pro2 variants$5.99
Show 2 more
  • Full Version Unlock Pro$6.99
  • Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes Writer free?
Notes Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Notes Writer?
Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Notes Writer averages 4.5 from 7.3K ratings.
Do Notebook or Notes Writer have ads?
Neither Notebook nor Notes Writer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Notes Writer?
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, and Notes Writer weekly. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Notes Writer on September 24, 2026.

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