Comparison

Notebook vs Greatnotes5

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

Greatnotes5

Record, transcribe, and organize lectures, meetings, and ideas with AI-powered summaries, instant answers, and quick actions. Export notes as polished PDFs for easy sharing and collaboration.

Highlights
  • Automatic transcription with time-stamps
  • AI-generated summaries and key takeaways
  • Ask AI questions about your notes
  • Quick AI actions: translate, proofread, expand
  • Export notes as PDF
  • Record lectures and meetings
Features
Read full description

Never take notes again. Greatnotes5 records every conversation and automatically creates summaries, word-for-word transcripts, key points and action items in seconds. ● Tap Record Once. Get Notes Automatically • Word-for-word transcripts • AI summaries & minutes • Action items & follow ups • Key takeaways • Time stamped Transcription • Searchable conversations ● Chat With Your Recordings • What decisions were made? • What are my action items? • Summarize this meeting. • What did we discuss about pricing? • What were the lecture highlights? • What questions were asked? Find answers in seconds. ● AI Writing Assistant • Summarize long recordings • Rewrite professionally • Improve grammar • Translate notes • Generate titles • Create concise highlights • Continue writing ● Share Anywhere Export polished notes as PDF and share with coworkers, clients, classmates, teachers, or your team. ● Coming Soon Turn recordings, PDFs, and documents into AI podcasts you can listen to while commuting, walking, studying, or traveling. FAQs What's the best AI note taking app for iPhone? Greatnotes is an AI Note Taking app that records meetings, lectures, interviews, voice memos, and conversations, then creates transcripts, AI summaries, meeting notes, lecture notes, action items, and searchable notes. Can this app record meetings and create notes automatically? Yes. Greatnotes records meetings and lectures, transcribes speech to text, summarizes discussions, creates meeting minutes, and extracts key takeaways automatically. Can this app transcribe audio into text? Yes. Greatnotes converts speech into accurate, time stamped transcripts for meetings, lectures, interviews, study sessions, classes, and voice recordings. Can I use this app for studying? Yes. Record lectures, generate study notes, review key concepts, and prepare for exams faster. Can I chat with my notes? Yes. Ask questions about meetings and recordings to instantly find decisions, action items, summaries, or important details. Does this app create AI summaries? Yes. Greatnotes summarizes recordings, rewrites notes, translates content, improves writing, generates titles, and helps organize information with AI. Is Greatnotes like Goodnotes, Notability, or Coconote? Greatnotes combines AI note taking, voice recording, speech to text transcription, AI summaries, meeting notes, lecture notes, and AI chat in one iPhone app. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_wdVmWyFuw-bcjgMOr1xqLdBZs47o3anwCtNAM9XUBo/edit?usp=sharing Terms of Usage: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14FDMmPF4e01WpDefHlvt_WyrZwotTlCAlnjeBYPYtPw/edit?tab=t.0 Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of the renewal will be identified. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication.

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Greatnotes54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Notebook at 24K against Greatnotes5's 1.4K. Notebook also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). 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 Greatnotes5 sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. 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 Greatnotes5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 24K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 65% and 65% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Greatnotes5 every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notebook versus Greatnotes5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookGreatnotes5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings) — better4.6 (1.4K ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews65.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24K — better1.4K
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZoho CorporationKanza Ahmad

Customer experience

Notebook

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

Greatnotes5

All ratings1,411 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral5.5%
Negative29.1%

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

Greatnotes5

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
9 purchases

Greatnotes5

Subscriptions7
  • GreatNotes Weekly Premium$3.997 Days
  • GreatNotes 40% Off7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Monthly3 Days trial$5.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • GreatNotes Yearly Offer7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • GreatNotes Yearly Premium$59.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime$39.99
  • Lifetime$239.99

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Greatnotes5 free?
Greatnotes5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Greatnotes5?
Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Greatnotes5 averages 4.6 from 1.4K ratings.
Do Notebook or Greatnotes5 have ads?
Neither Notebook nor Greatnotes5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Greatnotes5?
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, and Greatnotes5 every 3 days. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Greatnotes5 on September 23, 2026.

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