Comparison

Notebook vs Plany

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

Plany

Features
Read full description

Plan. Execute. Measure. Improve. Plany is more than a planner. It's a productivity companion designed to help you achieve your goals through continuous improvement. Whether you're studying, working, building new habits or managing personal projects, Plany helps you organize your plans, stay consistent, measure your progress and discover how to improve every day. - Plan Organize your goals with flexible plans that adapt to your needs. • Create long-term and short-term goals • Break goals into manageable tasks • Organize your daily and weekly schedule • Build realistic plans that keep you motivated - Execute Stay focused on what matters most. • Track completed tasks throughout the day • Monitor today's priorities at a glance • Build productive routines and reduce procrastination • Stay committed to your objectives - Measure Understand your progress with meaningful insights. • Monitor your daily and weekly progress • Compare your performance over time • Track goal completion rates • Visualize your productivity with simple statistics - Improve Learn from your progress and continuously get better. • Receive personalized recommendations to improve your productivity • Discover goals that need more attention • Build better planning habits • Stay motivated with measurable achievements - Connect with the Community Share ideas, notes and knowledge with others. • Publish posts and helpful content • Join discussions around your interests • Learn from other users • Share your own experience and achievements - Notes and Knowledge Keep everything related to your goals in one place. • Create notes and summaries • Organize your ideas • Access your information whenever you need it Why Plany? Unlike traditional task managers that stop after checking off tasks, Plany helps you understand your progress and continuously improve. Every completed task contributes to a clearer picture of your productivity, helping you make smarter decisions and achieve your goals more efficiently. Whether you're preparing for exams, managing projects, building new habits or organizing your personal life, Plany gives you the tools to move forward with confidence. Plan smarter. Execute consistently. Measure your progress. Improve every day. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Plany4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notebook at every 6 days against Plany's every 4 months. Plany's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 Plany sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Plany every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notebook versus Plany: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookPlany
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings24K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB114 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperZoho CorporationAbdelhay El hamadi

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

Plany

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 Plus1 Year trial$39.991 Year
  • Notebook AI$49.991 Year
5 purchases

Plany

Subscriptions3
  • Gold Access - Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Gold Subscription - 3 Months$1.993 Months
  • Gold Subscription - Annual$6.991 Year
One-time2
  • Silver Access$2.99
  • Premium Access$2.99

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plany free?
Plany is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notebook or Plany have ads?
Neither Notebook nor Plany shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Plany?
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, and Plany every 4 months. Most recently, Notebook was updated on October 1, 2026 and Plany on September 17, 2026.

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