Notebook vs Cuely
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Cuely
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Your script. Your speech. Your procedure. One step at a time — right on your Apple Watch. Write your notes on iPhone. Tap through them hands-free on your wrist. No scrolling. No unlocking your phone. No losing your place. Cuely is the simplest way to move through any written material, hands-free, eyes up, exactly when you need it. PERFECT FOR Speakers and presenters — glance at your wrist at the podium, not a lectern. Advance your talking points with a tap. Eyes stay on the audience, not the page. Teachers and trainers — follow your lesson plan step by step without looking at your phone. Stay present with the room. Coaches — run through drills, session plans, and plays from your wrist on the sideline. Hands free, head up. Tradespeople — follow procedures and checklists hands-free on site. Gloves on, phone in your pocket. Anyone who needs their notes with them, eyes up, always. HOW IT WORKS Write your notes, script, or checklist on iPhone — any length, any format Open Cuely on your Apple Watch Tap forward to advance. Tap back to return. That's it. No clutter. No complexity. No fumbling with your phone mid-task. Just the next step, exactly when you need it. FEATURES · Step-by-step Apple Watch app — tap forward, tap back · Haptic confirmation on every step advance — feel it, don't look at it · Bold and italic text support — emphasise key words in your notes · Paste any text to import — split into steps automatically · Starter templates included — Speech Outline, Work Procedure, Coaching Session · Organise note sets with tags and filter chips · iCloud sync across all your devices — write on Mac, use on Watch · Works fully offline — no internet needed on your wrist · Watch install banner — guided setup if Watch app isn't installed yet ONE-TIME PURCHASE Unlock unlimited note sets with a single purchase. No subscription. No monthly fee. Buy once, use forever. Free tier includes 3 note sets — enough to try every feature before you commit. DESIGNED FOR APPLE WATCH Cuely is built Watch-first. The interface is large, readable, and works with a glance. Every interaction is a single tap. You'll never need to scroll, pinch, or swipe. YOUR NOTES STAY PRIVATE Notes sync via your personal iCloud account. Cuely never sees your content. No account required. No data collected. Cuely. One step at a time. https://cuely.com.au/support https://cuely.com.au/privacy https://cuely.com.au/terms support@cuely.com.au
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Cuely at 13.0 against Notebook's 16.0. 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
Both are free to download. Notebook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Cuely sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Cuely every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notebook | Cuely |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (24K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 220 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zoho Corporation | Cameron Ivey-drayton |
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
Cuely
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notebook
- Notebook Pro$2.491 Month
- Notebook Pro Plus$3.991 Month
- Notebook AI$4.991 Month
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- Notebook Personal$14.991 Year
- Notebook Pro2 variants$24.991 Year
- Notebook Pro Plus$39.991 Year
- Notebook AI$49.991 Year
Cuely
- premium$1.99









