Comparison

Notebook vs Inkpad Notepad

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

Inkpad Notepad

Effortlessly capture thoughts, to-do lists, and shopping lists with this intuitive note-taking app. Sync your notes online for access from any device, and easily search, share, or delete them. It's the digital notepad you'll always have with you.

Highlights
  • Create notes and lists
  • Auto-save functionality
  • Online syncing and web access
  • Search notes and lists
  • Share notes via email/SMS
  • Delete notes easily
Features
Read full description

InkPad Notepad is the simple, elegant, easy way to keep notes on your phone, or on the web. Once upon a time, you had to write down notes in a paper notepad and carry it around with you. If you wrote a shopping list or to do list, you might go to the store and discover you had forgotten your notepad. But how often do you forget to bring your mobile phone with you? Introducing InkPad, the notepad you’ll only forget as often as your phone! Inkpad Notepad let's you access your notes online on our website. You can create or edit notes from the convenience of your computer's web browser, and always have access to your notes from your phone when you're offline too. CREATE NOTES InkPad is designed to look like a paper notepad, and is just as simple to use. When you open InkPad, you’ll see a list of all notes you’ve created. To add a new note, tap on the “+” button at the bottom of the screen. CREATE TO DO LIST Create a note as usual, then select the "to do list" button at the top of the note screen. CREATE SHOPPING LIST Create a note as usual, then select the "shopping list" button at the top of the note. EDIT NOTE OR TO DO LIST Now you can write your note. Just like a paper notepad, you don’t have to do anything special to save your notes, they are auto-saved for you. SAVE As mentioned above, notes are auto-saved. You don’t have to do anything special to save them. SYNC NOTES ONLINE Inkpad Notepad lets you sync/backup notes online. You can access your online notes on our website by signing in with the same account you selected in the mobile app. SEARCH YOUR NOTES OR TO DO LISTS Inkpad Notepad now gives you an option to search your notes or to do lists. From the home screen, tap on the search icon, then begin writing. As you write, the list of notes will be filtered to only display notes containing the search keyword. Press the "X" button to clear the note search, and view all notes as usual. SHARE NOTES At the bottom of each note is a “share” button. Tapping it brings up all the ways to share. Typical ways include email, SMS, etc. CHANGE NOTE’S TITLE To change a notes title, tap on the title area at the top of that note. DELETE NOTE If you don’t want a note any longer, you can delete it in several ways: 1) Open the note, tap the “delete” button at the bottom of the page. 2) From the main notes screen, swipe-left the title of a note, then tap on “delete”. BACKUP NOTES To backup a note, press the share button and email to yourself the note you want to backup. TYPICAL USES Write To do lists, shopping lists, addresses, email, SMS, Twitter updates*, write lyrics, poems, or even a novel if you feel like it! The uses are limited only by your imagination. Follow @InkpadNotes on twitter and facebook to receive updates about InkPad Note pad. *Assumes separate Twitter client is installed, Twitter cannot post note pad content longer than 140 characters. Privacy Policy: https://www.inkpadnotepad.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.inkpadnotepad.com/terms

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Inkpad Notepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Notebook at none against Inkpad Notepad's shown. Inkpad Notepad's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 Inkpad Notepad sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. 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 Inkpad Notepad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24K and 8.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 80% of Inkpad Notepad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update every 6 days, Inkpad Notepad every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notebook versus Inkpad Notepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookInkpad Notepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings) — better4.6 (8.5K ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews79.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24K — better8.5K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZoho CorporationWorkpail, LLC

Customer experience

Notebook

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

Inkpad Notepad

All ratings8,534 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews427 reviews
Positive79.9%
Neutral3.3%
Negative16.9%

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

Inkpad Notepad

From 8.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 💡 Convenient cross-device sync
  • 👍 Reliable note-taking
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 Helpful for organizing notes and lists

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional note loss or sync issues
  • 🔍 Limited customization options
  • 💰 Paid premium version required for some features
  • 🔍 Inconsistent user interface changes
  • 🔍 Ads can be intrusive

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

Inkpad Notepad

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes sometimes disappear after updates
  • Cursor positioning issues when editing
  • Syncing problems leading to data loss
  • App crashes or becomes unresponsive

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to password protect notes
  • Improve note editing functionality
  • Provide more font and formatting options
  • Implement a multi-select/delete feature for notes
  • Add reminders and alarm functionality

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
8 purchases

Inkpad Notepad

Subscriptions8
  • Inkpad Basic Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Inkpad Lite Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Inkpad Standard Monthly$14.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Inkpad Basic Yearly$19.991 Year
  • Inkpad Plus Monthly$24.991 Month
  • Inkpad Lite Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Inkpad Standard Yearly$149.991 Year
  • Inkpad Plus Yearly$239.991 Year

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Inkpad Notepad free?
Inkpad Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Inkpad Notepad?
Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Inkpad Notepad averages 4.6 from 8.5K ratings.
Do Notebook or Inkpad Notepad have ads?
Inkpad Notepad shows ads; Notebook does not.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Inkpad Notepad?
Notebook ships an update every 6 days, and Inkpad Notepad every 9 days. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Inkpad Notepad on September 23, 2026.

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