Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Notes vs Notability

Notes 4.8★ · Free to download 65
Winner Tie
Notability 4.8★ · Free + IAP 68

Notability offers more advanced features for dedicated note-takers, especially students, but its subscription model and recent stability issues make Notes a more reliable free alternative for basic use.

Full reviews: Notes · Notability

Notes is a free, pre-installed app praised for its convenience and basic functionality, but users report significant issues with data loss, performance, and limited features. Notability, a paid subscription app, is favored by students for its advanced tools and handwriting support, though it also faces criticism for crashing, syncing problems, and recent updates that have negatively impacted usability.

Head to head

Features edge: NotabilityR1R5R6R11
Notes Notes is appreciated for its simplicity and basic list-making capabilities, but users desire more advanced features like a wider color palette, auto-calculation in tables, better handwriting integration, and improved organization options R1R6. Some users find the current features sufficient for quick thoughts and reminders R5R11.
Notability Notability is highly valued by students for its advanced note-taking tools, PDF annotation, and AI quiz generation . However, users express frustration over the inability to hide the control bar, lack of custom templates, issues with text wrap, and limited color editing for tape . Recent updates have also removed or altered favored features like the Apple Pencil squeeze-to-erase gesture R72.
Ease of Use tieR2R11R17R18
Notes Notes is generally seen as user-friendly for quick notes and lists, with many appreciating its immediate availability R11R17. However, some users find it difficult to organize notes, struggle with new formats, and report issues with the search function and automatic linking of numbers R2R18. Recent updates have also made basic formatting more complex .
Notability Notability is praised for its intuitive simplicity and ease of navigation, especially for handwriting notes . However, recent updates have introduced frustrating changes, such as mandatory log-ins, difficulty printing templates, and a less efficient Apple Pencil eraser function R72. Some users also find the live collaboration feature annoying with no option to turn it off .
Reliability & Performance tieR3R4R9R10
Notes Notes users report significant and frequent issues with notes disappearing, not saving, or being deleted, with no clear recovery options R3R4R10R16. The app is also criticized for being slow, laggy, crashing frequently, and causing devices to overheat, especially with handwritten or large notes R9R13R15R18. Syncing with iCloud and Apple Watch performance are also concerns .
Notability Notability users frequently experience app crashes, freezing, and lag, particularly when inserting text boxes or writing with the Apple Pencil . Many users report critical issues with notes being lost, blank, or failing to sync across devices or with cloud services . Overheating on iPads is also a problem .
Price/Value edge: NotesR4R13R15R24
Notes Notes is free and pre-installed, which is a major advantage for many users R15R24. However, some users feel the app's limitations and bugs detract from its value, despite being free R4R13R15.
Notability Notability operates on a free-to-download model with in-app purchases and a subscription, which many users find frustrating. The free tier is very limited, quickly becoming useless without payment R70R84R96R114. The annual subscription is considered worthwhile by some, especially students, for its features . However, there are complaints about being charged immediately for free trials, constant upsells, and the inability to use family sharing for subscriptions .
Support & Data Control tieR3R4R31R33
Notes Users express frustration with the lack of version history, difficulty retrieving lost notes, and inability to export notes to other apps R3R4R31. There are also concerns about Apple forcing features, data harvesting, and potential AI training use, leading some long-time users to abandon the app R33.
Notability Notability's customer support is criticized for relying heavily on AI, making it difficult to reach a live agent for critical issues like lost notes . Users are particularly upset about being forced to use Notability's proprietary cloud service instead of iCloud, with concerns about privacy, data access, and AI training . The inability to export handwritten notes with OCR data is also a point of contention .
Pick Notes if

You need a free, immediately available app for quick notes, lists, and reminders, and you are comfortable with its basic feature set and potential performance issues R5R11R17.

Pick Notability if

You are a student or professional who needs advanced note-taking features, PDF annotation, and handwriting support, and you are willing to pay for a subscription despite recent stability concerns and feature changes .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews, particularly recent ones, highlighting critical issues with data loss, performance, and frustrating updates. While Notes is free, its issues are often attributed to core functionality. Notability's issues are compounded by its paid subscription model, leading to higher user expectations and frustration when core features or reliability falter.

Frequently asked

Is Apple Notes reliable for important information?
Based on user reviews, Apple Notes has significant reliability issues, with many users reporting that important notes have disappeared, been deleted, or are difficult to retrieve, making it risky for critical information R3R4R10R16.
Does Notability require a subscription?
Notability is free to download but offers limited functionality without a paid subscription; many users find the free version quickly becomes useless, requiring payment for full features and unlimited notes R70R84R96R114.
Which app is better for handwriting with an Apple Pencil?
Notability is generally preferred for handwriting with an Apple Pencil, offering near-zero latency and a range of tools, though recent updates have negatively impacted the squeeze-to-erase gesture R72. Apple Notes also supports handwriting but users report performance issues, lag, and overheating with longer handwritten notes R9R15R36.
Do these apps have issues with syncing or data loss?
Both apps have significant user complaints regarding syncing and data loss; Notes users report notes disappearing and difficulty transferring R3R4R10R16, while Notability users experience notes being lost, blank, or failing to sync across devices and cloud services .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Notes 1/5 · US Only 5 colors?: I wish you had more colors that you can make the words when you type, because you have more colors on the photos app
  2. [R5] Notes 5/5 · US Organization: Keeps my shopping list and thoughts flowing and on target. Thank you
  3. [R6] Notes 3/5 · US App needs improvements: App needs ability to have auto calculation of math data within a table this way as I make a change or add something or remove something it updates those math totals in real time.
  4. [R11] Notes 5/5 · US Genuinely life saving: It’s user friendly but living with ADD i find notes the go to place to store stuff and all the above… can share certain ones too… it brilliant! My kids use it one is 12 the other 20 so it’s def for everyone!!
  5. [R2] Notes 5/5 · US Notes not easy to organize: I need to learn all the options for accessing the notes with ease. I will say, much of my difficulty is not being given enough instruction.
  6. [R17] Notes 5/5 · US Notes with me: Like having my notes with me. If I’m out & about if I see something I need I can just put it on my list and not worry about losing my scratch piece of paper at home or accidentally throwing my paper away from my purse.
  7. [R18] Notes 3/5 · US Slow, laggy and search not working: I’ve been using Apple Notes for as long as I can remember and for some reason that app just seems to keep getting worse and worse. It has become so slow and laggy that I can barely use it. By the time it allows me to start typing, I’ve nearly forgotten what I was going to type. Additionally, the search function has become so wonky. If I search a word the notes a
  8. [R3] Notes 3/5 · US Missing scanned attachments: As much I like Apple. I truly dislike not having a version history option within the app. I’m literally scanning and taking notes only to find out days laters it’s gone. I cannot fathom doing over again. It’s not in recently deleted and no matter how long I kept pressing the undo button has anything changed. I’m truly tired of these glitches. Please fix it. I should ha
  9. [R4] Notes 1/5 · US Notes is great but…: The only way to make sure that you don't get a note put in your deleted folder and disappear in 30 days which happens a lot it's a bug or a glitch the only way to prevent that is to Lock the new but nowadays you can't lock a note if it includes a PDF a picture of video and a few other things and if you're trying to retrieve your data from Apple to pack your stuff up or if you'
  10. [R9] Notes 3/5 · US Good for typed notes, serious performance issues for handwritten notes.: It pretty much does what it says on the tin, and is great for taking down quick notes, lists and reminders from your phone. However for longer notes I prefer to hand write them, and this app causes massive overheating and battery drain on my M4 ipad air. Putting lines on a page should not be this taxing on my tablet, and it s
  11. [R10] Notes 1/5 · US horrible: all of noted over the last few years with important information just disappeared with no way to get them back???? thanks apple!
  12. [R13] Notes 1/5 · US Horrible and just crashes: Crazy to make a ‘notebook’ app, but it can’t handle saving writing without crashing. Embarrassing!
  13. [R15] Notes 3/5 · US 2 steps away from being the perfect note taking app: So as a student i wanted to try out the notes app for note taking with the Apple Pencil. Its honestly great, i love the layout, the tools, the syncing with iCloud,and, most importantly for me, its free. MY ISSUE: When the note is large enough, the ipad a16 i am using atm starts to struggle for no reason. It heats up and the latency for writing
  14. [R24] Notes 3/5 · US Available in AppStore?: If it’s downloadable, why is it always pre installed on every iPhone? I thought this was a different type of application
  15. [R31] Notes 1/5 · US Export option nonexistant: Want to import my notes into obsidian and can't
  16. [R33] Notes 3/5 · US Have used this app for years: I'm disappointed by extreme levels that you have forced this app into AI data harvesting. I'm looking for new options. I have used this app for years. Loved that I could create an account and that I wouldn’t lose my notes if my device changed. You've lost me. Not interested in this. I refuse to feed the beast....even if that means abandoning something I have used fo
  17. [R16] Notes 1/5 · US Can’t update it and deleted all my notes: Deletes all my information then tells me to update and is not possible to update.
  18. [R70] Notability 1/5 · US AWFUL: I used to use this often during school and I decided to get it on my iPad just because I wanted to use it, but I can’t even use the text box. I have to do random stuff you can only make like six or five notes before you have to pay like $15 which I wasted so much time trying to curate notes when I literally didn’t even realize I had to pay so that sucks you guys are literally just money dea
  19. [R84] Notability 3/5 · US It’s alright: It’s nice but only with the paid features. My school uses it with subscriptions but at home I use it without subscription and it’s pretty bad without paying for subscription. With subscriptions it’s pretty good tho. Unless you’re planning to pay for an app, I would just use the basic Apple notes app.
  20. [R96] Notability 3/5 · GB Good: I just really would like the pages not to be limited. I love the app but I had to uninstall because I had not enough pages and I don’t have the money for pro version!
  21. [R114] Notability 3/5 · GB Useless if you don’t pay: Notability is a good app, however, very quickly you cannot make anymore edits to your notes. This app would be a lot better if they allowed unlimited note making for free as otherwise it’s useless very quickly.
  22. [R36] Notes 3/5 · GB Needs Optimisation: Longer notes seem to take up a lot of processing power and become laggy on my iPad Air M3, even leading to overheating. I’m using Notes to study for an exam where there is a lot of revision material, and it seems like my very powerful iPad is struggling to process all of my handwritten notes and is slowing down. Functionality and features of the app are okay, though nothing spe
  23. [R72] Notability 3/5 · US bad update: reverse the apple pencil update PLEASE or give a option to change it back. it’s not more convenient it’s actually quite annoying

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store