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

Voice Recorder vs Notability

Voice Recorder 4.7★ · Free + IAP 40
Winner Notability
Notability 4.8★ · Free + IAP 70

Notability is the stronger choice for comprehensive note-taking and studying, despite recent issues, while Voice Recorder struggles with core functionality and aggressive paywalls.

Full reviews: Voice Recorder · Notability

Notability offers a versatile platform for students and professionals, excelling in note-taking, study tools, and file management, though it faces criticism for recent stability issues and its subscription model. Voice Recorder, while praised for transcription by some, is plagued by reports of recordings cutting off, features not working, and a highly restrictive free tier.

Head to head

Core Recording/Note-Taking Functionality edge: NotabilityR1R10R14R40
Voice Recorder Voice Recorder users report significant issues with recordings stopping unexpectedly, making the app useless for lectures or meetings R1R40. Some also experience problems with playback R10 and the app failing to record at all R14.
Notability Notability is generally praised for its note-taking capabilities, including handwriting, importing files, and creating study notes R55R75R95. However, recent updates have led to frequent crashes, freezing, and notes disappearing or becoming inaccessible R51R57.
Transcription and AI Features tieR5R7R16R20
Voice Recorder Voice Recorder receives mixed reviews for transcription, with some users calling it the 'best transcription app out there' R5 and 'awesome recording, smooth translation' . However, others report the app getting stuck at 70% during transcription R16, failing to generate summaries or notes R7R20, or producing text with errors that cannot be edited .
Notability Notability offers AI features like quizzes from notes and summaries, which some users find valuable for studying R73R95. However, some recent reviews indicate that transcription is no longer working correctly, and the ability to search transcripts or notes has been lost . There are also reports of AI features not working .
Reliability and Data Loss edge: Voice RecorderR1R7R10R14
Voice Recorder Voice Recorder users report issues with recordings cutting off R1R40 and features like exporting or FAQs not working R7. There are also complaints about recordings not playing back R10 and the app failing to record R14.
Notability Notability has faced severe reliability issues, with multiple users reporting notes disappearing, de-syncing, or being deleted, sometimes after years of use R51R53R54R57. Crashes and freezing are also common, particularly after recent updates .
Price/Value and Free Tier Experience tieR3R12R22R24
Voice Recorder Voice Recorder is heavily criticized for its aggressive paywall, with users stating that most features require payment R22R24. Many feel it's a 'cashgrab' for features already available in default apps R12 and that the free tier is extremely limited, often allowing only a few recordings before demanding a subscription R3R32.
Notability Notability's shift to a subscription model has alienated many long-time users who preferred the one-time purchase . While some find the annual subscription (around £25) to be good value for the features offered , others complain that the free version is very limited, quickly becoming 'useless' or read-only without payment R73.
Support and Communication tieR7R14R20R51
Voice Recorder Voice Recorder users report difficulty contacting support or finding help within the app R7R14R20. There are complaints about FAQs not opening and no clear way to report issues or get assistance R7R14.
Notability Notability's support receives criticism for slow response times R51 and failing to resolve critical issues like lost notes . Some users report no response at all after multiple attempts .
Pick Voice Recorder if

You need a simple voice recording app and are willing to pay for premium features, or if you prioritize basic recording over advanced note-taking, and are aware of its reliability issues R5.

Pick Notability if

You are a student or professional who needs a comprehensive note-taking app with features like handwriting, file import, and AI study tools, and you are prepared to pay for a subscription R55R73R95.

Evidence note: Notability has a significantly higher number of ratings, indicating a much larger user base. Both apps have a free tier with in-app purchases, and many negative reviews for both stem from limitations or paywalls in the free version. Notability's recent negative reviews highlight critical issues with data loss and stability, which contradict its high lifetime rating.

Frequently asked

Is Notability good for students?
Yes, Notability is highly recommended for students, especially those in university, as it is versatile for lectures, studying, revision, and work, offering features like note-taking, handwriting practice, AI quizzes, and the ability to import and write on various file types R55R73R75R95.
Can I use Voice Recorder for free?
Voice Recorder can be downloaded for free, but users report that the free tier is very limited, often allowing only a few recordings or minutes before requiring a premium subscription to access most features R3R12R22R32.
Does Notability have issues with data loss?
Yes, Notability has significant and frequently reported issues with data loss, including notes disappearing, de-syncing, or being deleted, with some users losing years of important notes R51R53R54R57.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 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] Voice Recorder 2/5 · US Length of recording: I downloaded this app for class lectures. When I press record and leave the phone alone, it seems to only record a few mins before stoping itself. Useless
  2. [R10] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US Recorder: Uninstall this, it recorder but would not play!
  3. [R14] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US Doesn’t Work: I downloaded this app and tried to use it for recording of meeting notes. Tried to use it twice and and it just kept saying retry. There’s nowhere on the app itself to even reach report a concern or issue to anyone, get help or to leave a comment. So I pretty much just ended my subscription and moved on. I only lost $6.99, but thought this would be something that I could use in the f
  4. [R40] Voice Recorder 2/5 · US Recordings Cut Off: The recordings will just stop randomly and cause you to miss key parts of the meeting.
  5. [R5] Voice Recorder 5/5 · US APP Review: Simply the best transcription app out there. Great for college students.!!! Definitely recommend this to my friends.
  6. [R7] Voice Recorder 2/5 · US Not always good: I bought this app to help me take accurate notes. The app says I can export the list or summary but when I try to do this nothing happens! So tried to open the FAQs to see if I something wrong. But the FAQs don’t open. I would appreciate hearing from the developer.
  7. [R16] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US Stuck at 70% in transcription: Intentando transcribir una entrevista y la app se detiene al 70 % y no avanza. No se que problema tiene la app, pero no ha transcrito ni una nota de voz
  8. [R20] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US Nothing will generate: I would like to find some person to contact. I did a few recordings and every time I try to do a summary or get notes from it it just says an error recurred and I try over and over and over.
  9. [R3] Voice Recorder 3/5 · US Annoying: I mean it’s good but like bro after 2 recordings they literally just blast you with saying like get premium now like it’s so annoying bro
  10. [R12] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US Cashgrab for something that apple ALREADY HAS: They make you pay for more than 3 per day? and have barely any new features, it's literally a rip off of a tool that's already there, unbelievable.
  11. [R22] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US A rubbish App: It won’t allow you to use any feature without money. This app is useless. DONT pay your money here
  12. [R24] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME: So, I am looking for apps to record instruments, right, and I download this one, right. I hop into it and scroll through a little intro about what you can do, but then it shows me that I need to pay for it. I’ve been scrolling through this for hours and all of them you have to pay for! DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME!
  13. [R51] Notability 1/5 · GB My exam notes all gone a week before my exam: I’ll be honest I’ve been using this app for 3 years and I thought it was great until out of nowhere it delete my study notes while I was on it trying to iCloud sync. I have enough storage and I tried all the troubleshooting steps provided by them and apple. But emailing them takes time which I don’t have as my exam is next week. I would recommend avoid
  14. [R55] Notability 5/5 · GB Amazing app: Use this for lectures, studying and work, very versatile. Highly recommend for digital creators, students, work and more
  15. [R73] Notability 4/5 · GB Amazing, Although…: This note taking app is everything to me as a university student with adhd. Perfect for note taking, revision, handwriting practice and overall studying with the ai quizzes from my notes the app makes (I pay for the pro version, which is worth it to me). I recommend this app, though I’d only recommend it if you’re able to pay for the pro versions as that’s where the great featu
  16. [R75] Notability 5/5 · GB An amazing reliable app: notability is an amazing app sthat makes note keeping exceptionally easy on the document … I use it primarily for my studies and I store all my documents on it … in the past I used to print everything and keep notes on paper, but due to frequent travel this was becoming challenging … so with the Notability app everything is easier and I simply take my iPad with me everywhe
  17. [R95] Notability 5/5 · GB Best app for students: Converts maths, makes study notes and they are very good , makes quizzes which I love. Saves me so much time. I love how I can import all types of files and I can write on them . Literally could not have survived University without it .
  18. [R32] Voice Recorder 1/5 · US This is a scam and a very bad app: One time I tried to record 6 times, I had to pay money to get unlimited times to record and this is why I rated this 1 star, I hope these dumb creators fix this
  19. [R53] Notability 3/5 · GB Used to be good: Unfortunately in recent years this app has become quite frustrating to use. There are constant messages about their subscription which I’m not interested in. My notes regularly de-sync and I have to wait 20 minutes for them to re-download again, and sometimes my notes have inexplicably disappeared only to re appear days later with no rhyme or reason to it. I think the only correla
  20. [R54] Notability 1/5 · GB Worst note-taking app ever: Used to be brilliant (used it for 3 years, with minimal issues). Around 2 years ago, a big update ruined it forever. Would repetitively sign me out and try and get me to pay, and would delete all my notes at will. Originally they would come back in a day or two. However, about 6 months ago now, they deleted all my 3 years of notes and I have never got them back on the a
  21. [R57] Notability 1/5 · GB Warning: glitches can cause notes to disappear: I have been using Notability for many years and most of my notes are on here. I find it easy to make notes on this and I like the layout of the app. However, recently whilst making notes, the app glitched and I found almost all of my recent notes, including the one I was working on, had disappeared. They weren’t in the recently deleted and they could

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store