LiquidText vs MarginNote

LiquidText

• Lawyers and analysts reviewing long documents
• Researchers comparing passages across several papers
• Pen-and-tablet users who want notes tied back to their sources

MarginNote

• Students preparing for exams from textbooks and PDFs
• Researchers working through many papers for a literature review
• Readers who want highlights to become flashcards without retyping

LiquidText

• The apps cover iPadOS, macOS and Windows only.
• The free Basic version leaves out multi-document projects, inking, tagging and OCR.
• Pro 2023 is licensed for one platform; syncing between devices or working across operating systems needs a LIVE subscription.
• LIVE includes 1 GB of storage and sharing with one colleague; more of either needs an Unlimited tier.

MarginNote

• Apple devices only, and the $12.99 Pro Lifetime license does not include the Mac app.
• AI runs on credits: Pro gets 500 once, Max Lifetime gets 500 a month for 3 years only, and add-on packs start at $1.39 for 500.
• App Store and DMG licenses are separate systems; buying one does not produce a license for the other.
• The Max Annual trial auto-renews at $16.99 a year unless it is cancelled before the month ends.

LiquidText

Unified workspace

Source documents and notes share one screen. Excerpts dragged out of a document stay linked to their original location and return to it with one tap.

Pinch to compare and search

A pinch gesture collapses a document so distant pages, search results or highlights sit together, with as much surrounding context as needed.

Ink links and freehand notes

Pro adds freehand inking anywhere and live links drawn as a line between any two objects, such as a page, an excerpt and a comment.

Multi-document projects

Pro projects hold any number of documents, show up to 3 in parallel (5 on PC) and search across all of them at once.

LIVE sync and collaboration

The LIVE subscription syncs projects across devices in real time, backs them up continuously and lets a colleague work in a shared project.

Export and reference managers

Notes and excerpts export to PDF and DOCX, and Pro integrates with the Zotero and Mendeley reference managers.

MarginNote

One card, three views

Each highlight becomes a card that is at once an excerpt on the page, a node in a mind map and a flashcard, with a link back to its source page.

PDF, EPUB, web and video sources

Annotates PDF and EPUB files, web pages and video, with OCR for equations, tables and handwriting. Advanced OCR is limited to the Max tier.

Mind maps and outline

Ten mind-map styles, including tree, fishbone, timeline, concept map and matrix, and an outline view that shows the same map as plain text.

FSRS spaced repetition

Flashcards are scheduled with the Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler, which sets the next review date for each card individually.

Title Link

Card titles work as keywords: when a term from earlier notes appears in a new document, the earlier annotation is surfaced on the page automatically.

MarginNote AI

Summarizes chapters, answers questions and generates cards, drawing on a credit allowance. The vendor offers no way to use your own API key.

LiquidText

• Basic$0

  PDF reader with annotation, a unified workspace, excerpts linked back to the document, pinch search and notes export.

• Pro 2023$89.99

  one-time purchase, one platform

  Local app for a single platform: inking, multi-document projects, links across documents, tagging, OCR, and Zotero and Mendeley integration.

• LIVE$8.99

  per month, paid annually; $10.99 paid monthly

  Everything in Pro 2023 on all platforms, plus real-time sync, continuous backup, 1 GB of project storage and sharing with one colleague.

• LIVE Unlimited$15.99

  per month, paid annually; $18.99 paid monthly

  Adds unlimited storage, document replacement, enhanced search actions and priority support.

• LIVE Unlimited Plus$20.99

  per month, paid annually; $24.99 paid monthly

  Raises real-time collaboration from one colleague to nearly unlimited collaborators per project, with sharing and privacy controls.

• Enterprise EditionCustom

  Quoted on request, with a license management console, single sign-on, password-based file encryption and an on-premises server option.

MarginNote

• Pro Lifetime$12.99

  one-time purchase

  App Store license for iPhone and iPad only: reading, annotation, mind maps and review, with a one-time gift of 500 AI credits. No Mac access.

• Max Annual Subscription$16.99

  per year

  iPhone, iPad and Mac, adding advanced OCR, AI OCR templates, AI translation, the Database channel and 500 AI credits a month.

• DMG Standard$35

  one-time purchase

  Direct Mac download activated with a Paddle code. Mac only, equivalent to App Store Pro, with no monthly AI credits.

• DMG Premium+ $10

  one-time upgrade pack on top of DMG Standard

  Adds the Max-level features to the Mac download. No iPhone or iPad coverage and no monthly AI credits.

• Max Lifetime$51.99

  one-time purchase

  Same features as Max Annual on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The 500 monthly AI credits are included for the first 3 years only.

LiquidText

• Annual discount

  Lower monthly rate when paid annually

  LIVE is $8.99 a month paid annually against $10.99 paid monthly; LIVE Unlimited is $15.99 against $18.99, and Unlimited Plus $20.99 against $24.99.

• Education

  Student pricing through in-app purchase

  The pricing page says student discounts are available only as in-app purchases in a LiquidText app downloaded from the app store. It gives no rate.

• Lifetime license

  Pro 2023 as a one-time purchase

  LiquidText Pro 2023 is paid once at $89.99 for a single platform and can run on up to 5 personal devices on that platform.

MarginNote

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime licenses from $12.99

  Pro Lifetime ($12.99, iPhone and iPad) and Max Lifetime ($51.99, all platforms) are one-time App Store purchases, and the Mac DMG Standard license is $35 one-time.

• Education

  Student and faculty discount

  The pricing page says students and faculty can apply for an education discount through an application guide, and schools arrange bulk purchases by email. No rate is given.