LiquidText vs Noteey
We give LiquidText and Noteey the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. LiquidText grades higher on ease of use. Noteey grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LiquidText
Document review workspace that links excerpts to notes
Noteey
Offline infinite-canvas app for visual notes, PDFs and video
How we grade them
| 3.2GPALiquidTextVery good | 3.2GPANoteeyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLIVE is $8.99 a month paid annually, or $10.99 monthly, against a typical $5.99 here. That includes just 1 GB of storage and sharing with one colleague, and more of either means Unlimited at $15.99. Pro 2023 is $89.99 once, but for one platform and with no sync. | BDesktop Pro is $99 once for 4 Macs or PCs, which is about 16 months of a typical $5.99 a month plan here, and then it's yours. Premium is the dear one: $10 a month or $90 a year for unlimited web publishing, YouTube transcripts and AI summaries. Lifetime Premium is $599. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic is free and has the clever part: PDF annotation, excerpts linked back to the page, pinch search, mind maps and notes export. But projects with several documents, inking, tagging and OCR all need a paid version. LIVE has a one-week trial. | BFree forever with no signup, and every visual tool is in it. But it stops at 3 projects and 100 cards, and you can annotate only 3 PDFs and 3 video or audio files. One real research project and you're at the wall. |
| Features | AIt does document review fully. Excerpts stay tied to their source, a pinch collapses a document so far-apart pages sit together, and Pro projects hold any number of documents with up to 3 side by side and one search across them all. Zotero and Mendeley plug in for references. | AText, drawings, images, PDFs, videos, audio, mind maps and embedded web pages on one board. Highlights in PDFs and time-stamped notes on videos link back to their source. Add a reusable library, card properties with several views, and a presentation mode. No native cloud sync, though. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 6,400 App Store ratings. The gestures are its own, so expect a little learning. Picking a version takes thought too: a one-time Pro, three LIVE tiers and Enterprise. | BNo store rating to go on, so a B is our ceiling. Download it and start, with no account for the core features. Sync is the fiddly part: it's a paid extra that runs through a folder in OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPad, Mac and Windows, with Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, iCloud and iManage for files. No phone apps and no web version. And working across those platforms needs LIVE, since Pro 2023 is licensed for one. | BMac and Windows apps, plus a browser version that's an offline beta, with OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud and YouTube hooked in. The download page marks iPhone, iPad and Android as Coming Soon, so there's nothing for your phone today. |
| Best for | picking long documents apart | spreading notes, PDFs and videos over one big canvas |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LiquidText and Noteey. How we grade
Where they differ
- LiquidText starts at $8.99 per month, paid annually (LIVE). Noteey starts at $90 per year (Premium plan), or $99 one-time for a Desktop Pro license.
- Only LiquidText lists an iOS app.
- Only Noteey lists a web app.
- LiquidText also covers research.
- Noteey also covers whiteboard.
At a glance
| LiquidText | Noteey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.99 per month, paid annually (LIVE) | $90 per year (Premium plan), or $99 one-time for a Desktop Pro license |
| Free plan | Basic: free PDF reading, annotation, excerpts linked to notes, pinch search and highlight view, mind maps and notes export. Multi-document projects, inking and tagging need Pro. | Up to 3 projects and 100 cards, with all visual creation features and annotation of up to 3 PDFs and 3 video or audio files. No account or signup is required. |
| Free trial | One-week free trial on any LiquidText LIVE subscription | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | LiquidText Inc. | Noteey |
| Price read from | liquidtext.net | noteey.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Noteey
- Visual thinkers who lay out notes, PDFs and videos on one canvas
- Students and researchers annotating PDFs and lecture videos
- People who want a whiteboard app that works offline without an account
Worth knowing
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.
Noteey
- The Free plan stops at 3 projects and 100 cards, with annotation limited to 3 PDFs and 3 video or audio files.
- There are no iPhone, iPad or Android apps yet: the download page marks both as Coming Soon, and the browser version is an offline beta.
- There is no native cloud sync. The pricing FAQ says it is still being planned and points to third-party drives instead.
- A Desktop Pro license covers the desktop apps only; unlimited web publishing, YouTube transcripts and AI summaries need Premium.
Key features
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.
Noteey
- Infinite canvas
- Text, shapes, lines, drawings, images, videos, PDFs, audio, mind maps, sticky notes, frames, embedded web pages and cards share one board, and a project can hold several boards.
- Highlight system
- Text in cards and text or areas in PDFs can be highlighted, and videos and audio take time-stamped notes. A highlight dragged onto the canvas jumps back to its place in the source.
- Library for reuse
- Cards, PDFs, videos and highlights are kept in a library, where they can be tagged and pulled into other projects from the sidebar.
- Card properties and views
- Cards can be given properties and shown in multiple views, which the site presents as a personal database for structuring notes.
- Presentation and publishing
- Presentation mode steps through a project's boards. Projects export as a local copy others can open, as PDF or as images, and can be published to the web.
- Offline, local storage
- Core features work without logging in and data stays on the computer. Paid licenses add sync through a folder in OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud.
Plans
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.
Noteey
Free$0
Up to 3 projects and 100 cards, all visual creation features, and annotation of up to 3 PDFs and 3 video or audio files.
Desktop Pro$99
one-time purchase
4 Mac or Windows devices, unlimited local projects, web publishing of projects up to 20 MB, local file import and export, OCR and third-party sync.
Desktop Pro Plus$159
one-time purchase
The same features as Desktop Pro on 8 Mac or Windows devices, aimed at small teams and heavy users.
Premium (Monthly Plan)$10
per month, billed monthly
A Desktop Pro license plus unlimited web publishing, unlimited YouTube transcripts and AI summaries, and priority support.
Premium (Yearly Plan)$90
per year, billed yearly
The same Premium features as the monthly plan, paid once a year.
Premium (Lifetime Plan)$599
one-time payment
The Premium features for a single payment. The page says Premium will become subscription-only soon.
Ways to pay less
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.
Noteey
- Annual discount
25% less on Premium with yearly billing
The Premium plan costs $10 a month billed monthly or $90 a year billed yearly, which works out to $7.50 a month.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses from $99
Desktop Pro ($99) and Desktop Pro Plus ($159) are pay-once licenses, and a Lifetime Premium plan costs $599. Refunds are offered within 30 days of purchase.
