MarginNote vs Noteey
We give MarginNote a 3.0 GPA and Noteey a 3.2, out of 4.0. MarginNote grades higher on value for money. Noteey grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MarginNote
Study reader that turns highlights into mind maps and cards
Noteey
Offline infinite-canvas app for visual notes, PDFs and video
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMarginNoteVery good | 3.2GPANoteeyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro Lifetime is $12.99 once for iPhone and iPad. Max, which adds the Mac, is $16.99 a year or $51.99 once. Paid plans in this category typically start at $5.99 a month, so a whole year of Max costs less than three months elsewhere. | 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 | CThere's no free plan. You get a 14-day free trial with no auto-charge, so it simply runs out. Watch the Max Annual trial, though: that one runs a month and renews by itself at $16.99 a year unless you cancel. | 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 | AEvery excerpt from a PDF, EPUB, web page or video is a card, a mind-map node and a flashcard in one. Ten mind-map styles, FSRS spaced repetition, OCR for equations and handwriting, and AI that summarises chapters. Advanced OCR is Max only. | 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 | B4.48 from about 730 App Store ratings. Buying it is the confusing bit: five licences, and App Store and direct Mac ones are separate systems, so one doesn't give you the other. | 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 | CiPhone, iPad and Mac only, so no Windows, Android or web. It does hook into Zotero, iCloud, Google Drive and YouTube. And the cheapest licence leaves the Mac app out. | 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 | turning textbook highlights into mind maps | 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: MarginNote and Noteey. How we grade
Where they differ
- MarginNote starts at $12.99 one-time (Pro Lifetime, iPhone and iPad only). Noteey starts at $90 per year (Premium plan), or $99 one-time for a Desktop Pro license.
- Noteey has a free plan. MarginNote does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only MarginNote lists an iOS app.
- Only Noteey lists a web app.
- Only Noteey lists a Windows app.
- MarginNote also covers linked notes.
- Noteey also covers whiteboard.
At a glance
| MarginNote | Noteey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12.99 one-time (Pro Lifetime, iPhone and iPad only) | $90 per year (Premium plan), or $99 one-time for a Desktop Pro license |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 14-day free trial with no auto-charge; the Max Annual trial runs 1 month and auto-renews | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | MarginSoft Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | Noteey |
| Price read from | marginnote.com | noteey.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
