Notability vs Notes Writer
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Notability
Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools
Notes Writer
Handwriting, PDF annotation and document editing in one Apple app
Where they differ
- Notability starts at $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite). Notes Writer starts at $1.99 per week; Lifetime Pro Full Unlock is $14.99 one-time.
- Only Notability lists a web app.
- Only Notability lists Windows and Android apps.
- Notability also covers transcription and templates.
- Notes Writer also covers Markdown, whiteboard, documents and long-form writing.
At a glance
| Notability | Notes Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite) | $1.99 per week; Lifetime Pro Full Unlock is $14.99 one-time |
| Free plan | Starter plan: 5 notes with all editing tools, PDF and document import, access to 20,000+ templates and 7-day version history. | Free to download, with optional in-app purchases for Pro and AI-inclusive options. The site does not list what the free download leaves out. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on the Business and Business Pro plans. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Ginger Labs | Kairoos Solutions |
| Price read from | notability.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Notability
- Students recording lectures alongside handwritten notes
- Turning class notes into flashcards and quizzes
- Annotating PDFs, slides and forms with a stylus
- Schools that manage devices, where Notability for Education is free
Notes Writer
- Students who record lectures and annotate course PDFs on an iPad
- Writers and researchers drafting in Word, Markdown or LaTeX beside their notes
- People who want a one-time Pro unlock in place of a subscription
Worth knowing
Notability
- The free Starter plan is limited to 5 notes.
- Audio transcription and the AI quiz and flashcard tools start at Plus; real-time summaries, note chat and unlimited transcription are listed under Pro.
- Third-party backups are iOS only, and YouTube link-to-note conversion works on the web only.
- The plan comparison marks handwriting recognition, math conversion and audio playback sync as iOS and Android only.
Notes Writer
- The site publishes no prices. The US App Store lists Notes Writer Unlock All and AI at $3.99 and $14.99 without a billing period.
- On a Mac it runs as the iPad app and needs Apple silicon; no Android, Windows or web version is offered.
- The AI Assistant is optional, needs an internet connection, and its included usage depends on the plan.
- A separate paid app, Notes Writer Pro: Beyond PDFs, is listed at $14.99 on the US App Store with its own AI Assistant add-on at $3.99.
Key features
Notability
- Handwriting, typing and document markup
- Notes combine handwriting, typed text, images and sketches on one page, and PDFs, documents and slides can be imported and written on.
- Audio recording with transcripts
- Lectures and meetings are recorded alongside your notes and transcribed, and playback follows the moment each note was written. Live transcription is unlimited on Pro.
- AI flashcards and quizzes
- Practice questions, quizzes and flashcards are generated from your notes: up to 400 questions a month on Plus and unlimited on Pro.
- Summaries and chat with your notes
- Pro generates real-time summaries of notes, imported documents and recordings and answers questions about a note in a chat. Meeting notes can also yield action-item checklists.
- YouTube link-to-note
- On the web, a YouTube link is converted into a note with a transcript and summary: 100 conversions a month on Plus, unlimited on Pro.
- Collaboration and shared libraries
- Notes can be shared by link and edited together live. Business plans add shared note libraries, centralized user admin and admin-based feature controls.
Notes Writer
- Handwriting with Apple Pencil
- Pens, pencils, fountain pens, markers and watercolor tools with an eraser, lasso and ruler, plus shapes, typed text and images alongside handwriting.
- PDF annotation
- Highlights, ink, comments, signatures and audio on PDFs, with form filling, page organization, text redaction in supported PDFs and measurement of distance and area to scale.
- Document editors
- Creates and edits DOCX, RTF, Markdown, LaTeX and plain text documents. LaTeX compiles to a typeset PDF with a preview beside the source.
- Voice notes with transcripts
- Records lectures, interviews or meetings, generates transcripts that can be searched, and attaches recordings to PDF notes and whiteboards.
- Study Projects
- A tree-like Binder organizes subjects, sources and drafts, a Corkboard plans sections, and selected parts compile into a finished document or ebook.
- Math Notebooks and charts
- Math Notebooks mix explanations and calculations with Python cells and plot output, and Chart documents turn a data table into column, line, pie or scatter charts.
Plans
Notability
Starter$0
5 notes with all editing tools, PDF and document import, 20,000+ templates and 7-day version history.
Lite$4.99
per month, or $14.99 per year
Unlimited notes and third-party backups (iOS only), with 7-day version history.
Plus$7.99
per month, or $19.99 per year
Adds audio recording and transcription, handwriting search, up to 400 AI quiz and flashcard questions and 100 YouTube conversions a month.
Pro$19.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
Unlimited live transcription, real-time AI summaries, quizzes, flashcards and YouTube conversions, chat with your notes and 90-day version history.
Classic$49.99
one-time purchase
Unlimited notes with handwriting recognition and search, math conversion to LaTeX, live collaboration and Notability Cloud sync.
Business$6
per user / month, or $60 per user / year
Shared note libraries, central admin and billing, AI summaries and transcription. Business Pro is $18 per user / month or $180 per year.
Notes Writer
Free$0
The free download. The site describes Pro, Lifetime Pro and AI-inclusive options as optional upgrades without listing the free limits.
Weekly$1.99
per week, as labelled on the US App Store
An in-app subscription listed only as Weekly; the listing does not say which upgrade it covers.
Notes Writer Unlock All and AI$3.99 - $14.99
per item on the US App Store; billing basis not shown
Listed twice, at $3.99 and $14.99, with no period for either. The site says included AI usage depends on the plan.
Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
one-time in-app purchase on the US App Store
One-time Pro unlock. The site presents Lifetime Pro and the AI-inclusive options as separate choices.
Ways to pay less
Notability
- Annual discount
Yearly plans cost far less than paying monthly
Lite is $14.99 per year against $4.99 per month ($59.88 over a year), Plus $19.99 against $7.99 per month and Pro $99.99 against $19.99 per month. Business is $60 per user yearly or $6 monthly.
- Lifetime license
Classic one-time purchase
The Classic plan is a one-time purchase, regularly $49.99, with unlimited notes, handwriting recognition, live collaboration and Notability Cloud sync and no subscription.
- Education
Free for schools that manage devices
Schools managing devices through an MDM such as Jamf or Mosyle can use Notability for Education at no cost. It is similar to the Plus subscription and configurable by administrators.
- Other savings
Back-to-school sale: up to 20% off all plans
At the time of checking, the pricing page showed sale prices of $11.99 (Lite), $15.99 (Plus) and $79.99 (Pro) per year and $39.99 for Classic. No end date is stated.
Notes Writer
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Pro as a one-time purchase
The site lists a Lifetime Pro option among its in-app upgrades, and the US App Store shows Lifetime Pro Full Unlock at $14.99.
