Noteshelf vs Notewise
We give Noteshelf a 3.6 GPA and Notewise a 3.2, out of 4.0. Noteshelf grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Noteshelf
Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation for stylus devices
Notewise
Handwriting canvas and AI notes for iPhone, iPad and Android
How we grade them
| 3.6GPANoteshelfExcellent | 3.2GPANotewiseVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APay once: $7.99 on Windows, $9.99 for Premium on Android, and a $14.99 Lifetime purchase on the US App Store. Any of those is under three months of the $5.99 this category typically charges. Just steer clear of Apple's Weekly option at $7.99. | ABasic is $28.99 a year, which works out at $2.42 a month, for AI notes, transcription, sync and 1 GB of cloud storage. Paid plans here typically start at $5.99 a month. If you only want the pen, Classic Unlimited is $16.99 once on the website for Android, or $19.99 in the iOS app. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree gives you 3 notebooks with unlimited pages, hundreds of templates and 30 AI credits a month, going by the Android page. Three notebooks runs out fast, and handwriting recognition and search need Premium. | BClassic Free gives you up to 10 canvases of 50 pages each, with document import, kept on your device. But there's no AI, no sync, and a watermark that stays. That's tight. Starter has a 7-day free trial, and cancelling during it means no charge. |
| Features | APens and highlighters modelled on real ones, shape tidying, a zoom box, PDF and slide markup, a document scanner and audio recording. Premium reads and searches handwriting in 65 languages. An AI assistant summarises pages, and there are 200+ templates. | AA freeform canvas with pens, shapes, tables and connectors. PDFs and slides of up to 3,000 pages on paid plans. Transcription in 20+ languages, AI chat that points to the passage it's quoting, flashcards and quizzes from your notes, and real-time collaboration on a canvas. |
| Ease of use | B4.56 from about 6,800 App Store ratings, just under our line for an A. Buying it is the fiddly part: the App Store shows several yearly prices from $19.99 to $49.99, so what you're offered in the app may vary. | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. The app is a normal install. The thinking is in the plans: five of them, and AI features share a monthly credit allowance that pauses when it runs out. |
| Platforms and integrations | AiPad, iPhone, Mac, Android and Windows, with backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV. One gap: sync is iCloud on Apple and Google Drive on Android, and the listings don't describe syncing between the two. | CiPhone, iPad and Android, so phones and tablets only. A browser can view synced or shared notes, but that needs a Notewise Cloud subscription and it's for viewing. There's no desktop app, and the listing shows no integrations. |
| Best for | handwritten notes on Android or Windows, bought once | handwriting, PDFs and recordings in one AI-backed note |
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: Noteshelf and Notewise. How we grade
Where they differ
- Noteshelf starts at $7.99 one-time on Windows; Premium is $9.99 one-time on Android. Notewise starts at $2.42 per month, billed yearly ($28.99); Classic Unlimited is $16.99 one-time.
- Only Noteshelf lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Noteshelf also covers templates.
- Notewise also covers meeting notes, transcription and whiteboard.
At a glance
| Noteshelf | Notewise | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.99 one-time on Windows; Premium is $9.99 one-time on Android | $2.42 per month, billed yearly ($28.99); Classic Unlimited is $16.99 one-time |
| Free plan | Free: 3 notebooks with unlimited pages, hundreds of templates and Noteshelf AI with 30 monthly credits, as listed for Noteshelf 3 on Android. | Classic Free: up to 10 canvases of up to 50 pages each, with document import and the video feature, kept on the device. No AI, sync or cloud storage, and the watermark stays. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on Starter; cancel during the trial and you are not charged. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd. | ZIIKR Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | noteshelf.net | notewise.dev |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Noteshelf
- Students and teachers taking handwritten notes with a stylus
- Marking up PDFs, slides and scanned documents
- Planners and journals built from ready-made templates
Notewise
- Students and professionals who mix handwriting, PDFs and recordings
- People who move between an iPad and an Android phone or tablet
- Handwriting-only users who prefer a one-time purchase
Worth knowing
Noteshelf
- The Free tier is limited to 3 notebooks, and handwriting recognition and search require Premium.
- Pricing differs by platform: $7.99 on the Microsoft Store, a $9.99 one-time upgrade on Android, and subscriptions or a lifetime purchase on the App Store.
- The App Store shows several yearly Premium prices between $19.99 and $49.99, so the price offered inside the app may vary.
- Sync uses iCloud on Apple devices and Google Drive on Android; the listings do not describe syncing between the two.
Notewise
- Apps are offered for iPhone, iPad and Android; browser access is for viewing synced or shared notes and needs a Notewise Cloud subscription.
- Classic Unlimited has no AI, sync or collaboration, and its license is tied to the Apple ID or Google Play account it was bought with.
- AI features share a monthly credit allowance and pause when it runs out; Basic gets about a third of Starter's allowance.
- When a subscription ends, cloud notes are kept for a 30-day grace period and then permanently deleted.
Key features
Noteshelf
- Handwritten notes
- Write with pens and highlighters modeled on real ones, turn rough strokes into clean shapes, and use a zoom box for precise writing.
- Handwriting recognition
- Converts handwriting to text and searches handwritten notes in 65 languages. Recognition and search are part of Premium.
- PDF and document annotation
- Import PDFs, documents, slides and images, then highlight, underline and write on them. A built-in scanner digitizes paper documents.
- Audio recording
- Record lectures or meetings while taking notes and replay them later. The Apple version can also record from an Apple Watch.
- Noteshelf AI
- Generates handwritten notes on a topic, summarizes pages, translates text and explains terms, drawing on a monthly allowance of AI credits.
- Sync and backup
- iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac, Google Drive sync between Android devices, and automatic backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV.
Notewise
- Mixed-source notes
- A single note can hold typed text, audio recordings and transcripts, handwriting, PDFs, documents, slide decks, images and website links, and AI works across all of them.
- Handwriting canvas
- A freeform canvas with pens, brushes, highlighter, lasso, shapes, tables, sticky notes, rulers and connectors for diagrams. The advanced canvas tools need a paid plan.
- PDF and document annotation
- PDFs, slides and other documents of up to 1 GB import for highlighting, comments and drawing: up to 50 pages per document on Classic Free and 3,000 on paid plans.
- Transcription and AI chat
- Subscriptions transcribe recordings in 20+ languages and answer questions about one note, all notes or a meeting still being recorded, pointing to the passage an answer came from.
- Interactive Tabs
- Captured notes can be turned into flashcards, quizzes, action items, decision logs or a custom format. Guided AI podcasts are limited to Starter and Pro.
- Sync and collaboration
- Subscriptions sync notes between iOS and Android with 1 GB to 100 GB of cloud storage, and add real-time collaboration on canvas and sharing by link with viewing in a browser.
Plans
Noteshelf
Free$0
3 notebooks with unlimited pages, hundreds of templates and Noteshelf AI for text with 30 monthly credits.
Noteshelf for Windows$7.99
one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store
The Windows app for stylus devices, with handwritten and typed notes, audio recording, PDF annotation and handwriting search.
Premium (Android)$9.99
one-time purchase; local pricing may apply
Unlimited notebooks, configurable digital diaries, handwriting recognition and search, and 100 monthly AI credits.
Premium (iPhone, iPad and Mac)$7.99 to $49.99
in-app purchase: weekly, monthly, yearly or lifetime
The US App Store lists Weekly at $7.99, Monthly at $9.99, Yearly at prices from $19.99 to $49.99, and a Lifetime purchase at $14.99.
Notewise
Classic Free$0
Up to 10 canvases of 50 pages each, with PDF, slide and document import. No advanced canvas tools, AI, sync or cloud storage.
Classic Unlimited$16.99
one-time purchase on the website (Android); $19.99 in the iOS app
Unlimited offline canvases of up to 3,000 pages, advanced canvas tools and no watermark. No AI, sync or collaboration.
Basic$2.42
per month, billed yearly ($28.99); $4.99 billed monthly
AI notes, chat, transcription and handwriting recognition with 0.3x AI credits, 1 GB of cloud storage, cross-device sync and real-time collaboration.
Starter$3.08
per month, billed yearly ($36.99); $6.99 billed monthly
Everything in Basic with 1x AI credits, 10 GB of cloud storage and guided AI podcasts. Includes the 7-day free trial.
Pro$10.83
per month, billed yearly ($129.99); $15.99 billed monthly
Everything in Starter with 3x AI credits and 100 GB of cloud storage, for heavy AI use and large note libraries.
Ways to pay less
Noteshelf
- Lifetime license
One-time Premium purchase
Premium is a one-time $9.99 fee on Android, and the US App Store lists a Lifetime Premium in-app purchase at $14.99 next to its subscriptions.
- Education
Reduced prices for schools and businesses
Noteshelf 3 is offered to schools and businesses at reduced prices through Apple School Manager and Apple Business Manager.
- Other savings
30% off Premium for Samsung Galaxy users
The Android page advertises 30% off the Premium upgrade as an offer exclusive to Samsung Galaxy users.
Notewise
- Annual discount
Save 32% to 56% with yearly billing
Basic, Starter and Pro cost $28.99, $36.99 and $129.99 a year against $4.99, $6.99 and $15.99 a month, which works out about 52%, 56% and 32% lower over twelve months.
- Lifetime license
Classic Unlimited as a one-time purchase
Classic Unlimited is bought once and does not renew: $16.99 on the Notewise website for Android, with iOS users buying it inside the app, where the US App Store lists $19.99.
- Other savings
Volume licenses for schools and businesses
Organizations can buy discounted one-time Notewise Unlimited licenses for a verified email domain, starting with a minimum of 20 licenses. Cloud sync is not included.
