Noteshelf vs Squid
We give Noteshelf a 3.6 GPA and Squid a 2.8, out of 4.0. Noteshelf grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on 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
Squid
Handwritten notes and PDF markup for Android and Chromebooks
How we grade them
| 3.6GPANoteshelfExcellent | 2.8GPASquidGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BWe can't tell you what Premium costs, and that's the problem. Google Play gives in-app prices as $1.00 to $14.99 per item, without saying which is monthly, yearly or one-time. PDF Import and the Tool Pack can be bought once on their own, and eligible Chromebooks get 6 months of Premium free. |
| 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. | BFree with no account: vector ink, blank, ruled and graph paper, the stroke eraser, image import, folders and export to PDF, PNG or JPEG. Enough for plain handwriting. But the highlighter, true eraser, shapes, typed text and PDF import are all paid. |
| 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. | AStrokes can be selected, moved, resized and recoloured later, pages can be infinite or A4, and an active pen writes while your finger erases. PDF markup lets you annotate, fill in or sign a PDF. Presentation mode casts a note to a TV or projector, and Premium backs up to Google Drive, Dropbox or Box. |
| 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. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. There's no account and no sign-in. You open it and write, with an active pen, a finger or a capacitive stylus. |
| 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. | DAndroid only, though that includes Chromebooks that have the Play Store. No iPhone, iPad, desktop or web version is offered. And purchases only apply on the platform and app store you bought them on. |
| Best for | handwritten notes on Android or Windows, bought once | handwriting on an Android tablet or Chromebook |
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 Squid. How we grade
Where they differ
- Noteshelf starts at $7.99 one-time on Windows; Premium is $9.99 one-time on Android. Squid starts at $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown.
- Only Noteshelf lists iOS, macOS and Windows apps.
- Noteshelf can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Noteshelf also covers templates.
- Squid also covers whiteboard.
At a glance
| Noteshelf | Squid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7.99 one-time on Windows; Premium is $9.99 one-time on Android | $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown |
| 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. | Base features are free with no account: vector ink, blank, ruled and graph paper, the stroke eraser, image import, folders, and export to PDF, PNG, JPEG or Squid Note format. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd. | Steadfast Innovation, LLC |
| Price read from | noteshelf.net | play.google.com |
| 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
Squid
- Students and teachers writing by hand on Android tablets or Chromebooks
- Marking up, grading or signing PDFs with a pen
- People who want notes kept on the device with no account
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.
Squid
- Squid is an Android app only. It also runs on Chromebooks that have the Play Store; no iPhone, iPad, desktop or web version is offered.
- PDF import, the highlighter, true eraser, shapes, typed text, premium backgrounds and cloud backup are all paid features.
- Google Play gives in-app prices only as a range of $1.00 to $14.99 per item, without saying which is monthly, yearly or one-time.
- Purchases are tied to the app store account used to buy them and apply only on the same platform and app store.
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.
Squid
- Vector ink engine
- Strokes stay sharp at any zoom level and can be selected, moved, resized, recolored and reweighted later. A stroke eraser removes whole letters or words at once.
- Active pen support
- On devices with an active pen, such as Samsung devices with S Pen, the pen writes and a finger erases, with pressure sensitivity and quick actions on the pen's side button.
- Paper types and sizes
- Pages are infinite by default or sized as letter, legal or A4. Blank, ruled and graph paper are free; math, engineering, music, sports and planning backgrounds need Squid Premium.
- PDF markup
- A premium feature that imports a PDF as a note to annotate, fill in or sign, then exports the result as a new PDF. It is also sold on its own as an in-app purchase.
- Presentation mode
- Casts a note to a TV or projector so a tablet works as a virtual whiteboard, or shows imported slides that can be written on during a talk.
- Export and cloud backup
- Notes export to PDF, PNG, JPEG or Squid Note format. Squid Premium adds backup at set intervals and bulk PDF export to Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.
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.
Squid
Squid$0
Base features with no account: vector ink, blank, ruled and graph paper, stroke eraser, image import, folders and export to PDF, PNG or JPEG.
Squid Premium and in-app purchases$1.00 - $14.99
per item on Google Play (US); billing basis not shown
Covers the monthly or yearly Squid Premium subscription and the one-time PDF Import and Tool Pack purchases. The listing does not price each item.
Education bulk licenseCustom
Discounted bulk Squid Premium licenses for Google Workspace for Education accounts, quoted on request and assigned in the Google Admin console.
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.
Squid
- Education
Discounted bulk licensing for schools
Squid's help center offers discounted bulk licensing of Squid Premium for Google Workspace for Education accounts, by quote, with a trial available on request.
- Annual discount
Discounted yearly subscription
Squid Premium is sold monthly or yearly, and the help center describes the yearly option as the discounted price. It does not state the amounts.
- Other savings
6 months of Squid Premium on eligible Chromebooks
Eligible Chromebooks get 6 months of Squid Premium free through the Chromebook Perks page, redeemed against the monthly subscription option on Google Play.
