Notewise vs Squid
We give Notewise a 3.2 GPA and Squid a 2.8, out of 4.0. Notewise 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.
Notewise
Handwriting canvas and AI notes for iPhone, iPad and Android
Squid
Handwritten notes and PDF markup for Android and Chromebooks
How we grade them
| 3.2GPANotewiseVery good | 2.8GPASquidGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | handwriting, PDFs and recordings in one AI-backed note | 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: Notewise and Squid. How we grade
Where they differ
- Notewise starts at $2.42 per month, billed yearly ($28.99); Classic Unlimited is $16.99 one-time. Squid starts at $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown.
- Only Notewise lists an iOS app.
- Notewise can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Notewise also covers meeting notes and transcription.
At a glance
| Notewise | Squid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $2.42 per month, billed yearly ($28.99); Classic Unlimited is $16.99 one-time | $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | 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. | 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 | 7-day free trial on Starter; cancel during the trial and you are not charged. | None listed |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ZIIKR Pte. Ltd. | Steadfast Innovation, LLC |
| Price read from | notewise.dev | play.google.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
