The Freenotes Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Freenotes in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Freenotes
The Insider’s Guide
Handwriting and PDF annotation app with AI study tools
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among note-taking apps, read from Freenotes’s own pages.
Made by FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD. · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Freenotes’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Freenotes’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 72 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade
Freenotes is a handwriting and PDF annotation app for iPad, iPhone and Android from FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD. in Singapore. It pairs pen input and an infinite canvas with AI summaries, chat with imported PDFs, audio transcription and study tools such as flashcards and a recall tape. The app is free to download with advertising, and Plus and Pro memberships are sold as in-app purchases.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Freenotes, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's the buying that takes guesswork: five memberships and no explanation of what's in any of them.
- 1
Best for handwritten study notes on a tablet without paying much
Freenotes is a handwriting and PDF markup app for iPad, iPhone and Android with flashcards, a recall tape, AI summaries and lecture transcripts, free to use with ads.
- 2
Paid plans start at $0.83 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $1.99 per week (Weekly Plus Member), or $9.99 per year.
- 3
There is a free plan
Free to download and use with advertising. The developer's App Store replies confirm a cap on the number of notes; the listing does not say what Plus or Pro unlock.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
iOS and Android.
- 5
Handwriting and infinite canvas
Low-latency handwriting with Apple Pencil Pro support, custom brushes and shape recognition, plus a whiteboard-style canvas that expands for sketches and mind maps.
- 6
PDF annotation
Highlight, underline and comment on PDFs with custom pen styles, select text to translate or look up, and follow internal and external hyperlinks in digital planners.
- 7
AI summaries and chat with PDF
AI pulls key points and action items from long recordings or documents, answers questions about imported files, and explains a screenshot or uploaded document.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 72 of 147
That is against the other note-taking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Freenotes you could make: notes and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Freenotes at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $1.99 per week (Weekly Plus Member), or $9.99 per year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- iOS, Android
- Made by
- FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD.
- Category
- Note-Taking Apps
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 62,590 ratings
The report card
Best for handwritten study notes on a tablet without paying much
Freenotes is a handwriting and PDF markup app for iPad, iPhone and Android with flashcards, a recall tape, AI summaries and lecture transcripts, free to use with ads. The vendor's site doesn't describe the plans, so nobody can tell you what Plus or Pro unlock, free caps notes at a number never stated, weekly billing costs about ten times yearly, and there's no Windows or web app.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Plus is $9.99 a year on the US App Store, or $29.99 once for life, and Pro is $39.99 a year, against a $6-a-month category middle. Two catches: nobody says what either membership includes, and the weekly options cost about ten times the yearly price. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free to download and use, with advertising in it. The developer's App Store replies confirm there's a cap on how many notes you get, without ever saying what the cap is, and the store lists Remove Ads at $29.99. |
| Features | A | Low-latency handwriting with Apple Pencil Pro support, an infinite canvas, PDF markup that follows the links in digital planners, searchable handwriting. Then the study side: flashcards from your own pages, a recall tape, AI summaries, chat with a PDF, live transcripts. More than its rivals carry. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.67 from about 63,000 App Store ratings, a shade under the 4.7 an A asks for. It's the buying that takes guesswork: five memberships and no explanation of what's in any of them. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Phones and tablets only: iPad, iPhone and Android, backing up through iCloud or Google Drive. No Windows or web app, and on a Mac you get the iPad app, which the App Store marks as not verified for macOS. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Freenotes is for
- Fits if you're a student marking up lecture slides and revising with flashcards
- Works for people using hyperlinked PDF planners on a tablet
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to know what a plan includes before paying, as the vendor doesn't say
- Not for you if ads in a notes app would grate, because the free version carries them and Remove Ads is $29.99
- Tight if you're staying free, since the developer confirms a cap on notes without saying what it is
- Tight if you need your notes on a Windows PC or in a browser, since there's no app for either and the Mac app is unverified
- Watch out: weekly plans cost $1.99 or $6.99 a week, about ten times the yearly price, and Android shows only a $0.99 to $54.99 range
Good to know
Good for
- Students annotating lecture slides and revising with flashcards
- People who use hyperlinked PDF planners on a tablet
- Recording a class or meeting and getting an AI summary
Worth knowing
- The vendor's website does not describe plans. Plus and Pro appear only as in-app purchases, with no statement of what each includes.
- The free version carries advertising and a cap on the number of notes; the US App Store also lists a Remove Ads purchase at $29.99.
- Google Play's US listing shows only a range of $0.99 to $54.99 per item, so Android prices may differ from the App Store's.
- No Windows or web app is offered. On a Mac it runs as the iPad app, which the App Store marks as not verified for macOS.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$0.83
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Freenotes has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1.99 per week (Weekly Plus Member), or $9.99 per year.
Two catches: nobody says what either membership includes, and the weekly options cost about ten times the yearly price.
Free
$0
Free download that carries advertising and, per the developer's App Store replies, a limit on the number of notes.
Freenotes Weekly Plus Member
$1.99
per week, as labelled on the US App Store
Plus membership billed weekly. The listing does not describe what Plus includes.
Freenotes Yearly Plus Member
$9.99
per year, as labelled on the US App Store
Plus membership billed yearly. The listing does not describe what Plus includes.
Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime
$29.99
one-time in-app purchase on the US App Store
Plus membership as a single purchase with no renewal.
Freenotes Weekly Pro Member
$6.99
per week, as labelled on the US App Store
Pro membership billed weekly. The listing does not describe how Pro differs from Plus.
Freenotes Yearly Pro Member
$39.99
per year, as labelled on the US App Store
Pro membership billed yearly. The listing does not describe how Pro differs from Plus.
The free plan
Free to download and use with advertising. The developer's App Store replies confirm a cap on the number of notes; the listing does not say what Plus or Pro unlock.
Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Yearly memberships cost far less than weekly
On the US App Store, Plus is $1.99 a week or $9.99 a year and Pro is $6.99 a week or $39.99 a year, so a year of weekly billing costs roughly nine to ten times the yearly price.
Stated on apps.apple.comLifetime license
Plus membership as a one-time purchase
The US App Store lists Freenotes Plus Member Lifetime as a single in-app purchase at $29.99, next to the weekly and yearly Plus memberships.
Stated on apps.apple.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Freenotes Yearly Plus Member”, against $9.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | ₹ 255 | $2.64 | 74% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 56ribu | $3.13 | 69% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 220.00 | $3.50 | 65% less |
| Turkey | ₺194,99 | $3.97 | 60% less |
| Canada | $11.90 | $8.36 | 16% less |
| Germany | 7,89 € | $8.84 | 11% less |
| United Kingdom | £7.89 | $10.43 | about the same |
| Australia | $15.49 | $10.81 | 8% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: iOS and Android
Handwriting and PDF annotation app with AI study tools. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, transcription, notes, whiteboard, templates.
Then the study side: flashcards from your own pages, a recall tape, AI summaries, chat with a PDF, live transcripts.
- Handwriting and infinite canvas
- Low-latency handwriting with Apple Pencil Pro support, custom brushes and shape recognition, plus a whiteboard-style canvas that expands for sketches and mind maps.
- PDF annotation
- Highlight, underline and comment on PDFs with custom pen styles, select text to translate or look up, and follow internal and external hyperlinks in digital planners.
- AI summaries and chat with PDF
- AI pulls key points and action items from long recordings or documents, answers questions about imported files, and explains a screenshot or uploaded document.
- Audio recording and transcription
- Recordings are transcribed in real time with AI refinement and translation. Tapping a line of the transcript replays the matching audio, and text can be copied or exported.
- Study tools
- A recall tape hides parts of a page for self-testing, flashcards are built from note pages, and picture-in-picture lets a video play while notes are taken.
- Search, folders and sync
- Handwriting is searchable through text recognition, notes are organized into folders, and notebooks back up through iCloud or Google Drive sync.
Where it runs
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- iCloud
- Google Drive
Freenotes is made by FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
72/147
Other note-taking apps it is graded above
Freenotes's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 72 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 34.
It stands best on features (A, above 135 of 147) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 7).
Its paid plans start at $0.83 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 0 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 148 note-taking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Freenotes’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 48 of 147
- CFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 147
- AFeaturesAbove 135 of 147
- BEase of useAbove 47 of 147
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 147
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 note-taking apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Freenotes is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Freenotes you could make: notes and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 6 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $9.99 a year.
What you could make
- Notes and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- An endless canvas that stays smooth with hundreds of things on it.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: Apple Pencil and handwriting.
- The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Freenotes’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Goodnotes, Notability, Kilonotes, CollaNote and Noteful
The 5 tools Freenotes is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.6GPA
Goodnotes
Free plan · from $11.99/yr
Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant.
- Only Goodnotes lists a web app.
- Only Goodnotes lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Goodnotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 3.4GPA
Notability
Free plan · from $14.99/yr
Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools.
- Only Notability lists a web app.
- Only Notability lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Notability can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.8GPA
Kilonotes
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Handwriting notes app with AI study tools for iPad and Android.
- Freenotes also covers whiteboard.
- 3.0GPA
CollaNote
Free plan · from $13.90 one-time
Handwriting and PDF markup notes for iPad, iPhone and Mac.
- Only Freenotes lists an Android app.
- Only CollaNote lists a macOS app.
- CollaNote can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.8GPA
Noteful
Free plan · from $6.99 one-time
Handwritten notes and PDF markup for iPad, with tags and layers.
- Only Freenotes lists an Android app.
- Noteful can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Freenotes also covers transcription, whiteboard and templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Freenotes free?
Freenotes has a free plan. Free to download and use with advertising.
How much does Freenotes cost?
Freenotes lists 6 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Freenotes work on?
Freenotes is available on iOS and Android.
Does Freenotes offer any discounts?
Freenotes publicly lists the following: Yearly memberships cost far less than weekly; Plus membership as a one-time purchase.
How is Freenotes rated?
Freenotes's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 62,590 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
Does Freenotes have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Freenotes is listed for iOS and Android.
Does Freenotes have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Freenotes is listed for iOS and Android.
Is Freenotes open source?
Freenotes is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Freenotes integrate with?
Freenotes's listing names iCloud and Google Drive. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Freenotes?
Freenotes is made by FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD.
What are the alternatives to Freenotes?
The closest alternatives to Freenotes in our directory are Goodnotes, Notability, Kilonotes, CollaNote and Noteful.
How does Freenotes compare with other note-taking apps?
Freenotes's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 72 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 34.
Is Freenotes good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Freenotes B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $0.83 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $5.83 for the category: 0 of the 66 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Freenotes?
The plain part of Freenotes you could make: notes and templates. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Freenotes’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Freenotes' own pages on 9 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-04.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD. Prices change, so check freenotes.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Freenotes, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/freenotes
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Freenotes: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/freenotes
Know someone choosing between note-taking apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/freenotes/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded note-taking apps after Freenotes, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Note-Taking Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 148 note-taking apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft OneNote Insider's GuideMicrosoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes3.8 GPA
- Goodnotes Insider's GuideHandwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant3.6 GPA
- Joplin Insider's GuideOpen source Markdown notes with sync through a service you choose3.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Freenotes’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Freenotes is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by FREENOTES AI PTE. LTD. Prices and plans change: check freenotes.ai before you buy.