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Thinkblot vs Noteshelf

Pick Noteshelf if you want planners and templates, audio recorded while you write, AI that summarises and explains your pages, and backups to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV. It also runs on Apple Watch.

Pick Thinkblot if you want a notebook that turns a written line into a reminder, a message or time on your calendar when you tap it, with your handwriting read on your device and no account. Both sync through iCloud.

Last checked: 27 October 2026

Side by side

Thinkblot and Noteshelf, row by row.

A dash (—) means Noteshelf's own pages didn't say, so we left it blank.
 ThinkblotNoteshelf
PlatformsiPhone (including iPhone Duo), iPad with Apple Pencil, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro (the iPad app). iOS and iPadOS 27.1 or later.iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro and Apple Watch.
Handwriting recognitionRead on your device. Fixing a misread word changes the text, never your ink.Turns handwriting into text and searches notes in 65 languages (Premium).
What happens to a line you writeIt stays ink. When Thinkblot can help, a small blot appears at the end of the line. Tap it, and the line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or time on your calendar.It stays handwriting. You can convert it to text or have AI summarise the page.
Tasks and remindersA box in front of a line makes it a task. Tick the box on paper and it's done in Reminders too. Unticked tasks carry forward.—
MathsWrite a sum and an equals sign, and the answer is written for you. Write “total” under a column and it adds itself.—
Privacy, account and where data livesNo account and no Thinkblot server. Notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first.—
SyncYour own iCloud, through Apple's private CloudKit database, on the same Apple Account.iCloud across iPad, iPhone and Mac. Auto-backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or WebDAV (Premium).
ExportPDF or Markdown.PDF or images.
Pricing modelNot out yet. Join the waitlist.Free for up to 3 notebooks. Premium by subscription (weekly, monthly or yearly) or a lifetime purchase, listed as in-app purchases.

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What people report

What Noteshelf users write about.

We read 190 App Store reviews of Noteshelf rated 1 to 3 stars, posted since January 2025, and sorted each by what it complained about. These were the most common. Quotes are paraphrased, and no reviewer is named.

  1. 55
    Basics behind the paywallEverything shows a premium crown; three-notebook limit counts the trash.
  2. 33
    Crashes and new bugs after updatesMac version stuck on a black Retry screen; support could not fix it.
  3. 25
    Paid once, then moved to a subscriptionOne-time unlock removed; weekly pricing ($7.99/week) called predatory.
  4. 23
    Billing, trials and refundsCancelled two days before trial end and was still charged; only partial refund.
  5. 23
    Clutter and unwanted redesignsNew floating toolbar covers the top line of every page and cannot be removed.

Where Thinkblot is built differently.

Notes lost · 12 reviews

Notebooks live on your device and in your own iCloud. There's no Thinkblot server for them to be lost on, and a new device brings them back from iCloud.

Weaker apps on other devices · 11 reviews

One app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, with the same notebooks on each through your own iCloud.

Sync that fails or lags · 7 reviews

Sync runs through your own iCloud, in Apple's private CloudKit database, the same system Apple's own apps use.

Hard to export or leave · 7 reviews

Export any notebook as PDF or Markdown, and the notebooks themselves sit in your own iCloud.

Low-star reviews are a slice of any app's users, not a verdict. Noteshelf also has many happy ones.

Who should pick which

Where each one is better.

Noteshelf is better for
  • Planners and templates, and a free tier for up to 3 notebooks.
  • Audio recorded while you write.
  • AI that summarises, explains and translates.
  • Backups to several cloud services, and an Apple Watch app.
Thinkblot is better for
  • A tapped line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or calendar time.
  • Ticking a box on the page ticks it in Reminders.
  • Sums answer themselves after an equals sign.
  • No account. Each notebook can be set to Paper so nothing on it is read.
Questions

Thinkblot vs Noteshelf, asked.

Is Thinkblot a Noteshelf alternative?
For handwritten plans, to-dos and journals, yes. For templates, audio recording and AI summaries, Noteshelf offers more.
Does Noteshelf recognise handwriting?
Yes. Noteshelf lists handwriting recognition in 65 languages as part of Premium.
Do both use iCloud?
Yes. Noteshelf syncs across iPad, iPhone and Mac with iCloud. Thinkblot keeps notebooks on your devices and in your own iCloud through CloudKit.
How many languages does Thinkblot speak?
Twenty, including English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Arabic and Hebrew read right to left.

How do
you think?

Thinkblot is coming soon to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. One email the day it's out. That's all.

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Sources

Claims about Noteshelf come only from its own pages, as they read on 27 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and may change.

Thinkblot facts come from the Thinkblot support page. Last checked: 27 October 2026.