Is Thinkblot a reMarkable alternative?

If you already have an iPad or iPhone and want a handwritten notebook that can act on a line, yes. If you want a separate, distraction-free paper tablet, reMarkable is built for that.

Does reMarkable need a subscription?

Connect is optional. reMarkable lists it at $3.99 a month or $39.90 a year, and it adds handwriting search, unlimited cloud storage and note-taking in its phone and desktop apps.

Where does Thinkblot keep notebooks?

On your devices and in your own iCloud. There's no Thinkblot account or server.

Does Thinkblot work with Apple Pencil?

Yes. It's made for Apple Pencil. You can also write with a finger.

Compare

All comparisons

Thinkblot vs reMarkable

Pick reMarkable if you want a separate paper tablet built for focus, built for focus, with a paper-like feel. The reMarkable Paper Pro starts at $629, and Connect ($3.99 a month) adds handwriting search, cloud storage and note-taking in its phone and desktop apps.

Pick Thinkblot if you'd rather write on the iPhone or iPad you already carry, and want a tapped line to become a reminder, a message or time on your calendar. Thinkblot reads your handwriting on the device and keeps notebooks in your own iCloud, with no account.

Last checked: 27 October 2026

Side by side

Thinkblot and reMarkable, row by row.

A dash (—) means reMarkable's own pages didn't say, so we left it blank.
	Thinkblot	reMarkable
Platforms	iPhone (including iPhone Duo), iPad with Apple Pencil, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro (the iPad app). iOS and iPadOS 27.1 or later.	Its own paper tablets (reMarkable Paper Pro, Paper Pure, Paper Pro Move, reMarkable 2), plus phone and desktop apps.
Handwriting recognition	Read on your device. Fixing a misread word changes the text, never your ink.	Handwriting search with Connect. Handwriting can be converted with AI into an editable note in your browser.
What happens to a line you write	It 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 on the tablet. With Connect, you can search it or convert it.
Tasks and reminders	A 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.	—
Maths	Write 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 lives	No account and no Thinkblot server. Notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first.	Notes sync through reMarkable's cloud, paired to your reMarkable account.
Sync	Your own iCloud, through Apple's private CloudKit database, on the same Apple Account.	reMarkable's cloud, with its phone and desktop apps. Connect adds unlimited cloud storage.
Export	PDF or Markdown.	—
Pricing model	Not out yet. Join the waitlist.	The tablet (Paper Pro from $629), then Connect at $3.99/month or $39.90/year, with a 50-day free trial.

On a phone, scroll the table sideways.

What people report

What reMarkable users write about.

We read 75 App Store reviews of reMarkable 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.

23
Sync that fails or lagsTablet says synced, app never shows it; stuck in a pairing-code loop.
17
Crashes and new bugs after updatesDocument scanner stopped requesting camera access.
15
Clutter and unwanted redesignsFile organization feels a decade behind; list view does nothing.
12
Missing featuresNo Pencil writing on iPad; no tag sorting; search only matches titles.
10
Slow, hot or heavy on storageApp keeps a full local copy of every document, eating phone storage and mobile data.

Where Thinkblot is built differently.

Sync that fails or lags · 23 reviews

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

Accounts and being logged out · 9 reviews

There's no Thinkblot account to sign in to, so there's nothing to be logged out of.

Hard to export or leave · 8 reviews

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

Weaker apps on other devices · 5 reviews

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

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

Who should pick which

Where each one is better.

reMarkable is better for

A dedicated paper tablet, built for focus.
A paper-like display, in colour on the Paper Pro.
Integrations with Word, Outlook, Google Drive, OneDrive, Miro and Slack through Connect.

Thinkblot is better for

No new device to buy or charge. It runs on your iPhone and iPad.
A tapped line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or calendar time.
Handwriting is read on your device, with no account.
Sums answer themselves, and ticks sync with Reminders.

Questions

Thinkblot vs reMarkable, asked.

Is Thinkblot a reMarkable alternative?: If you already have an iPad or iPhone and want a handwritten notebook that can act on a line, yes. If you want a separate, distraction-free paper tablet, reMarkable is built for that.
Does reMarkable need a subscription?: Connect is optional. reMarkable lists it at $3.99 a month or $39.90 a year, and it adds handwriting search, unlimited cloud storage and note-taking in its phone and desktop apps.
Where does Thinkblot keep notebooks?: On your devices and in your own iCloud. There's no Thinkblot account or server.
Does Thinkblot work with Apple Pencil?: Yes. It's made for Apple Pencil. You can also write with a finger.

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.

Join the waitlist

Sources

Claims about reMarkable 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.