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10+ Best Notes Writer: AI Note Taking Alternatives for iPhone (2026)

Notes Writer: AI Note Taking is B tier, #13 of 17 in PDF annotation. Here is everything that competes with it on iPhone, in tier order.

All 16 alternatives, in tier order

1. 1
   Penbook: Paper Planner & NotesShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.5 · 45,576 ratings · score 95

   Note-taking app for writing with Apple Pencil on 400+ digital stationery templates, planners, and imported PDFs.
2. 2
   CollaNote: Notes & PDF MarkupShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 14,532 ratings · score 94

   Note-taking app with PDF, PPT, DOC and image markup, planners, flashcards and handwriting tools for Apple Pencil.
3. 3
   Noteful: Notes & PDF MarkupShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 24,162 ratings · score 92

   Note-taking app for iPad with Apple Pencil handwriting, PDF and Office import, annotation layers, and tag-based.
4. 4
   PDF Pro - Reader Editor FormsShigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 6,954 ratings · score 92

   Reads, edits, annotates and fills PDF documents on iPhone and iPad, with full-text search across a PDF library.
5. 5
   PDF Gear - PDF Editor & ReaderShigher tier

   Free · ★ 4.7 · 8,891 ratings · score 92

   Free iOS app for viewing, printing, annotating, editing pages, filling forms and signing PDF files.
6. 6
   iAnnotate 4 - PDFs & moreShigher tier

   $9.99 · ★ 4.7 · 8,937 ratings · score 91

   Reads, annotates, and shares PDFs, Office files, images and web pages on iPhone and iPad.
7. 7
   Drawboard PDF Annotate, MarkupAhigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 1,986 ratings · score 88

   PDF annotation app for marking up, drawing, adding text and images, and converting JPG and PNG files to PDF.
8. 8
   Noteshelf: AI Notes & PDFAhigher tier

   Free download · ★ 4.6 · 7,086 ratings · score 88

   Note-taking app for iPad, iPhone and Mac with handwriting, PDF annotation, audio recording, planner templates and AI.
9. 9
   Kilonotes-Notes & Mark up PDFAhigher tier

   Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 4,963 ratings · score 87

   Handwritten notes and PDF markup app with notebooks, cards, OCR, reading tools and an AI assistant.
10. 10
    Element NoteAhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 2,623 ratings · score 86

    Handwriting note-taking and PDF annotation app with pen and brush tools, on-device search, and iCloud sync.
11. 11
    Scriptation: PDF for Film & TVAhigher tier

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 3,555 ratings · score 86

    Script annotation app for film and TV with notes, breakdown tags, lining tools, and rehearsal features.
12. 12
    PDF Converter - PDF Editor・B

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.4 · 6,005 ratings · score 77

    Free PDF toolkit for merging, splitting, compressing, converting, editing, annotating and reading PDF files.
13. 14
    Prodrafts - Infinite NotesC

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 3,894 ratings · score 68

    Handwritten notes, PDF annotation, an infinite canvas, paged notebooks and mind maps in one productivity app.
14. 15
    Notes Writer Browser: NautilusC

    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 3,237 ratings · score 67

    Notes, PDF markup, a built-in browser and AI help for writing, reading and research on iPad and iPhone.
15. 16
    Add Text to PDF - Fill FormsC

    Free + IAP · ★ 5.0 · 4 ratings · score 63

    Adds typed text, captions and a digital signature to PDF documents and photos, with files saved automatically.
16. 17
    PreviewF

    Free · ★ 1.9 · 1,980 ratings · score 47

    Free Productivity app for viewing, scanning, editing, annotating and exporting PDFs and images.

Questions people ask

What is the best alternative to Notes Writer: AI Note Taking on iPhone?

Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes, S tier, #1 in PDF annotation.

Is there a free alternative to Notes Writer: AI Note Taking?

Yes: Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes (S tier, #1) is free to download, with in-app purchases.

Does anything rank above Notes Writer: AI Note Taking?

Yes. 12 apps rank above it in PDF annotation: Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes (#1), CollaNote: Notes & PDF Markup (#2), Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup (#3) and more.

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