CollaNote: Notes & PDF Markup review: price, free version and privacy

Our verdict

CollaNote suits students who enjoy colorful, hand-lettered notes and want to pay once instead of subscribing. If you prefer typed notes or a minimal notebook, or have an older iPad, choose another app.

What CollaNote: Notes & PDF Markup is

CollaNote is a note-taking app built for Apple Pencil. The description lists more than 25 pens and brushes, a handwriting stabilizer, 150+ paper templates, import and markup of PDFs, PowerPoint, Word files and images, a built-in scanner and audio recording synced with your notes. It also includes planners, flashcards with audio and images, a translation tool for over 90 languages, AI drawing and writing tools, and real-time collaboration.

Who it suits

• Creative, decorated notes
• Students who want a one-time price

Strengths

• A wide pen set, from ball pen and fountain pen to water brush and calligraphy, as the screenshots show.
• Every Premium item is a lifetime unlock, not a subscription.
• Audio recordings synced with handwriting, and PDF, PPT and DOC import.
• No tracking and no data linked to you on the privacy label.
• Available in 31 languages and updated in October 2026.

Limits

• The listing does not say which features need Premium.
• Requires iOS or iPadOS 18.6 or later, which rules out older devices.
• The age label notes messaging and user-generated content because of the Public Room and collaboration features.
• The feature list is long, which can make the app busier than a plain notebook.

What the free version does

The app is free to download, and the description lists unlimited paper and notebooks. It does not say which tools or features are reserved for Premium.

Price

On the US App Store in November 2026, every item is a lifetime Premium unlock: $13.90 regular, $9.69 as a welcome offer, and $6.95 as a time-limited sale or loyal-user price. There are no subscriptions in the price list.

Privacy

The privacy label declares no tracking. Contact info may be collected but is not linked to your identity.

What the screenshots show

The screenshots show a hand-lettered botany page on graph paper with a pen palette along the side, and an illustrated story summary with an audio player to show ink and audio in sync.