Prodrafts or Apple Notes? It really comes down to what matters to you most. Even though Prodrafts might be the better app with more features, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right app for you. So, which handwriting app should you go for?
Pricing and supported OS
If you’re on a budget and would rather not pay for a handwriting note-taking app, then Apple Notes is the app you want to go for. It is free, and is also available on more platforms. Unlike Prodrafts, Apple Notes has web version that you can access from any web browser. It is not the best version of the app, but it is certainly much better than not having it at all. Which is the case you have with Prodrafts; a handwriting note-taking that is strictly limited to the Apple ecosystem. You can get it for a one-time purchase of $8. If you prefer a subscription, then that will be $7/year. The one time purchase is not a bad option if you have a tight budget.
User interface
There’s a method to minimalism, where you don’t have too many options, few icons, and everything on a single screen. No moving around, trying to find things or navigating through screens. Apple Notes is brilliant with that, even with the annoying handwriting toolbar. The toolbar is just too big and gets in the way sometimes.
Both apps don’t have theme colours, it’s one less decision to worry about. That is always a good thing, in my books. Lack of full screen mode is not good, but both apps are lacking there. Prodrafts also doesn’t have a customisable toolbar, and it’s not minimalist enough because you have a homepage that is completely different from your workspace. Its mobile toolbar is much smaller and doesn’t take up too much space on the screen. That is if you ignore the third toolbar that looks exactly like the one in Apple Notes.
New notebooks
Compared to Prodrafts, and most handwriting note-taking apps, Apple Notes doesn’t have any page template options at all. Both apps don’t have covers for your notebooks, and after that Prodrafts makes Apple Notes look like a joke with its templates, custom page colours, line spacing options, and orientation. Even though page sizes are limited to a few basic ones, it’s much better than not having any, as is the case with Apple Notes. Your custom page templates are also limited to single pages from photos and PDF, but in Apple Notes, you can’t use custom templates at all.
The best part about Prodrafts is that if you really like the setup in Apple Notes where your pages are vertically infinite, you can still opt for that set up. You can even have an infinite canvas, which are all options you don’t get in Apple Notes, whatsoever. This app has one of the best page options you will get in a handwriting note-taking app on the iPad.
Handwriting
Even though the two apps name their pen tools differently, they are effectively the same. Prodrafts uses the handwriting toolbar in Apple Notes, so that’s a bit obvious. In both apps, you don’t have a fountain pen, the eraser is not selective and there is no zoom window. But Prodrafts has a slight edge with a favourites toolbar, even if it’s not separate from the main toolbar. It makes using custom colours a lot easier than how it is in Apple Notes, which solves one of the worst pains of using Apple Notes.
Another minor improvement to the basic tools in Apple Notes is an eraser with the option to auto-deselect, and the ability to clear your pages. That is because in Prodrafts you have distinct pages. Even though the zoom range for your page is not great, it’s better than not having it at all. I always find myself needing to zoom in on my notes in Apple Notes. Why do we not have a zoom tool in the app?
Shapes
In both apps, you can hand-draw your shapes or use the shapes tool. Apple Notes does not support irregular shapes, though. In 2025, that is difficult to accept. You can add arrows and simple curves in both apps and your shapes are very customisable; borders and autofills (even their opacities). The whole package! Prodrafts even has an extra border style, which is one more than Apple Notes. It lets you add text inside your shapes and also supports geometric scaling. It works better on some shapes than others.
Text boxes
Though body text is great in Apple Notes, text boxes aren’t; at least compared to Prodrafts. Without any styling, lists, opacity, and line spacing, you really can’t do much with your text in Apple Notes. Formatting and alignment are not amazing options for text boxes.
Prodrafts can style your text boxes as much as your shapes, and you even get some preset styles and rounded corners. The app also supports line and letter spacing for your text. When you’re happy with your text box style, you can save it. The only thing you’ll miss in Prodrafts are lists. It doesn’t have them for your text boxes, neither does Apple Notes.
Photos
You’re not going to get much if you add your photos to body text in Apple Notes. Since we didn’t even talk about body text, seeing that Prodrafts doesn’t have it, let’s focus on the best place to add your photos in the app: your handwritten notes. Even then, Prodrafts still has a better photos feature than Apple Notes. It has amazing cropping options (circular also), and can even lock your images. It also supports videos, that you can do so much more than you can in Apple Notes.
Audio recording
Both apps suck with audio recording, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. They don’t sync your recording with your notes, but at least you can take notes while recording in Prodrafts. That setup is not possible in Apple Notes which takes you away from your note when recording. The only bright side to that setup is that you can transcribe your audio in real time while there.
Prodrafts on the other hand doesn’t transcribe anything, but you can merge different audio recordings into a single file. That’s the only editing you get, which is a lot more than Apple Notes has to offer. Noise reduction is terrible, and playback in both apps is basic.
Lasso tool
In Apple Notes, your lasso tool is not selective for anything. Handwriting editing is also very simple, where you can only change the colour of your ink and nothing else. You have the same limitation in Prodrafts. By far, the best feature you have in Apple Notes is the ability to create space between items in your notes. Even the infinite canvas in Prodrafts doesn’t support this. You instead get selectivity for your lasso tool that can pick up specific items off the page: handwriting, attachments, pins, and artboard. You can also take a screenshot of your selection, an option you do not have an Apple Notes.
OCR
I would always argue that copying handwriting as text to paste it in other apps is much better than converting it to text in the app. But even better than that, we should have options. Unfortunately, in both apps we can only copy writing as text, and search through it. Prodrafts also converts equations, which Apple Notes does not. So it has a bit of an edge against Apple Notes.
iPadOS support
Obviously, Apple Notes is better. It has true dark mode, widgets, and better AI interaction with your handwriting. The app support smart selection, and handwriting refine, which you do not have in Prodrafts. Prodrafts can only straighten, translate, and proofread your notes. Both apps support data detection, scribble, and live text input for your text. Prodrafts lags behind because it does not support true dark mode and it doesn’t have any widgets.
Search
Both apps don’t previews for your search results. Filters are not worth much if we can’t preview what we’re searching, so we hope to see that in both apps in the future. Apple Notes organises your notes a bit better than Prodrafts. Your results are organised into top hits, notes, and attachments (Prodrafts doesn’t do that). It’s not going to make you choose one app over the other, but it’s just worth noting.
Organisation
If links are a big part of how you work, you will love Prodrafts because the app links to everything in your notes. It is one of the best linking you will get in a handwriting note-taking app. Unfortunately, everything goes downhill after that. The app does not have tags, or smart folders, and you can’t lock your notebooks or folders. Even though it is just manual, at least we have a backup option. It’s not the greatest, but it’s better than not having it at all.
Both apps don’t link to any cloud services, and they don’t have version history. Version history we can forgive but cloud services not so much. At least they can sync across your devices.
Smart folders and tags give Apple Notes an edge against Prodrafts for organising your notes. But linking your notes is not as great as it is in Prodrafts, and even though you can lock your notebooks and folders, there’s a lot of limitations around that. Apple Notes also does not have back up and that is a huge pain.
Final thoughts
Apple Notes is the best app for text-based notes that are simple, and quick. Its body text is great with that, a feature you don’t get in Prodrafts. It is also brilliant if you work with other people. That is because Apple Notes supports collaboration, which Prodrafts does not. As a handwriting note-taking app, though, Apple Notes doesn’t even come close to what you can accomplish with Prodrafts. Prodrafts has mind maps, tape, a timer, stopwatch, page editing, and exporting options – all features you don’t have in Apple Notes. One problem we forgot to mention when we reviewed Prodrafts is that parts of the app’s user interface have not been translated to English yet. It’s unpleasant to work with.
Our team relies heavily on body text and collaboration, though. That is why we use Apple Notes. Which of these two apps best fits your note-taking goals? Do let us know.
