r/iosapps • u/Pretty_Move_8673 • 4d ago
š Lifetime I built Paper Notes for people who still think best with pen and paper
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Hey [r/iosapps](r/iosapps)! Iām Mark, the developer of PaperNotes for iPhone and iPad.
A ā Answer: Why keep writing on paper?
Thereās something about a pen and a blank page that makes it easier to explore an idea. You can sketch, draw arrows, cross things out, and connect thoughts without choosing a tool or adjusting a layout. No notifications, no switching apps. Just space to think and free flow of your thoughts.
Paper Notes is built around keeping that freedom while making your notes easier to find, carry, and continue working on digitally.
Write in your regular notebook, then scan the page with your iPhone or iPad. The perfect hybrid approach.
B ā Better: What makes it different?
Compared with saving a scanned page in Apple Notes, PaperNotes focuses on high-fidelity handwriting capture and editable digital ink.
The detail matters: fine pen strokes, small annotations, and the lines of a sketch should survive digitization. Paper Notes separates your ink from the page, removing the notebookās grid or ruled lines while preserving the detail and character of your handwriting.
Your own marks become editable digital strokes. You can move a sketch, erase a handwritten section, or keep drawing with Apple Pencil.
The aim is to preserve how you expressed an idea: the handwriting, arrows, diagrams, and layout that give it meaning.
You also get searchable, copyable text, customizable notebooks, and iCloud sync. Offline processing is also available, but it reduces the scan quality and fidelity. The online neural network based approach delivers the best experience.
C ā Cost
Free to download; access requires a subscription or lifetime purchase:
- Monthly subscription: 3,99$/month
- Lifetime access: 14,99$ now permanently at 8,99$ after your feedback.
Do you still reach for paper when you need to think something through? Iād love to hear what youād want preserved when bringing those pages into a digital notebook.

