Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Box Notes VS Notability

Compare Box Notes VS Notability and see what are their differences

Box Notes logo Box Notes

Box Notes: take meeting notes, share status updates and plan projects together instantly. Online, across devices.

Notability logo Notability

Combine handwriting, photos and typing in a single note to bring your projects to life. Use a wide range of note-taking and sketching tools to capture every detail. You can even add and annotate PDFs in Notability.
  • Box Notes Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-11
  • Notability Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02

Box Notes features and specs

  • Collaboration
    Box Notes offers real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously. This feature is particularly useful for teams that need to brainstorm or work together on projects remotely.
  • Integration with Box
    As part of the Box ecosystem, Box Notes integrates smoothly with other Box services, providing seamless access to documents stored in Box and ensuring that notes are easily synchronized and backed up.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface of Box Notes is simple and intuitive, making it easy for users to create and edit notes without a steep learning curve.
  • Security Features
    Box provides strong security measures, including encryption and access controls, ensuring that notes are secure and that sensitive information is protected.
  • Note Sharing
    Users can easily share notes with others, controlling access levels to ensure that only the right people can view or edit the document.

Possible disadvantages of Box Notes

  • Limited Features
    Compared to other note-taking applications, Box Notes offers fewer formatting options and lacks some advanced features that power users might need.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported experiencing lags or slow performance, especially when working with larger documents or under certain network conditions.
  • Offline Access
    Box Notes is heavily reliant on an internet connection, which can make it challenging to access and edit notes without connectivity, limiting its use in offline scenarios.
  • Mobile Experience
    While Box Notes does offer mobile access, the experience and feature set can be limited compared to the desktop version, affecting usability for mobile-first users.
  • Lack of Advanced Editing Tools
    For users needing features like advanced text formatting, integration with third-party applications, or sophisticated task management tools, Box Notes may fall short.

Notability features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Notability provides an intuitive and straightforward user interface, making it easy for users of all ages and technical abilities to navigate and use the app.
  • Multi-Platform Availability
    The app is available on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, allowing users to access their notes across multiple Apple devices seamlessly.
  • Versatile Note-Taking
    Notability supports a wide range of note-taking formats, such as handwritten notes, text notes, audio recordings, and even web clips, enabling users to capture information in various forms.
  • Robust Annotation Tools
    Users can annotate PDFs and other documents easily with a variety of tools, including highlighters, pens, and shapes, enhancing the document review process.
  • Cloud Syncing and Backup
    Notability offers cloud syncing with services like iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox, ensuring that users' notes are backed up and accessible from anywhere.
  • Audio Recording Synchronization
    The app offers a unique feature that allows users to record audio while taking notes, with the ability to sync playback to match the timing of handwritten or typed notes.
  • Customizable Organization
    Users can organize their notes using dividers and subjects, allowing for a high degree of customization in how their notes are categorized.

Possible disadvantages of Notability

  • Platform Limitation
    Notability is only available on Apple devices, which excludes users who are on Android or Windows platforms.
  • Cost
    Although Notability offers a free version, many of the more advanced features are behind a premium subscription, which may be viewed as costly compared to one-time purchase apps.
  • Limited Export Options
    While the app supports exporting notes in formats like PDF, there are fewer options for exporting notes in other common formats like Word or Excel.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Some users may find the more advanced tools and functionalities a bit complex, requiring additional time to learn and master.
  • Occasional Syncing Issues
    At times, users have reported experiencing delays or problems with the app's ability to sync notes across devices seamlessly.
  • Storage Consumption
    Given that Notability allows users to save audio recordings and high-resolution images within notes, the app can consume a significant amount of device storage space over time.

Analysis of Box Notes

Overall verdict

  • Box Notes is a good option for teams looking for a simple, effective way to collaborate on documents in real-time, especially if they are already using Box as their primary content management system. While it may not have all the advanced features of other standalone note-taking apps, its integration with Box's other services can offer a more streamlined workflow for its users.

Why this product is good

  • Box Notes is a collaboration tool from Box.com that offers users the ability to create, share, and collaborate in real-time on documents. It is particularly well-suited for teams that already use Box as their primary storage solution because it seamlessly integrates with other Box functionalities, providing a unified experience. The tool is simple to use and supports basic text formatting, making it easy to create notes, meeting agendas, or any collaborative document without the distraction of overly complex features. Additionally, since it's part of the Box ecosystem, it benefits from Box's robust security and compliance standards, ensuring that all notes are safely stored and managed.

Recommended for

  • Teams and organizations that are already using Box for storage and collaboration.
  • Users looking for a secure platform for sharing and managing notes and documents.
  • Collaborators who need real-time editing capabilities in a user-friendly interface.

Analysis of Notability

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Notability is considered a good software option for those in need of a comprehensive note-taking solution. Its combination of features, ease of use, and cross-platform availability makes it a valuable tool for a wide range of users.

Why this product is good

  • Notability is a popular note-taking application known for its versatility and user-friendly interface. It allows users to take handwritten or typed notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio during note-taking sessions. The app is highly favored by students, educators, and professionals for its seamless integration across devices, customizable features, and ability to organize notes efficiently.

Recommended for

  • Students looking for a tool to organize lectures and study materials
  • Professionals needing a reliable app for meetings and annotations
  • Educators who want to create interactive lesson plans and resources
  • Anyone seeking a versatile app for personal or professional note-taking and organization

Box Notes videos

Box Notes | Early thoughts on the note-taking app! ๐Ÿ—’

More videos:

  • Review - Box Notes Desktop App Review
  • Review - Box Notes - Real-time online note-taking for teams

Notability videos

Notability on the iPad | Walkthrough & Review โœ๏ธ

More videos:

  • Review - NOTABILITY VS. GOODNOTES 5 - Best iPad Note-Taking App (2021)
  • Review - The ULTIMATE Notability vs GoodNotes 5 Comparison Video! (2022)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Box Notes and Notability)
Note Taking
36 36%
64% 64
Task Management
31 31%
69% 69
Tool
100 100%
0% 0
Todos
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Box Notes and Notability

Box Notes Reviews

17 Top Evernote Alternatives for Note-Taking for 2019
Quip is robust and pretty. Like Box Notes, itโ€™s great for those who need powerful workflow collaboration, but it works great on a personal level, too. In Quip, notes can be documents, spreadsheets, or team chats, all of which can be organized into folders.
Evernote Alternatives: 11 Note-Taking Apps You Should Be Using Today
Box Notes, an online note -taking app is making it easier and faster for teams to come together and work together. Take meeting notes, organize business reviews, or even write a newsletter, from any device. Box Notes makes it easy to create meeting notes, share ideas, track status updates and plan projects together รขย€ย” thereโ€™s no limit to your productivity. And, since every...

Notability Reviews

15 Best Notability Alternatives 2022
Notability is one of the most popular and reliable apps when it comes to creating handwritten, typed, or visual notes. Despite its notoriety, Notability is not without its shortcomings and may not be the best note-taking app for everyone.
Which App is Best for Taking Notes?
Notability also offers a unique audio recording option. You wonโ€™t find it in Good Notes. When using the app, users can record audio files while taking notes. When playing back audio, Notability will animate when the text was added to the page during the recording so that itโ€™s easy to know what prompted you to write something down.
Source: medium.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notability seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Box Notes mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Box Notes yet. Tracking of Box Notes recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Notability mentions (5)

  • Why do they make it so complicated?
    You are using a third party app (https://notability.com) for notes. Itโ€™s very likely it has it set to sync with iCloud as a default - in order for you to be able to access said notes from other devices as well. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Anyone else dislikes studying with soft copy notes?
    When I used ipad in sec school I found Notability to do wonders in making/editing notes, bonus if you have an apple pencil to go with it. Editing PDF, adding pics, arranging texts and diagrams, exporting, importing etc. Source: over 3 years ago
  • GoodNotes 5 is Now the Better Option than Notability
    If you were looking for a great writing option in the past, you often would have been recommended Goodnotes 5 or Notability, as often times it simply came down to personal preference. Both offered similar feature and worked great on the iPad with the Apple Pencil, so it was easy to see why both were pretty evenly matched with only a couple features or abilities to seperated them. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Pen down some thoughts in my journal after catching up with a designer friend.
    Oh nice! I think IPads have digital journals you can use so you can still doodle, draw maps, etc. Hereโ€™s one I found thatโ€™s highly rated: Notability. Source: over 3 years ago
  • What are your most used tools/products for essay writing?
    Notability - allows me to take notes on my iPad during lectures. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Box Notes and Notability, you can also consider the following products

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Somnote - More often than not, note-taking is a pressing, off the cuff movement that requests a quick and productive approach.

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

Ghostnote - Add notes to anything.

Workflowy - A better way to organize your mind.

Dropbox Paper - A collaborative document-editing service