Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Notability VS CherryTree

Compare Notability VS CherryTree and see what are their differences

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.

CherryTree logo CherryTree

A hierarchical note taking application, featuring rich text and syntax highlighting, storing data in a single xml or sqlite file.
  • Notability Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02
  • CherryTree Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-17

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.

CherryTree features and specs

  • Rich Text Formatting
    CherryTree supports rich text formatting, allowing users to customize their notes with different fonts, colors, and styles. This makes it easier to organize and highlight important information.
  • Hierarchical Note Structure
    CherryTree offers a hierarchical structure for organizing notes, which is ideal for users who need to maintain complex sets of information in an easily navigable format.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    CherryTree is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it accessible to users regardless of their operating system.
  • Syntax Highlighting
    The tool supports syntax highlighting for various programming languages, which is useful for developers who want to include code snippets in their notes.
  • Export Options
    CherryTree offers multiple export options, including PDF, HTML, and plain text, which makes it easy to share and backup notes in different formats.
  • Password Protection
    Users can protect their notes with a password, adding an extra layer of security for sensitive information.
  • Regular Updates
    The application is regularly updated with new features and bug fixes, ensuring that users have access to the latest improvements.

Possible disadvantages of CherryTree

  • Learning Curve
    The application has a steep learning curve, especially for users who are new to note-taking software or hierarchical structures.
  • No Mobile Version
    CherryTree currently lacks a mobile version, limiting its usability for users who want to access or manage their notes on-the-go.
  • Resource Intensive
    The application can be resource-intensive, especially for large sets of notes, which may affect the performance on older or less powerful machines.
  • Limited Collaboration Features
    CherryTree does not offer built-in collaboration features, which makes it less suitable for users who need to work on notes with others in real time.
  • Complex Backups
    While CherryTree offers various export options, the backup and restore process can be complex and may require manual intervention.
  • Design
    The interface design is functional but outdated, which may not appeal to users who prefer modern and sleek UIs.

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

Analysis of CherryTree

Overall verdict

  • CherryTree is a highly recommended note-taking application for those who require a structured and feature-rich environment for organizing information. Its versatility and depth of features make it a strong contender in the personal knowledge management space.

Why this product is good

  • CherryTree is appreciated for its hierarchical note-taking format, which allows users to organize notes efficiently. It supports rich text editing, syntax highlighting, and allows for the incorporation of various media types. Users benefit from its ability to handle large amounts of data and robust search functionality. Additionally, it offers regular updates and a supportive user community.

Recommended for

    CherryTree is ideal for students, writers, researchers, and anyone who needs to manage complex information in a structured manner. It is particularly suitable for individuals who appreciate hierarchical organization and who may require the functionality to include various types of content in their notes.

Notability videos

Notability on the iPad | Walkthrough & Review ✏️

More videos:

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

CherryTree videos

Cherrytree Notes Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Notability and CherryTree)
Note Taking
22 22%
78% 78
Task Management
25 25%
75% 75
Todos
14 14%
86% 86
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

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 won’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 it’s easy to know what prompted you to write something down.
Source: medium.com

CherryTree Reviews

10 Best Open Source Note-Taking Apps for Linux
CherryTree is another free, open-source hierarchical note-taking application that works on Linux systems, Windows as well as MacOS. It features rich text and syntax highlighting, multi-language support, and storing data in a single XML or SQLite file.
Source: www.tecmint.com
8 Free Note Taking Software For Windows – Evernote Alternatives
Cherrytree is a free and open source, hierarchical, note-taking application. It can store text, images, files, links, tables, and executable snippets of code, featuring rich text and syntax highlighting, storing data in a single xml or sqlite file. CherryTree is an option you should seriously consider because it lets you organize notes in a smart and logical way. Don’t get...
The 7 Best Lightweight OneNote and Evernote Alternatives
CherryTree is a great open-source alternative to OneNote. Many of the features found in Microsoft’s note-taking app are here, too. Despite being open-source, the app is regularly updated. For this reason, it is one of the best note-taking tools for programmers The 7 Best Note-Taking Apps for Programmers and Coders Staying organized as a programmer can be tough! Here are the...
The 7 Best Note-Taking Apps for Programmers and Coders
There are other apps like CherryTree, including wikidPad and Zim, but CherryTree supports a special page type specifically for code. Use regular notes for ideas and tasks, use the code notes for snippets. As far as the page hierarchy, both types work the exact same way.

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.

Notability mentions (5)

  • Why do they make it so complicated?
    You are using a third party app (https://notability.com) for notes. It’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: almost 2 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: about 2 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 2 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. Here’s one I found that’s highly rated: Notability. Source: over 2 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 2 years ago

CherryTree mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Notability and CherryTree, 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.

Joplin - Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.

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.

Workflowy - A better way to organize your mind.

Standard Notes - A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work

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