Every fact about the other side below comes from Apple's own support pages, verified on 2026-10-13. Where we could not find a clear statement we write "not verified", which means we did not see it on the official page, not that it does not exist. Before you decide, check Apple's site and how your own phone behaves.
The differences at a glance
| Item | This product | The other side | Source (verified 2026-10-13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulling text out of an image | On-device OCR at import; the text is stored in the note and can be expanded and copied | Live Text: touch and hold text in a photo to select, copy or translate it | Apple Support: Copy and translate text from photos |
| Requirements | iOS 17.0 or later (App Store listing) | iPhone XS, XR or later, iOS 15 or later | Same Apple page |
| Searching one word across many shots | The Search tab matches OCR text, titles, summaries and tags together | Photos search takes dates, places, people and text you type; whether it matches text inside images: not verified | Apple Support: Search for photos and videos |
| Getting a deleted item back | Notes can be deleted inside the app; deleted photos follow the system rules | Recently Deleted keeps items for 30 days | Apple Support: Delete photos |
| Sorting by purpose, expenses, to-dos | Yes: categories, ledger, to-dos, reminders | No such sorting seen on the pages above: not verified | — |
| Cost | Free app; official AI refinement has a monthly free allowance, beyond that a Pro subscription | Built in | App Store listing |
Where the built-in tools are already good
Live Text needs nothing installed. Touch and hold text in a photo and you can select, copy or translate it. If you occasionally need a line from one image, that is the fastest route. Recently Deleted keeps removed items for 30 days, so a mistaken delete is recoverable. All of it is free.
What ScreenNote adds
- Text is read and stored at import. A later search compares your word against the text of every screenshot, so you are not opening images one at a time.
- Sorting by purpose. Payment screenshots go to the ledger, ones with tasks go to to-dos, and the rest are sorted into important, saved or casual, so the home screen is not a wall of noise.
- AI is optional. On-device OCR and full-text search do not rely on AI. The most conservative setup on privacy is to never turn it on.
The costs, stated plainly
It is one more app and one more library: a screenshot only becomes searchable once it is imported. Official AI refinement has a limited free allowance, and beyond it you need a Pro subscription. Recognition runs on the phone, and like the system feature it still makes mistakes on handwriting and complex layouts. If you take few screenshots and rarely go back for them, the built-in tools are enough.
How to choose
- Copying a line from one image now and then: Live Text.
- Finding one of hundreds of screenshots by a single word, or having bills and to-dos sorted for you: ScreenNote.
- Want both: use both. ScreenNote leaves the originals in your Photos library untouched.
FAQ
If I have Live Text on my iPhone, do I still need ScreenNote?
If you only copy a line from one picture now and then, the built-in feature is enough. Consider ScreenNote when you need to find one shot among hundreds by a single word, or want bills and to-dos sorted for you.
Can I use both?
Yes. ScreenNote does not change the originals in your Photos library. What you import becomes a copy inside its own library.
