Supernote vs reMarkable: Manta vs Paper Pro, Compared

This is part of our Supernote hub. For the Manta on its own, see our Supernote Manta review; for the wider field, the best Supernote alternatives.

The matchup

What the Supernote vs reMarkable question really is

Unlike most e-ink comparisons, Supernote vs reMarkable is not open versus locked. Both are deliberately closed, focused writing devices with no app store and nothing to distract you. That shared philosophy is why people cross-shop them, and it moves the decision onto the things they do differently: color, price, subscriptions, and how long the device is built to last.

The reMarkable Paper Pro is the polished, pricier option: an 11.8-inch color screen, a frontlight, and years of refined software and templates behind it, at $629 with the Marker. The Supernote A5 X2 Manta is the writer’s option: a 10.7-inch monochrome panel, no frontlight, a famous pen feel, and a repairable body, $505 with the pen sold separately. Same broad idea, two different answers.

Side by side

Hardware, head to head

The Paper Pro is the bigger, brighter, more modern-feeling device: nearly an inch more screen, in color, with a frontlight the Manta lacks entirely. The Manta counters with a sharper monochrome panel, a repairable body, and a lower price. Neither is trying to be the other; the Paper Pro is a refined color writer, the Manta a focused mono one built to last. If the 10.7-inch Manta sounds large, note that Supernote also makes the compact 7.8-inch Nomad, though the Paper Pro’s natural rival is the full-size Manta.

Here is the full spec sheet, side by side, so you can see exactly where each device spends its budget.

Color and light

Color, frontlight, and the screen

This is the clearest advantage the Paper Pro holds. Its 11.8-inch Canvas Color screen shows color for highlighting, mind-maps, and marked-up diagrams, and its frontlight means you can write and read in a dim room or in bed. The Manta has neither: it is monochrome, and it has no light at all, on purpose, to keep the surface as paper-like as possible.

The flip side is sharpness and calm. On the Paper Pro’s Canvas Color panel, color renders softer than pure mono, while the Manta’s monochrome screen is crisp edge to edge. For a pure black-ink writer working in daylight, the Manta’s screen is arguably the nicer writing surface; for anyone who wants color or light, it simply is not an option.

Cost over time

Price, subscriptions, and repairability

Up front, the Manta is cheaper: $505 against the Paper Pro’s $629, though the Manta’s pen is a separate purchase from about $65 while the Paper Pro includes the basic Marker (the eraser-tipped Marker Plus is an $80 upgrade). Over time the gap widens in the Manta’s favor for two reasons. First, subscriptions: reMarkable’s handwriting search and full sync live behind Connect at $3.99 a month, while Supernote charges no subscription for its core features. Second, repairability.

The Manta’s battery and motherboard are replaceable, so it is designed to be repaired and kept for years. The Paper Pro is a sealed device; when its battery ages, your options are limited. For a buyer who keeps tools for the long haul, that difference, plus the absent subscription, can make the cheaper-up-front Manta meaningfully cheaper over five years, even though the Paper Pro is the more capable device on day one.

Ecosystem

Templates and ecosystem

reMarkable has the deeper, more settled ecosystem after three device generations: mature templates, folders, tags, cloud handwriting search, and a large third-party template scene. Supernote’s is narrower but genuinely good: a solid built-in template set, PNG and PDF import for your own pages, and InkHub, its community platform for sharing templates and resources. Both let you build a real planner workflow; reMarkable’s is more turnkey, Supernote’s more hands-on, and our Supernote templates guide covers exactly how to set the Manta’s up.

Scorecard

How they score, axis by axis

Neither device sweeps the board, which is exactly why the choice comes down to what you value. Here is where each one wins, axis by axis.

Four axes each, plus a tie on the thing they were both built for: getting out of your way while you write. That even split is the honest answer to Supernote vs reMarkable, so the tiebreaker is your own priorities.

Verdict

The call on Supernote vs reMarkable

FAQ

Common questions, answered briefly

People also ask

Other questions, briefly answered

Own a Manta and a reMarkable, or switched from one to the other? Tell us in the comments what tipped it, especially whether color or repairability turned out to matter more in daily use. We keep this comparison current as both lines update.