Phalasarna vs NOTEBARS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phalasarna
Explore the ancient city of Phalasarna with this augmented reality app. Compare current ruins with 3D reconstructions and learn about its history, from its fortified harbor to its pirate port days. Test your knowledge with a built-in quiz.
- Augmented reality 3D reconstructions
- Location-based exploration
- Historical narrative
- Built-in knowledge quiz
- Snapshot photo feature
- MapView for navigation
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Ancient Phalasarna is located on the west coast of Crete. The Phalasarna situated simulation tells the dramatic story of this fascinating city based on the archaeological findings and written sources. If you are traveling in this area you should download the app and visit Ancient Phalasarna (50 km west of Chania). Move around on the archaeological site with your iPhone or iPad and explore the current ruins and remains and compare with their realtime 3D reconstructions. You will experience Ancient Phalasarna as it may have looked in 330 BC when the fortified harbour was built with Persian funding to prevent Alexander the Great’s empire from further expansion. You can also witness the Roman attack on Phalasarna in 69 BC when Phalasarna had become a port for pirates. In the app you can use Snapshot to take parallel photos of both the real and the virtual environment and then share online. You can also test your knowledge about the site with the built–in quiz, as well as consult the MapView for easy navigation. NB! The Phalasarna app is location–based and works only when you are physically at Ancient Phalasarna. Download the app for free before you leave home or at your local hotel, to avoid roaming charges and limited cellular bandwidth.
NOTEBARS
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You choose what to remember. NOTEBARS turns it into personal recall cards and shows you when you’ve actually learned it. READ AND TOUCH Read a paragraph and tap the words you want to remember. In seconds, you get ready-made, structured notes — without typing a word. Each paragraph becomes a memory card, with keys on the left and notes on the right. During reviews, you see only the keys and recall the rest. You don’t reread — you test your memory. YOUR OWN CHOICES Two students reading the same text get different cards. The notes are built on what you picked out, not on a generic summary. QUESTIONS BORN FROM YOUR NOTES Review questions are built on the keys you created. With one tap, you can see the paragraph, sentence, or card from which each question originated. KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW You rate your memory before seeing the answer, and again after. Where the difference is large, the question is marked as critical: you thought you knew it. These are the points that will trip you up in an exam. PERFORMANCE-BASED REVIEWS Each review starts with a few questions, and your score determines when the next one comes. No progress is given away for free. TARGETED STUDY You filter what you’ll work on each time: only what you don’t remember well, only what’s important, only what’s difficult, only what you’ve bookmarked, only specific chapters. MEMORY TOOLS Color per paragraph. Memory icons next to your notes. Color inversion for what is critical. Settings for telegraphic or descriptive notes. FOR TEACHERS From iPhone or iPad, you create your own books: split text into chapters and sections, add images and videos, and color in bulk. Your students download the material ready-made. GET STARTED IN TEN SECONDS You jump straight into a training book and download ready-made books: schoolbooks for Primary, Lower Secondary, and Upper Secondary school — History, Biology, Physics, Economics, Geography — as well as personal development, philosophy, and social books. All fully editable, in Greek and English. No need to upload anything.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: NOTEBARS at every 5 weeks against Phalasarna's every 14 months. Phalasarna's advantage is iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Phalasarna ships an update every 14 months, NOTEBARS every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phalasarna | NOTEBARS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 14 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 356 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | CodeGrind AB | Dimitrios Giassiranis |
In-app purchases
Phalasarna
No in-app purchases
NOTEBARS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phalasarna free?
Is NOTEBARS free?
Do Phalasarna or NOTEBARS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phalasarna or NOTEBARS?
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