# Whale Notes vs WordUp

The clearest difference is ads: Whale Notes at none against WordUp's shown. Whale Notes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). WordUp's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (14K vs 34). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Whale Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months and WordUp sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Whale Notes against 4.8 for WordUp. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WordUp has 14K ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Whale Notes's written reviews are positive against 68% of WordUp's.

Whale Notes ships an update every 5 months, WordUp every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Whale Notes | WordUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-notes/id1025272002/reviews)** | [4.8 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordup-vocabulary-builder/id1365078730/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 34 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **67.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Thi Vo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1020296413) | [Geeks](https://appshunter.io/developer/439708142) |

## What reviewers say

### Whale Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-notes/id1025272002)

Easily record new vocabulary words, their meanings, and example sentences. Sync notes across devices with cloud backup. Offers tools for word definition lookup to help you build a daily learning habit.

**Highlights:** Record new words and meanings, Add example sentences, Cloud backup and sync, Offline functionality, Word definition lookup, Daily learning habit tracker

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium 3 months | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium 6 months | $4.99 | per 6 months |
| Premium 12 months | $8.99 | per year |
| 200 notes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 500 Notes | $2.99 | one-time |


### WordUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordup-vocabulary-builder/id1365078730)

This app uses AI to personalize your English vocabulary learning journey. It offers interactive challenges, AI-powered practice with a virtual teacher and celebrities, and detailed word pages with AI-generated visuals. Track your progress and expand your word knowledge effectively.

**Highlights:** AI-powered personalized learning map, 25,000 prioritized English words, 9 interactive challenge types, Spaced repetition learning, AI English teacher (Lexi), Fantasy Chat with AI celebrities, AI-generated word images

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Charitable Plan | $1.99 | per month |
| 1 month's subscription | $7.49 | per month |
| Quarterly plan (deprecated) | $7.49 | per 3 months |
| Standard Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $10.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly (family sharing) | $17.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $49.00 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $49.00 | per year |
| 12 months subscription | $76.99 | per year |
| Standard Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $149.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💯 Excellent vocabulary learning tool
- 🎓 Effective for improving English skills
- 🎨 Helpful visual aids and examples
- 🤖 Useful AI-powered features
- 👍 User-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Limited free version features
- 💰 Subscription required for full access
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Irrelevant or outdated word choices
- 🎨 Subpar AI-generated images

**Reported bugs**

- Login and account issues after updates
- Inability to access subscribed content
- Freezing and crashing during use
- Syncing problems across devices
- Inconsistent performance on larger screens

**Requested features**

- Add spelling practice and testing
- Provide more customization options
- Implement audio narration for word lists
- Include countable/uncountable noun indicators
- Allow users to add personal word lists


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Whale Notes free?

Whale Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WordUp free?

WordUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Whale Notes or WordUp?

Whale Notes is rated higher. Whale Notes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while WordUp averages 4.8 from 14K ratings.

### Do Whale Notes or WordUp have ads?

WordUp shows ads; Whale Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Whale Notes or WordUp?

Whale Notes ships an update every 5 months, and WordUp every 3 weeks. Most recently, Whale Notes was updated on October 14, 2026 and WordUp on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*