# Whale Notes vs DuoCards

The clearest difference is ads: Whale Notes at none against DuoCards's shown. DuoCards's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (1.3K 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 DuoCards sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 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 4.7 for DuoCards. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DuoCards has 1.3K 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 63% of DuoCards's.

Whale Notes ships an update every 5 months, DuoCards monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Whale Notes | DuoCards |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whale-notes/id1025272002/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duocards-vocabulary-builder/id1508159917/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 34 | **1.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **63.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thi Vo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1020296413) | [DuoCards s.r.o](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508159916) |

## 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 |


### DuoCards

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duocards-vocabulary-builder/id1508159917)

Master a new language with interactive flashcards and video courses. This app helps you build vocabulary, guess words, and track your progress across over 50 languages. Learn effectively through spaced repetition and integrated translation tools.

**Highlights:** Flashcard learning with spaced repetition, Video language courses with interactive subtitles, Integrated translator for over 50 languages, Vocabulary builder and progress tracker, Guess words and phrases to sharpen skills, Read foreign language articles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DuoCards Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| DuoCards Plus | $33.00 | per 3 months |
| DuoCards Premium | $34.99 | per 3 months |
| DuoCards Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $64.90 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $67.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $107.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $109.00 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $113.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $162.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Customizable flashcards
- 🚀 Efficient learning algorithm
- 🐘 Cute mascot (Memo the mammoth)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- ⚠️ Unreliable server connection
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🤔 Confusing interface

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes
- Issues with logging in and accessing content
- Inconsistent behavior when adding new words
- Problems with video playback and subtitles

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- More customization options
- Improved spaced repetition system
- Better integration with other language learning tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Whale Notes free?

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

### Is DuoCards free?

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

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

Whale Notes is rated higher. Whale Notes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while DuoCards averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Whale Notes or DuoCards have ads?

DuoCards shows ads; Whale Notes does not.

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

Whale Notes ships an update every 5 months, and DuoCards monthly. Most recently, Whale Notes was updated on June 1, 2026 and DuoCards on September 24, 2026.

---

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