# Make List vs Basic Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Make List at none against Basic Journal's 1. Make List also leads on ads (none vs shown). Basic Journal's advantage is rating (3.3 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Basic Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Make List asks for nothing beyond the download.

Basic Journal holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

Make List ships an update every 5 weeks, Basic Journal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 25, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Make List | Basic Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-list/id1116172306/reviews) | **[3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-journal/id1139438456/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rod Bauer](https://appshunter.io/developer/868039735) | [James Hudson](https://appshunter.io/developer/599997663) |

## What reviewers say

### Make List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-list/id1116172306)

Organize daily tasks, shopping lists, or any to-do with this fast checklist app. Create nested folders for deep organization and easily back up or share lists via text. A green line indicator confirms when all items are checked.

**Highlights:** Nested folder organization, Uncheck All function, Delete Selected items, Offline backup via copy/paste, Move items between folders, Green line completion indicator

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Basic Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-journal/id1139438456)

A fast and simple journal app designed for busy individuals to quickly jot down notes on daily activities. It offers an elegant, chronological display of entries with easy editing and export options.

**Highlights:** Quick note-taking, Chronological note display, Summary and detail views, Edit and delete notes easily, Recently edited notes highlighted, iCloud syncing, Text export option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Make List free?

Make List is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Basic Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Make List or Basic Journal?

Basic Journal is rated higher. Make List averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Basic Journal averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Make List or Basic Journal have ads?

Basic Journal shows ads; Make List does not.

### Which is updated more often, Make List or Basic Journal?

Make List ships an update every 5 weeks, and Basic Journal every 2 weeks. Most recently, Make List was updated on June 25, 2026 and Basic Journal on June 5, 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.*