# Basic Journal vs Notes Basic

The clearest difference is rating: Basic Journal at 3.3 against Notes Basic's 2.0. Basic Journal also leads on review sentiment (40% vs 0%) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). Notes Basic's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Basic Journal holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Basic Journal's written reviews are positive against 0% of Notes Basic's.

Basic Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, Notes Basic weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basic Journal | Notes Basic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-journal/id1139438456/reviews)** | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-basic/id6458543102/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **40.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 14 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Hudson](https://appshunter.io/developer/599997663) | [Yudai Abe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1566818989) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Notes Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-basic/id6458543102)

This app allows users to create, edit, and organize plain text notes. It features a simple interface for managing your notes, with options to pin important entries to the top of the list and delete unwanted ones. Changes are automatically saved when you confirm.

**Highlights:** Create and edit plain text notes, Organize notes in a list, Pin important notes to the top, Swipe to delete notes, Automatic saving of changes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Basic Journal free?

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

### Is Notes Basic free?

Notes Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Basic Journal or Notes Basic?

Basic Journal is rated higher. Basic Journal averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Notes Basic averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Basic Journal or Notes Basic have ads?

Both Basic Journal and Notes Basic show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Basic Journal or Notes Basic?

Basic Journal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Notes Basic weekly. Most recently, Basic Journal was updated on October 7, 2026 and Notes Basic on October 10, 2026.

---

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