LeafByte vs Nature's Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LeafByte
This application allows users to quickly and accurately measure leaf area and herbivory by taking photos. It supports various leaf types and conditions, and saves data to spreadsheets. Features include freehand drawing for reconstruction and automatic skew correction.
- Measure leaf area and herbivory
- Save data to spreadsheets
- Analyze leaves of any size
- Reconstruct missing leaf margins
- Measure dark or light plant material
- Read barcodes
- Correct photo skew
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LeafByte measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately. Take a picture of a leaf and a scale to measure total leaf area and leaf area consumed. - Saves your data in a convenient spreadsheet on your phone or in Google Drive - Analyzes leaves of almost any size or shape - Uses freehand drawing to reconstruct missing leaf margins - Can measure dark plant material (such as leaves) on a white background or light plant material (such as petals) on a dark background - Reads and records all major barcodes - Automatically corrects skew in photos taken at an angle
Nature's Notebook
Record observations of plant and animal life cycles, such as flowering and migration. Mark observation sites, create species lists, and log seasonal changes in nature.
- Record plant and animal life cycle events
- Mark observation sites
- Create species lists
- Log seasonal observations
- Citizen science program
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Nature's Notebook is a program for observing and recording plant and animal life cycle events, like flowering and bird migration. Use this app to mark your sites, create a list of plants and animals, and going into the field to record observations throughout the seasons. Find out more at www.usanpn.org/nn/guidelines.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: LeafByte at 100% against Nature's Notebook's 40%. LeafByte also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). Nature's Notebook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
LeafByte holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of LeafByte's written reviews are positive against 40% of Nature's Notebook's.
LeafByte ships an update every 5 months, Nature's Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | LeafByte | Nature's Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better | 3.1 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 26 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Abigail Getman-Pickering | National Phenology Network |
Customer experience
LeafByte
Nature's Notebook
In-app purchases
LeafByte
No in-app purchases
Nature's Notebook
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is LeafByte free?
Is Nature's Notebook free?
Which has better reviews, LeafByte or Nature's Notebook?
Do LeafByte or Nature's Notebook have ads?
Which is updated more often, LeafByte or Nature's Notebook?
Other comparisons
