Comparison

Jayson vs Carnets

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Jayson

This app allows you to view and edit JSON files directly on your device. It offers features like tabbed browsing, split-screen comparisons, and integration with Siri Shortcuts and the Share Sheet for easy JSON parsing and management.

Highlights
  • Browse JSON files
  • Table or syntax highlighted text view
  • Tabbed interface
  • Multiple splits for comparison
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
  • Share Sheet Actions
  • URL schemes
Features
Read full description

Jayson is a JSON viewer and editor for iPhone and iPad. Browse JSON as a structure, edit values, and save your changes back to the file. Whether you're inspecting an API response, checking a config file, or making a quick fix on the go, Jayson turns raw JSON into something you can actually read and change. BROWSE AND EDIT - Open JSON files stored on your device or in iCloud Drive. - Toggle between a structured table view and syntax highlighted text. - Add new values and keys, and save your changes back to the file. - Parse text or the contents of a URL from your clipboard into JSON. - Highlight a key from a child of an array to get a quick overview of your data. TABS, SPLITS, AND WINDOWS - Switch between files, or different objects in a single file, using tabs. - Compare JSON in a single file or across files using multiple splits. - Open multiple windows on the iPad. WORKS WITH SHORTCUTS Jayson integrates with Shortcuts, which comes in handy for debugging API calls, previewing JSON files, and building workflows around JSON. - Pass a response from Get Contents of URL to Jayson to see how it is structured. - Open JSON as a document you keep working on, or as a temporary preview. - Format JSON and hand the result to the next action, using spaces or tabs. FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL UPGRADE Jayson's core functionality is free. Browsing, editing, saving, splits, Shortcuts, and working with up to two tabs at a time cost nothing. A one-time in-app purchase enables having more than two tabs open at once, switching between light and dark themes, and personalizing the app icon, accent color and type icons. One purchase, no subscription.

About

Carnets

This app offers a standalone Jupyter notebook environment for creating and running code snippets, combining them with text and Markdown. It includes pre-installed scientific packages and allows for offline use, making it ideal for education and research.

Highlights
  • Standalone Jupyter notebook implementation
  • Embedded Python interpreter
  • Offline functionality
  • Pre-installed scientific packages
  • Supports Jupyterlab
  • Package installation via %pip
  • Notebook sharing and opening
Features
Read full description

Jupyter notebooks are a powerful tool used in education and research. You can write small snippets of Python code and observe the result on screen, combine with paragraphs of text, using Markdown. Carnets provides a complete, stand-alone, implementation of Jupyter notebooks. Everything runs on your device, using the embedded Python interpreter; you do not need an internet connection. You can chose between Jupyter notebooks and the more advance Jupyterlab using Settings. Numpy, Sympy, Matplotlib, Pandas, lxml, bokeh, nbextensions (including ipywidgets) and many other packages are pre-installed. To see the full list of installed packages, type "%pip list" in a code window. You can add more packages using "%pip install packageName", but only if they are pure Python. If you need scipy, seaborn or scikit-learn, please use our other App, "Carnets - Jupyter (with scipy)". You can share your notebooks with other apps and also open notebooks or directories managed by other apps. Partial list of installed packages: astropy, babel, bokeh, cryptography, cvxopt, Fiona, geopandas, geopy, lxml, matplotlib, numpy, openCV, pandas, pillow, pyFFTW, pyproj, rasterio, regex, shapely, sympy, wordcloud.

Screenshots

Jayson4 screens
Carnets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Carnets at none against Jayson's 1. Carnets also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Jayson sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Carnets asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Jayson against 4.6 for Carnets. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 425 and 316 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Jayson's written reviews are positive against 78% of Carnets's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jayson ships an update every 3 weeks, Carnets monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Jayson versus Carnets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJaysonCarnets
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (425 ratings)4.6 (316 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.7% of reviews — better78.4% of reviews
Number of ratings425 — better316
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#97#93 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSimon B. StøvringNicolas Holzschuch

Customer experience

Jayson

All ratings425 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral6.1%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive80.7%
Neutral7.2%
Negative12.0%

Carnets

All ratings316 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews305 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral6.9%
Negative14.8%

User reviews

Jayson

From 425 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Elegant and intuitive JSON editing interface
  • 🎯 Perfect for FNF mod development and updates
  • 📱 Excellent iOS implementation with native feel
  • 🔧 Powerful JSON manipulation capabilities
  • ⚡ Great Shortcuts and URL scheme integration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability issues
  • 🔋 High battery consumption and device heating
  • ❌ Missing search functionality
  • 📵 Safari browser support issues
  • 🔒 Limited free features, paywall for advanced options

Carnets

From 316 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent app for coding on iPad
  • 👍 Convenient for learning and coding on the go
  • 🚀 Works just like Jupyter Notebook on desktop
  • 👍 Helpful for self-learning Python
  • 👍 Useful for data science and machine learning

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and stability issues
  • 🔋 Battery drain and overheating
  • 🔒 Unauthorized access to photo library
  • 🐛 Issues with importing certain libraries like SciPy and Scikit-learn

Bugs and requests

Jayson

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes when opening large JSON files (89MB+)
  • Crashes on regular use despite functionality
  • Device freezing for extended periods
  • Safari compatibility broken in recent updates
  • Navigation back through JSON structure is unreliable
Show 1 more
  • Accidental file exit when attempting to navigate

Requested features

9 requests
  • Search/find functionality within files
  • JSON editing and modification capabilities
  • XML format support
  • Split-view for comparing different arrays
  • Export functionality for edited JSON
Show 4 more
  • Comment recognition in JSON files
  • Plain text editor option
  • Improved file size handling for large documents
  • Better navigation controls on mobile devices

Carnets

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Issues with saving and loading notebooks
  • Problems with running scripts and notebooks
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for SciPy, Scikit-learn, and other scientific computing libraries
  • Improve file management and integration with cloud storage services
  • Implement split-screen or multi-window support
  • Add more keyboard shortcuts and customization options
  • Improve error handling and provide more detailed error messages

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Jayson

One-time1
  • Unlock Everything$4.99
None

Carnets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jayson free?
Jayson is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Carnets free?
Carnets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jayson or Carnets?
Carnets is rated higher. Jayson averages 4.5 out of 5 from 425 ratings, while Carnets averages 4.6 from 316 ratings.
Do Jayson or Carnets have ads?
Neither Jayson nor Carnets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jayson or Carnets?
Jayson ships an update every 3 weeks, and Carnets monthly. Most recently, Jayson was updated on September 23, 2026 and Carnets on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Jayson or Carnets?
Jayson currently peaks at #97 in the App Store charts, and Carnets at #93. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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