# Nature's Notebook vs Foldscope

The clearest difference is rating: Foldscope at 5.0 against Nature's Notebook's 3.1. Nature's Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Foldscope holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nature's Notebook has 26 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Nature's Notebook ships an update every 3 weeks, Foldscope every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nature's Notebook | Foldscope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/natures-notebook/id1463430668/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foldscope/id1516900181/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **26** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 47 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [National Phenology Network](https://appshunter.io/developer/843843359) | [Foldscope Intruments, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1239049211) |

## What reviewers say

### Nature's Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/natures-notebook/id1463430668)

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.

**Highlights:** Record plant and animal life cycle events, Mark observation sites, Create species lists, Log seasonal observations, Citizen science program

**In-app purchases:** none


### Foldscope

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foldscope/id1516900181)

This app allows users to capture, focus, and scale images taken through a specialized lens. It also provides a platform for sharing these images and text posts with a global community of users. Explore and discover microscopic worlds through shared content.

**Highlights:** Capture and focus microscopic images, Scale images through the lens, Share images and text posts, Browse global user posts, Explore the Microcosmos community

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nature's Notebook free?

Nature's Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Foldscope free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Nature's Notebook or Foldscope?

Foldscope is rated higher. Nature's Notebook averages 3.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Foldscope averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Nature's Notebook or Foldscope have ads?

Neither Nature's Notebook nor Foldscope shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nature's Notebook or Foldscope?

Nature's Notebook ships an update every 3 weeks, and Foldscope every 2 months. Most recently, Nature's Notebook was updated on July 7, 2026 and Foldscope on September 10, 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.*