Comparison

Gamebook Engine vs Retro Notes

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

Head to head
About

Gamebook Engine

Features
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Gamebook Engine is an all-in-one app for creating and reading gamebooks, a type of interactive fiction where the player's choices influence the outcome of the story. With Gamebook Engine you can: โ€ข Create gamebooks - Write interactive choosable path adventure stories using a thoughtfully designed interface โ€ข Share gamebooks - Gamebooks export to a plain text ".gbook" file that you can send to your friends via email, text message, or carrier pigeon (if the story is very short) โ€ข Play gamebooks - Gamebook Engine can import and play ".gbook" files, which contain the data for interactive stories What makes Gamebook Engine special? โ€ข Attributes can make gamebooks dynamic: Attributes can be used to track changes in inventory, player stats, NPC relationships, and much more. This makes Gamebook Engine stories a little more dynamic than a classic paperback choosable path story. โ€ข Warning, nerd talk: Gamebooks export to plain-text JSON, not a proprietary file-type, so you can easily share them as privately or publicly as you want, and anyone can build a client for reading them -- but why bother when Gamebook Engine is a reader already! โ€ข Total Privacy: Gamebook Engine has no online services or accounts. Gamebook Engine runs entirely on your device and never sends any data about you or what you are writing to anyone. Your privacy is totally and absolutely guaranteed. Your writings only leave your device when you share them with someone.

About

Retro Notes

Features
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Retro Notes turns everyday note-taking into something you actually enjoy. Beautifully designed with vintage-inspired themes, it combines the simplicity of classic journals with the power of a modern organizer โ€” all on your iPhone and iPad. WRITE FREELY, ORGANIZE EFFORTLESSLY Create notes with rich text blocks, checklists, and tags. Organize everything into folders and nested subfolders. On iPad, use full notebooks for long-form journaling and creative projects. Pin your favorites for quick access, and find anything instantly with powerful global search across all your notes, folders, tasks, and blocks. A BLOCK FOR EVERYTHING Retro Notes goes beyond plain text. Each note is built from blocks you mix and match: โ€ข Text โ€” Write with customizable per-note fonts. Choose from 15 beautiful typefaces including Typewriter, Georgia, Baskerville, Futura, and more. โ€ข Tasks โ€” Interactive checklists to track your to-dos right inside your notes. โ€ข Photos & Videos โ€” Capture memories with images and video clips. Trim videos before adding them. โ€ข Voice Memos โ€” Record audio notes when typing isn't an option. โ€ข Locations โ€” Pin places to your notes with interactive maps. โ€ข URLs โ€” Save and preview web links with one tap. โ€ข Scanner โ€” Scan documents directly into your notes using your camera. โ€ข PDF โ€” Attach and view documents natively. โ€ข Countdown โ€” Set visual countdown timers for events, deadlines, and milestones. โ€ข Music โ€” Search and embed your favorite tracks from a massive catalog. โ€ข Movies โ€” Log films with posters, ratings, runtime, and director info. โ€ข Books โ€” Track your reading with covers, authors, and page counts. โ€ข Flights โ€” Look up real flights with route maps, terminals, aircraft details, and live status. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE Use the Share Extension to send text, links, images, and checklists from Browser, Mail, Messages, or any app directly into Retro Notes. Content is automatically parsed into the right blocks โ€” URLs become link blocks, bullet points become tasks, and images get their own photo blocks. No copy-pasting needed. RETRO THEMES THAT FEEL JUST RIGHT Customize your experience with handcrafted themes that give your notes real personality. Switch between classic, dark, and colorful palettes โ€” every element from the toolbar to the blocks adapts to your chosen theme. WIDGET SUPPORT Pin your most important note to a home screen widget for instant access. See your content at a glance without even opening the app. TIME CAPSULE Seal a note and lock it until a future date โ€” a week, a month, or a year from now. When the time comes, it unlocks automatically. Write letters to your future self, save birthday messages, or preserve memories for later. PRIVACY FIRST Your notes stay on your device. Retro Notes uses no cloud accounts, no sign-ups, and no tracking. What you write is yours alone. BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD Fully optimized for both platforms. On iPad, take advantage of larger screens with the notebook editor for long-form writing, side-by-side organization, and an expanded block canvas. AVAILABLE IN 7 LANGUAGES Use Retro Notes in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Turkish, or Simplified Chinese. The entire interface adapts to your language preference. Privacy Policy: https://retro-notes-privacy-ege-aybek-dev.netlify.app/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Gamebook Engine4 screens
Retro Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Retro Notes at Free against Gamebook Engine's $4.99. Gamebook Engine's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Retro Notes is free to download; Gamebook Engine costs $4.99 up front. Retro Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Gamebook Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Gamebook Engine versus Retro Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGamebook EngineRetro Notes
Price$4.99Free โ€” better
Update frequencyโ€”Every 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrad RootEGE AYBEK

In-app purchases

None

Gamebook Engine

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Retro Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Gamebook Engine free?
Gamebook Engine costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retro Notes free?
Retro Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Gamebook Engine or Retro Notes have ads?
Neither Gamebook Engine nor Retro Notes shows ads.

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