Kase₄ CE vs Formbook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kase₄ CE
This app allows you to create and manage personal relational databases on your device. It offers a flexible and intuitive way to structure and access your data, with features like full-text search, custom field types, and data visualization tools.
- Relational database design
- Customizable fields and data types
- Full-text search with NLP
- Data visualization with formatters
- On-device OCR
- Import/Export in CSV, JSON, KASE
- Passcode and biometric lock
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Kase exists because it should. There should be a database app that can go anywhere with you. It should be: • Simple — Using it should be easy and intuitive, • Flexible — Once familiar with the basics, you can design any database to track anything important to you, and • Relational — Inter-linked data is an order of magnitude more useful. Plus, you don't want to repeat yourself. Additionally, it should be: • Personal — You should not need to worry about who can peek into your data, and • Always Available — High-speed wireless network should *not* be a prerequisite for accessing your own data. Structured data at your fingertips. Something like that didn't exist, so I started creating Kase in 2014. Basic Concepts: • Your Kase contains Boxes. • Each Box stores Decks that can relate to each other. • A Deck collects similarly structured Cards. • And a Card is where you put data Entries. Features: • Pick, assign, and organize with Categories, Tags, and Marks. • Search by name, notes, full text, or keywords: Full-text indexing with Natural Language Processing. • Highlight any Box, Deck, Card, Entry, or Keyword. • Deck definitions support inheritance! • Field types include Text, Number (with Unit), Money (with Currency), Date/Time (with Time Zone), Choice, Boolean, Link, Picture, and Document. - complete with multi-level auto-conversion • Write in Markdown and see rich formatted text. • Box can be locked with a passcode, and unlocked with Face ID or Touch ID. • Formatters (Fx) to visualize data in different ways without altering the data one bit. e.g. Unit Converter, NameMapper, WordScrambler, ICU Transformers... • Side-by-Side: Compare Cards easily by displaying in columns. • On-device Text Recognitions (OCR) for multiple languages. • Import/Export in CSV, JSON, or KASE. • Complete Backup & Restore. • iPad Multitasking support: Split View, Slide Over, etc. • Very customizable UI with custom locales What Kase Can't Do: - Cloud sync is not done yet (stay tuned...) What Kase Can Do: > From Data to Wisdom > Data ▹ Information ▹ Knowledge ▹ Wisdom 1. Store Data — the objective truths. 2. Organize Information — to reflect circumstances and current condition. 3. Systematically retrieve Knowledge — utilized for decision-making. 4. And that hopefully enables you to grasp Wisdom, comprehend insights, and ultimately create value. There are databases that belong to the Big Guys. The rest of them should stay personal. By now, you should realize how valuable your data is. So why give it away? Kase keeps your data yours. See www.wisd.com/kase for more details. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.wisd.com/kase/eula
Formbook
This app allows you to create structured notes that function like database forms, saving you time and providing instant chart statistics. It supports collaboration, cross-device synchronization, and AI-powered form building with numerous field types.
- Form-based note creation
- Instant chart statistics
- Notebook sharing for collaboration
- AI-powered automated form builder
- 30+ form field types
- Cross-device synchronization
- Export to PDF and CSV
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Formbook: the revolutionary personal database app. Formbook is a new generation database app in which you create form based notes to easily store information. Formbook is the perfect app for structured information note taking. With Formbook, notes behave like database forms: create a notebook and define the fields you need to store your information. Form based notes have amazing benefits: - Gain a huge amount of time while taking notes as you just need to fill in form fields. - Instantly obtain chart stats on the data contained in your notebooks. - Share notebooks for collaboration with other Formbook users. Here are some usage examples. Create notebooks to: - Keep track of your progress in sport training. - Remember your favorite restaurants in places you visit. - Store your recipes. - Follow to do tasks. - Prepare a trip by describing the places to visit. - Keep track of any object inventory (with barcode reader). Formbook comes with a powerful dashboard feature that visually displays charts on your data. Personalize your charts and analyse data in detail. Formbook is cross device: notes are automatically synchronized on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch via iCloud. Formbook is also available on your Apple Watch: access your notes and notebooks directly from you Apple Watch. Formbook is powered by AI: save time with the new automated form builder. Enter your notebook name and Formbook infers the database fields. Choose among 30 form field types when conceiving your notebook structure: - Short text field - Long text field - Secret text field revealed by FaceID or TouchID - Code text field (programming languages) - Number - Currency - Stepper (number) - Slider (number) - Calculation (using the data from other fields) - Yes/No button - Date and Time fields - Duration - Images and photos - List of elements (with optional checkboxes) - List of tags - Rating (with stars) - Email (with compose button) - Address (with map access) - Phone number (with compose button) - URL (with browse button) - Barcode and QR code (with scan button) - Current location (latitude, longitude, address) Export your notes as PDF file and CSV file to use the data with spreadsheet apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Kase₄ CE at 5.0 against Formbook's 4.5. Kase₄ CE also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Formbook's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (32 vs 6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Kase₄ CE sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and Formbook sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Kase₄ CE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Formbook has 32 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Kase₄ CE ships an update every 2 months, Formbook every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kase₄ CE | Formbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | 4.5 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 79.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenneth Wong | Mathieu Morgensztern |
Customer experience
Kase₄ CE
Formbook
Bugs and requests
Kase₄ CE
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Formbook
Reported bugs
12 issues- Crashes on macOS Ventura and newer
- Crashes when validating fields in new notes
- Export functionality issues with CSV and PDF
- Barcode field scans but cannot search by barcode
- Star rating field too sensitive to accidental changes
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- Performance degradation with photos in notes
- Text field labels not visible in note panel
- Syncing issues between devices
- Import duplicates data instead of updating
- Occasional freezing and slowness
- Watch app syncing problems
- In-app purchase requires repurchase after updates
Requested features
30 requests- Field-specific search functionality
- Advanced multi-criteria filtering
- Table/spreadsheet view for data
- Password/biometric app protection
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, colors)
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- File attachment support (PDFs, documents)
- Drag-and-drop image insertion
- Move notes between notebooks
- Duplicate notebook without content
- Advanced calculated fields with date math
- Print functionality for records and lists
- Customizable PDF export templates
- Folder organization for notebooks
- Read-only mode for records
- Barcode scanning search capability
- Calendar integration
- Reminder/alert field with notifications
- Multiple image support per field
- Keyboard shortcuts/Shortcuts app integration
- Collaborative sharing between users
- Template creation for notebooks
- Undo/backup functionality
- Batch operations (edit, delete multiple)
- Tag autocomplete with global tag list
- Sub-tags support
- Column/card view options
- Adjustable font sizes
- Home button for quick navigation
- Bulk import with update option
- Android version
In-app purchases
Kase₄ CE
- Complete: One Month$0.491 Month
- Complete: Six Months$2.596 Months
- Complete: One Year$4.691 Year
- Tip: Dollar$1.00
- Tip: Coffee$2.00
- Tip: Coffee, CA$4.00
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- Tip: Caffè Mocha$5.00
Formbook
- Notebook sharing$3.99
- Additional fields pack$3.99
Questions
Is Kase₄ CE free?
Is Formbook free?
Which has better reviews, Kase₄ CE or Formbook?
Do Kase₄ CE or Formbook have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kase₄ CE or Formbook?
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