# Notebooks vs Lector

The clearest difference is price: Lector at Free against Notebooks's $17.99. Notebooks's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#164 vs unranked). On update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Lector is free to download; Notebooks costs $17.99 up front. Notebooks sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Lector sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notebooks ships an update monthly, Lector every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebooks | Lector |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $17.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1490084838/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#164** | — |
| Size | 48 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alfons Schmid](https://appshunter.io/developer/297571754) | [Marlon Geovany Castro Mejia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869889977) |

## What reviewers say

### Notebooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1490084838)

**Currently charting:** #164 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This app helps you write, organize, and manage documents, tasks, and files. It offers flexible writing modes, robust organization tools, and task management features, all while ensuring your data remains accessible and under your control.

**Highlights:** Formatted text, plain text, and Markdown writing, Create documents with styles, tables, and attachments, Organize with nested hierarchies and 'books', Task management with due dates and checklists, Wiki-style linking and backlinks, Full-text search, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Custom Storage Locations | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful and flexible organization
- 🔒 Respects user data and privacy
- 👍 Reliable and stable
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer
- 👍 Elegant and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and sync issues
- 🐛 Formatting and editing limitations
- 🐛 Steep learning curve for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Data loss after iOS upgrades
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Improved Markdown support
- More font and color customization options
- Better Apple Watch integration
- Export to Word format


### Lector

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lector-clean-reading/id6757951061)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lector Pro Access (Monthly) | $5.99 | per month |
| Lectro Pro Access (Yearly) | $59.99 | per year |
| Early Founder Access | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebooks free?

Notebooks costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Lector free?

Lector is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Notebooks or Lector have ads?

Lector shows ads; Notebooks does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebooks or Lector?

Notebooks ships an update monthly, and Lector every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notebooks was updated on November 3, 2026 and Lector on October 31, 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.*