a Notepad vs Journal Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
a Notepad
Capture your thoughts and ideas effortlessly on the go. This app offers both offline and cloud-synced note-taking, allowing you to access your notes from any device. Share your notes as plain text or as a web page with customizable privacy settings.
- Standalone mode (no login)
- Cloud synchronization
- Cross-device access
- Note sharing as text or web page
- Private, public, and password-protected notes
- Guest editing options
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Take notes on the go and share notes online with aNotepad mobile app. aNotepad can be used in either Standalone mode or Connected mode. Standalone mode - No login required. Notes will only be stored on your mobile device. If you later decide to login with an anotepad.com account, your local notes will be uploaded to that account as well. Connected mode - If you login with an anotepad.com free account, notes will be synchronized with anotepad.com cloud server. You can access your notes from multiple devices. You can also access your notes at anotepad.com website with a web browser. Note Sharing Notes can be shared either as Text or as online Web page. User in standalone mode can only share notes as Text. Logged in user can get an instant note web page and share note URL with others. Note Permission When you share your note as an online web page with others. You can set note permission to control who can see your note. Private Note - Only you can read and edit Public Note - Everyone who knows the URL can read Password Protected Note - Only people with password can read If you enable Guest Editing on your note, people with note editing password can also edit your note at anotepad.com website. Contact us at support@anotepad.com if you have any additional questions or any feedback.
Journal Notebook
A straightforward digital notebook for personal use. It allows users to record thoughts, create to-do lists, and keep records with an intuitive interface. Entries can be searched and organized by topic, with cloud storage for added security.
- Simple writing interface
- Dictate or scan text entries
- Organize by topic
- Searchable journal
- Cloud storage integration
- Permanent data retention
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Journal to write in with simple easy-to-use interface. It can be your: to-do list, notebook, records keeper, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. All purpose in one. Write in everything you think about, search and read it later (next day, or even after years). Very easy to use: 1. Write Entry - just type in, dictate or scan text (if supported by your device). 2. Read Journal - turn over pages to read, tap on topic name to narrow down narrative. 3. Search Index - read what is related to specific topic only. This Journal intentionally left without dangerous data deletion functionality. Everything you write stays there forever, because nobody knows when you'll need it. And, for extra layer of protection for your memories, Journal Notebook is designed to utilize cloud storage.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: a Notepad at 49% against Journal Notebook's 0%. a Notepad also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.3) and ratings volume (40 vs 3). Journal Notebook's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 months). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
a Notepad holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: a Notepad has 40 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of a Notepad's written reviews are positive against 0% of Journal Notebook's.
a Notepad ships an update every 3 months, Journal Notebook daily. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | a Notepad | Journal Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (40 ratings) — better | 2.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 48.6% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jia Qing Song | Information Arts Bureau LLC |
Customer experience
a Notepad
Journal Notebook
In-app purchases
a Notepad
No in-app purchases
Journal Notebook
No in-app purchases
