Comparison

Pocket Field Notes vs NMDC Field Notes

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Field Notes

Capture and organize field notes with automatic geo-tagging and time stamps. Add photos to your notes and easily share them via email or by viewing their location on a map. Create project folders for efficient management of your field data.

Highlights
  • Automatic geo-tagging
  • Time and date stamping
  • Add photos to notes
  • Create project folders
  • Email notes with attachments
  • View location on map
  • Includes compass
Features
Read full description

Pocket Field Notes allows you to quickly take notes while in the field. Notes are automatically geo-tagged (location services required) and stamped with time and date. You can add pictures to notes with your device's camera (device camera required). Notes can be emailed (email client on device required) with the pictures as attachments. You can easily share with others or send to yourself, so you can cut-and-paste info into another application. You can create project folders and then add notes to it for easy management. View the geo-tagged location on a map, in a web browser (device web browser required). This app is ideal for geologists, wildlife biologists, surveyors, rangers, architects, agriculturalists, engineers, hunters, contractors, maintenance personnel, real estate agents, urban planners, landscapers, naturalists and many others out in the field. + Quick And Easy To Use + Create Project Folders + Add Notes To Project Folders + GEO-Tags Each Note (location services required) + Take Pictures And Add To Notes (device camera required) + Notes Are Time And Date Stamped + Email A Note (email client on device required) + View Location On Map In A Browser (device web browser required) + Great For Anyone Needing To Take Notes In The Field + Compass (heading services required)

About

NMDC Field Notes

This app allows microbiome researchers to record biosample metadata directly in the field. It streamlines data documentation at the point of collection, offering features like ORCID login and automatic syncing with a web portal. Designed in collaboration with researchers, it provides a mobile alternative to browser-based submission.

Highlights
  • Record biosample metadata in the field
  • Streamline data documentation
  • ORCID login
  • One-tap entry of user info, coordinates, and dates
  • Dynamic UI forms from LinkML schema
  • Automatic syncing with NMDC Submission Portal
Read full description

Notice: Due to a shift in program budget and priorities for 2026, the NMDC is not actively developing or maintaining the Field Notes Mobile App. Please visit the NMDC website for more information about our other products to submit, access and share microbiome data. --- NMDC Field Notes is an iOS/iPadOS app microbiome researchers can use to record metadata about the biosamples they collect while they are working in the field. It is a mobile alternative to the browser-based NMDC Submission Portal web app, designed specifically to streamline the process of documenting metadata at the time of biosample collection. Its features (all of which were designed in collaboration with microbiome researchers) include: ORCID login, entry of study and biosample metadata, one-tap entry of user information, geographical coordinates, and dates, user interface forms that are dynamically generated from a LinkML schema, and automatic syncing of study and biosamples metadata with the NMDC Submission Portal.

Screenshots

Pocket Field Notes4 screens
NMDC Field Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NMDC Field Notes at Free against Pocket Field Notes's $1.99. NMDC Field Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). Pocket Field Notes's advantage is chart position (#195 vs unranked) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

NMDC Field Notes is free to download; Pocket Field Notes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NMDC Field Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Field Notes ships an update every 3 months, NMDC Field Notes every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Pocket Field Notes versus NMDC Field Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket Field NotesNMDC Field Notes
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#195 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike HempflingLAWRENCE BERKELEY

Customer experience

Pocket Field Notes

All ratings4 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative50.0%

NMDC Field Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Field Notes

No in-app purchases

None

NMDC Field Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pocket Field Notes free?
Pocket Field Notes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NMDC Field Notes free?
NMDC Field Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Field Notes or NMDC Field Notes?
NMDC Field Notes is rated higher. Pocket Field Notes averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while NMDC Field Notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pocket Field Notes or NMDC Field Notes have ads?
Neither Pocket Field Notes nor NMDC Field Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Field Notes or NMDC Field Notes?
Pocket Field Notes ships an update every 3 months, and NMDC Field Notes every 5 months. Most recently, Pocket Field Notes was updated on September 24, 2026 and NMDC Field Notes on September 11, 2026.

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