Comparison

Pocket Field Notes vs Bento

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

Bento

Organize and store your digital life locally on your device. Save recipes, links, notes, PDFs, and more in customizable boxes. Search everything, even text within images, and keep private items secure.

Highlights
  • Capture recipes, documents, voice memos, photos, and places
  • Save links, URLs, and copied text
  • Organize content into customizable boxes
  • Search across all saved items, including text in screenshots
  • Secure private items with Face ID
  • Add personal notes to saved content
Features
Read full description

Bento is a local-first box for the things worth keeping: recipes, links, screenshots, voice notes, PDFs, and places. Stored on your device, fully searchable, no account required. Capture from one simple app. Bento automatically types each save and organizes your library around boxes and the context that matters to you. Use Bento to: • Capture recipes, documents, voice memos, photos, and places • Drop in links, URLs, and copied text quickly • Organize into boxes, then sort and filter by type • Search across everything, including text inside screenshots • Keep private items locked behind Face ID or hidden entirely • Add your own notes without losing the original source Bento is built for personal knowledge, not feeds, followers, or noise. Keep what matters without turning your saved content into another inbox. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Bento Terms: https://usebento.io/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://usebento.io/privacy.html

Screenshots

Pocket Field Notes4 screens
Bento4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bento at Free against Pocket Field Notes's $1.99. Bento also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Pocket Field Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). On ads 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

Bento is free to download; Pocket Field Notes costs $1.99 up front. Bento sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Pocket Field Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bento 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, Bento every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pocket Field Notes versus Bento: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket Field NotesBento
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 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB119 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike HempflingDon Kallail

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Field Notes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Bento

Subscriptions1
  • Bento Pro$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Bento Pro Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Pocket Field Notes free?
Pocket Field Notes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bento free?
Bento is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Field Notes or Bento?
Bento is rated higher. Pocket Field Notes averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Bento averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pocket Field Notes or Bento have ads?
Neither Pocket Field Notes nor Bento shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Field Notes or Bento?
Pocket Field Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Bento every 3 days. Most recently, Pocket Field Notes was updated on October 10, 2026 and Bento on October 25, 2026.

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