Comparison

BackThen vs Baby Notebook

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

Head to head
About

BackThen

This app serves as a private family journal to securely store and organize photos, videos, and milestones from pregnancy through childhood. It offers features like automatic organization by child, full-resolution storage, and the ability to create premium photo books from your memories.

Highlights
  • Private family journal
  • Photo and video storage
  • Milestone tracking
  • Automatic organization by child
  • Full resolution photos
  • Premium photo book creation
  • Family sharing with permissions
Features
Read full description

The private family journal trusted with 240+ million memories. From bump to birthdays and beyond — save every photo, video and milestone in one safe place, beautifully organized by child. NEW! Transform your memories into premium Photo Books you can hold forever — created effortlessly from your most-loved moments already in BackThen. Our most requested feature, minus the hassle. WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE BACKTHEN 1. Private & secure — You control who sees what. No ads. No data-sharing. Ever. 2. Effortlessly organized — Photos auto-sorted by child on their own timeline. 3. Full resolution — We never compress your images. Your memories, kept at their best. 4. Timelapse magic — Watch how their face changes over time with our unique technology. 5. Photo Books & prints — Create premium keepsakes from the photos already in your app. 6. The whole family — Grandparents, aunts, uncles — everyone included on any device. DESIGNED FOR EVERY STAGE • Pregnancy Journal — Track bump photos, maternity moments & milestones • Newborn & Baby Book — Document firsts, growth markers & everyday memories • Growing Up — Build a lasting digital family album from year to year SAVE & ORGANIZE • Auto-organize from any device — mobile or desktop • Ordered chronologically from the moment you save — every photo and video in the right place • Photos at full resolution, videos at any length, unlimited milestones including height & weight • Each child gets their own timeline, viewed together or individually • Find any moment with instant scroll or search by date SHARE SECURELY • Invite family and friends — you set their permissions • Everyone gets notified when new memories are added • 100% private — no ads, no data-sharing, no exceptions LOOK BACK & ENJOY • Unique timelapse technology shows how their face changes • Fun sibling and cousin comparisons at the same age • Auto-created highlights, flashback reels and animated stickers PRINT YOUR FAVORITES • NEW: Premium Photo Books — beautifully laid out, printed to the highest quality • Auto-created calendars, montages and prints from your favorite photos • Available in the UK, US, Canada and Europe • Printed locally using your original-resolution photos for the best results TRUSTED BY MILLIONS • From the team behind Lifecake — the original online childhood journal, founded in 2012 • Connecting families across 182 countries • All devices welcome — iOS, email, web & other mobile platforms TRY IT FREE • 1GB free storage to try all features • VIP subscription: £4.99 / $6.49 / €5.99 per month • Nothing to lose — all your content returned if you choose to leave Questions? support@backthen.app Privacy: https://www.backthen.com/privacy Terms: https://www.backthen.com/terms

About

Baby Notebook

Easily create a beautiful, modern baby book by uploading photos and answering prompts directly from your phone. Receive weekly reminders to capture milestones and order a custom hardbound book at the end of your baby's first year.

Highlights
  • Milestone reminders
  • Photo upload and organization
  • Customizable book editing
  • Hardbound book printing
  • Weekly notification prompts
  • Yearly book expansions
Features
Read full description

Baby Notebook—the modern baby book every parent needs—reminders for milestones, upload photos in the moment, and order a beautiful hardbound baby book at the end of baby's first year. We‘re here to help you *actually* complete a memory book for baby’s first year and beyond. CONVENIENT No more sifting through photos, printing, cutting, and pasting, it's all done right on your phone. REMINDERS Never miss a beat with Baby Notebook’s weekly notifications reminding you to upload a photo or answer a writing prompt. Schedule your notifications in the app to receive your prompts on a day and time that works best for you. CUSTOMIZABLE Edit titles in your book to tell your baby’s unique story. Designed with inclusivity in mind, the Baby Notebook app empowers all parents—single parents, LGBTQIA parents, and parents of multiples—to complete a meaningful baby book for their little one. FLEXIBLE Hide pages, replace page layouts, and rearrange pages in your book to ensure you can actually complete your baby book (no pages left blank). MODERN BABY BOOK All the design work is done for you—no formatting required. It is modern, clean, and timeless. ADDITIONAL PAGES You can add more pages to your book (at an additional cost). This feature allows you to add more photo pages, special occasions, quote pages, and a second baby to your book (for twin Mamas)! YOUR BABY’S FIRST YEAR ONLY HAPPENS ONCE You'll find our prices comparable to any quality photo book, but you won't have to do the formatting, prompt writing, and remembering — we've got you, mama. Just think, you'll have this gorgeous book at the end of your baby's first year with all these beautiful photos, and you didn't have to do much to get it done. THAT'S PRICELESS! Make your baby's first year last a lifetime—your future self will thank you. Hear it from a mom who has received her baby book—“This book is beautiful. I am blown away by the quality of this book! It was so easy to add pictures and write notes. I’m so grateful for this baby book, and have already started the toddler book! This is priceless!” Continue documenting baby’s life with our yearly books: TODDLER BOOK As your baby turns one, continue documenting their journey with Baby Notebook’s Toddler Book. Capture every milestone and precious moment from 12-24 months. THE MAGIC YEARS BOOK Watch your baby grow into a little person with our Magic Years Book. Document quotes, conversations, photos, and artwork created by your child from 24-36 months. THE FAMILY YEARBOOK As your family grows, so do your memories. With Baby Notebook's Family Yearbook, capture every special (or ordinary) moment throughout the year. Build your book in real-time, ensuring you never miss a beat. DOWNLOAD FOR FREE Get started today with Baby Notebook for FREE and access the first 3 chapters of your book. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Upgrade to our Premium subscription, which includes a 7-day FREE trial for first-time subscribers, then $49.99 per year (paid annually). Enjoy the BEST VALUE with our Premium plan, and receive 40% off your book(s), that’s $99 + shipping. PLUS SUBSCRIPTION Opt for our monthly Plus subscription plan for $6.99 per month and pay the full price of $165 for the book. PAID SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS - Full access to books: Baby, Toddler, Magic Years & Family Yearbook - Weekly prompts & reminders - Create books for multiple children - Personalized notification settings - Hide pages, edit titles & choose prompts - Replace page layouts & rearrange pages - Advanced photo editor & filters - Shuffle photos - Add pages (at an additional cost) - 12” x 12” books available for purchase, 100+ pages per book Download the Baby Notebook app now and start preserving your baby’s memories today! For support inquiries, email us at hello@babynotebook.app. You can find our privacy policy and terms of service, here https://babynotebookapp.com/privacy and https://babynotebookapp.com/terms Learn more about Baby Notebook at www.babynotebookapp.com

Screenshots

BackThen4 screens
Baby Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BackThen at none against Baby Notebook's shown. BackThen also leads on ratings volume (29K vs 1.9K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. BackThen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.49 per month and Baby Notebook sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for BackThen against 4.8 for Baby Notebook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BackThen has 29K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of BackThen's written reviews are positive against 69% of Baby Notebook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BackThen ships an update every 2 weeks, Baby Notebook fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BackThen versus Baby Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackThenBaby Notebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (29K ratings)4.8 (1.9K ratings)
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews69.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29K — better1.9K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBack Then Digital LtdBaby Notebook LLC

Customer experience

BackThen

All ratings28,636 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews544 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative35.1%

Baby Notebook

All ratings1,944 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive69.5%
Neutral8.5%
Negative22.0%

User reviews

BackThen

From 29K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Helps families stay connected
  • 🕰️ Chronological timeline of photos
  • 🔒 Secure and private photo sharing
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive interface

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription fees
  • 🔍 Limited free storage
  • 🚫 No web/desktop access
  • 🤔 Unclear relationship to Lifecake
  • 🤯 Abrupt transition from Lifecake

Baby Notebook

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient for busy parents
  • 💎 Beautiful and high-quality books
  • 🤗 Great customer service

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription and book costs
  • 🔒 Difficult to access book after subscription expires
  • 🖥️ Lack of desktop/web version
  • 🐛 Glitchy app performance

Bugs and requests

BackThen

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Issues with importing Lifecake data
  • Inviting family members not working
  • App getting stuck during uploads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to download/backup photos
  • Web/desktop access for non-mobile users
  • Prorated refunds for Lifecake subscribers
  • Yearly subscription option
  • Better integration of comments/likes

Baby Notebook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues with phone number verification
  • Inability to access book after subscription ends
  • Glitches when rearranging pages or changing layouts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more layout and customization options
  • Implement spell check and grammar correction
  • Allow sharing digital books with friends and family
  • Provide desktop/web version for easier editing

In-app purchases

2 purchases

BackThen

Subscriptions2
  • VIP - Monthly payment$6.491 Month
  • VIP - Monthly payment1 Month trial$6.491 Month
9 purchases

Baby Notebook

Subscriptions4
  • Plus – 1 Month, All Books$6.991 Month
  • Plus Subscription$6.991 Month
  • Premium – 1 Year, All Books7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium Subscription$49.991 Year
One-time5
  • 1 Extra Page for Your Book$1.99
  • Digital PDF of Your Book$9.99
  • 10 Extra Pages for Your Book$17.99
Show 2 more
  • 25 Extra Pages for Your Book$39.99
  • 50 Extra Pages for Your Book$69.99

Questions

Is BackThen free?
BackThen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Baby Notebook free?
Baby Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BackThen or Baby Notebook?
BackThen and Baby Notebook are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 29K and 1.9K ratings respectively.
Do BackThen or Baby Notebook have ads?
Baby Notebook shows ads; BackThen does not.
Which is updated more often, BackThen or Baby Notebook?
BackThen ships an update every 2 weeks, and Baby Notebook fortnightly. Most recently, BackThen was updated on September 24, 2026 and Baby Notebook on September 22, 2026.

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