# Widget Lab vs Ducky Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ducky Notes at 95% against Widget Lab's 31%. Ducky Notes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and ads (none vs shown). Widget Lab's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Widget Lab sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Ducky Notes sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ducky Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 400 and 649 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Widget Lab's written reviews are positive against 95% of Ducky Notes's.

Widget Lab ships an update fortnightly, Ducky Notes every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Widget Lab | Ducky Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.9 (400 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-lab-standby-themes/id1574611121/reviews) | **[4.8 (649 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ducky-notes-cute-diary-app/id6444694291/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 400 | **649** |
| Positive reviews | 31.4% of reviews | **94.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 285 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ningbo If Technology Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483428587) | [HONGKONG COOLMIND LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1607306779) |

## What reviewers say

### Widget Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-lab-standby-themes/id1574611121)

Personalize your home screen with a variety of useful widgets. Track system info, enjoy daily poems, set countdowns for important dates, and make waiting times more enjoyable. More widgets are continuously being added.

**Highlights:** Personalize home screen, System Info Widget, Daily Poems Widget, Count Down Widget, Slack Off Widget, Customizable widgets

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Quarterly | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Standby | Free | one-time |
| 时钟小组件 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Retro widget | $0.99 | one-time |
| Life Widget | $4.99 | one-time |
| musicwidget | $4.99 | one-time |
| Charge animation | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Cute and creative widgets
- 💖 Customizable lock screen options
- 🎵 Music sharing and playback features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches with widgets
- 💰 Many features require paid subscription
- 🌐 Language and localization issues
- 🔍 Difficulty connecting to music services

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not displaying properly
- App crashes or fails to open
- Music playback issues and sync problems

**Requested features**

- Add more music service options (e.g. YouTube Music)
- Improve widget reliability and functionality
- Provide better language support and localization


### Ducky Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ducky-notes-cute-diary-app/id6444694291)

This app offers a cute, themed journal for recording daily thoughts, moods, and growth. It provides a cozy atmosphere for writing, collaging with free materials, and tracking your progress with a monthly calendar view.

**Highlights:** Themed journaling with a cute character, Mood and growth tracking, Collage and journaling with free materials, Monthly calendar view for progress, Easy to use, three-step journal creation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Material membership | $1.49 | per month |
| SVIP | $1.99 | per month |
| Cloud Saving | $1.99 | per year |
| Material membership | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| SVIP | $3.49 | per 3 months |
| Material membership | $9.99 | per year |
| SVIP | $10.99 | per year |
| SVIP | $10.99 | per year |
| Peach Smoothie | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Cute and motivating design
- 🎨 Customizable templates and stickers
- 🔒 Private journal option
- 💡 Helpful for journaling and note-taking
- 🙌 Free to use with minimal ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Some features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or bugs
- ⏱️ Long download times for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Saving issues causing data loss
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add cloud sync/backup option
- Improve template and sticker selection
- Implement password protection for private journal


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Widget Lab free?

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

### Is Ducky Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Widget Lab or Ducky Notes?

Ducky Notes is rated higher. Widget Lab averages 3.9 out of 5 from 400 ratings, while Ducky Notes averages 4.8 from 649 ratings.

### Do Widget Lab or Ducky Notes have ads?

Widget Lab shows ads; Ducky Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Widget Lab or Ducky Notes?

Widget Lab ships an update fortnightly, and Ducky Notes every 2 months. Most recently, Widget Lab was updated on November 3, 2026 and Ducky Notes on November 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*