# Onenote vs Journal

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Journal at 90% against Onenote's 17%. Journal also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 135). Onenote's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Onenote sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal has 1.8K ratings behind it against 135, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of Onenote's written reviews are positive against 90% of Journal's.

Onenote ships an update every 2 weeks, Journal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Onenote | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (135 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onenote-a-good-note-app/id1632140492/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 135 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | **89.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 109 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hangzhou Hongying Ketu Network Technology Co. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1611337359) | [受杰 柯](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634142370) |

## What reviewers say

### Onenote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/onenote-a-good-note-app/id1632140492)

This digital notebook app offers a creative space for journaling, planning, and drawing with a vast collection of cute stationery, stickers, and brushes. It supports offline saving and flexible editing for a personalized note-taking experience.

**Highlights:** Abundant stationery, backgrounds, and stickers, Real-time offline saving, Flexible editing of pictures, text, and stickers, Graffiti and hand-painting tools, Customizable notebook covers

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Prremium | $0.99 | per month |
| One month VIP | $2.99 | per month |
| 年会员 | $2.99 | per year |
| One year VIP | $13.49 | per year |
| 1Sticker package | $0.99 | one-time |
| permanent VIP | $19.99 | one-time |
| 永久会员 | $19.99 | one-time |


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-diary-and-planner/id6443840608)

This app allows users to create a personal diary with a variety of cute stickers and backgrounds. It offers automatic saving of drafts, password protection for privacy, and the ability to insert photos. The app is also optimized for iPad use.

**Highlights:** Customizable stickers and backgrounds, Automatic draft saving, Password protection for privacy, iPad support with Apple Pencil, Photo insertion for diary entries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Version | $2.99 | per month |
| Plus Version | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Pro Version | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Cute and aesthetic design
- 📚 Helpful for journaling and planning
- 🎨 Customizable backgrounds and stickers
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🥰 Fun and enjoyable experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Limited free features, many paid options
- 🔑 Issues with login/access
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 📝 Limited font/formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to reopen saved pages
- Stickers not displaying properly in some cases
- Sync issues causing data loss

**Requested features**

- Add more free stickers and customization options
- Improve syncing and backup functionality
- Allow creating custom backgrounds and stickers
- Introduce a dark mode option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Onenote free?

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

### Is Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Onenote or Journal?

Journal is rated higher. Onenote averages 4.2 out of 5 from 135 ratings, while Journal averages 4.6 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Onenote or Journal have ads?

Both Onenote and Journal show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Onenote or Journal?

Onenote ships an update every 2 weeks, and Journal every 6 weeks. Most recently, Onenote was updated on October 24, 2026 and Journal on October 27, 2026.

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