# Grandpa Notes vs Carbon Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grandpa Notes at none against Carbon Notes's 2. Carbon Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 20 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Carbon Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Grandpa Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Grandpa Notes ships an update every 20 months, Carbon Notes every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grandpa Notes | Carbon Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Size | 3 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Julien Eyriès](https://appshunter.io/developer/414653864) | [YMMV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1224453829) |

## What reviewers say

### Grandpa Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grandpa-notes/id1643176779)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Carbon Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carbon-notes/id6748026908)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| AI Unlock | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grandpa Notes free?

Grandpa Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Carbon Notes free?

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

### Do Grandpa Notes or Carbon Notes have ads?

Neither Grandpa Notes nor Carbon Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grandpa Notes or Carbon Notes?

Grandpa Notes ships an update every 20 months, and Carbon Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Grandpa Notes was updated on September 10, 2026 and Carbon Notes on September 10, 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.*