BetterLists vs Formbook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BetterLists
Organize all your essential information in one place. Create customizable lists for tasks, groceries, expenses, and more. Easily manage data with flexible fields and powerful sorting options.
- Create unlimited customizable lists
- Support for text, date, time, and number fields
- Format fields for phone, email, currency, and more
- Check, uncheck, and delete list items
- Sort lists by any field
- Import data from CSV files
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BetterLists is an easy to use and flexible app for quick access to all your information. Now you can have your To Do list, expenses, and grocery list all in one place. BetterLists comes with: To Do Grocery List Expenses Birthdays Restaurants To Try You can use them as is, or modify them exactly how you want. Add your own. FEATURES - Create as many lists as you like. - Your lists can contain fields holding text, dates, times, and numbers. - Fields can be formatted many different ways. Notes, phone numbers, currency, and more. - Your lists can be modified anytime. Add or delete a field, change it's type or name. - Check and uncheck items so you can reuse a list over and over. - Delete items just by swiping your finger across them. - Email your lists to yourself. - Use Phone, Email, and Web address fields to dial, email, or go to a web address. - Sort your list by any field, and view up to 3 fields in List View. - Add Choice Lists so you can set fields from a preset list of choices, instead of typing each time. - Import CSV files to add lists. - Simple to use, yet powerful enough to handle all your lists. NOTES AND TIPS - To show multiple fields in List View. Go to Preferences (the gear icon) while in a list. Change the number of fields in list view to 1, 2, or 3. It will display up to the first 3 fields from each list. - To check off an item, touch to the left of the item in the list. - To delete an item from a list swipe the item and hit the delete button that appears, or touch the Edit button and then touch the red minus sign to the left of the item you want to delete. - To reorder items, touch the Edit button and then drag the items to the order you want. - To add a choice list to a field, add the choice list and choices by touching the choice lists icon in the toolbar, then edit the list and the field you want to associate with the list. Choose "Choice List" for the field type, and then the choice list you want to use for the field format. - To Backup and Restore your data go to the Tools icon and select Backup/Restore to get to the different options. - To Import CSV files go to the Tools icon while on main screen. If you have questions regarding CSV files please email me and I am happy to help. ***** Please email me at info@haspelsoftware.com with any questions. I can't respond to reviews, and I am very responsive to questions and feedback.
Formbook
This app allows you to create structured notes that function like database forms, saving you time and providing instant chart statistics. It supports collaboration, cross-device synchronization, and AI-powered form building with numerous field types.
- Form-based note creation
- Instant chart statistics
- Notebook sharing for collaboration
- AI-powered automated form builder
- 30+ form field types
- Cross-device synchronization
- Export to PDF and CSV
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Formbook: the revolutionary personal database app. Formbook is a new generation database app in which you create form based notes to easily store information. Formbook is the perfect app for structured information note taking. With Formbook, notes behave like database forms: create a notebook and define the fields you need to store your information. Form based notes have amazing benefits: - Gain a huge amount of time while taking notes as you just need to fill in form fields. - Instantly obtain chart stats on the data contained in your notebooks. - Share notebooks for collaboration with other Formbook users. Here are some usage examples. Create notebooks to: - Keep track of your progress in sport training. - Remember your favorite restaurants in places you visit. - Store your recipes. - Follow to do tasks. - Prepare a trip by describing the places to visit. - Keep track of any object inventory (with barcode reader). Formbook comes with a powerful dashboard feature that visually displays charts on your data. Personalize your charts and analyse data in detail. Formbook is cross device: notes are automatically synchronized on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch via iCloud. Formbook is also available on your Apple Watch: access your notes and notebooks directly from you Apple Watch. Formbook is powered by AI: save time with the new automated form builder. Enter your notebook name and Formbook infers the database fields. Choose among 30 form field types when conceiving your notebook structure: - Short text field - Long text field - Secret text field revealed by FaceID or TouchID - Code text field (programming languages) - Number - Currency - Stepper (number) - Slider (number) - Calculation (using the data from other fields) - Yes/No button - Date and Time fields - Duration - Images and photos - List of elements (with optional checkboxes) - List of tags - Rating (with stars) - Email (with compose button) - Address (with map access) - Phone number (with compose button) - URL (with browse button) - Barcode and QR code (with scan button) - Current location (latitude, longitude, address) Export your notes as PDF file and CSV file to use the data with spreadsheet apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Formbook at Free against BetterLists's $2.99. Formbook also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (32 vs 1). BetterLists's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment, 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
Formbook is free to download; BetterLists costs $2.99 up front. Formbook sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. BetterLists asks for nothing beyond the download.
BetterLists holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Formbook has 32 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of BetterLists's written reviews are positive against 80% of Formbook's.
BetterLists ships an update monthly, Formbook every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BetterLists | Formbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.5 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.9% of reviews — better | 79.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Charles Haspel | Mathieu Morgensztern |
Customer experience
BetterLists
Formbook
Bugs and requests
BetterLists
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Formbook
Reported bugs
12 issues- Crashes on macOS Ventura and newer
- Crashes when validating fields in new notes
- Export functionality issues with CSV and PDF
- Barcode field scans but cannot search by barcode
- Star rating field too sensitive to accidental changes
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- Performance degradation with photos in notes
- Text field labels not visible in note panel
- Syncing issues between devices
- Import duplicates data instead of updating
- Occasional freezing and slowness
- Watch app syncing problems
- In-app purchase requires repurchase after updates
Requested features
30 requests- Field-specific search functionality
- Advanced multi-criteria filtering
- Table/spreadsheet view for data
- Password/biometric app protection
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, colors)
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- File attachment support (PDFs, documents)
- Drag-and-drop image insertion
- Move notes between notebooks
- Duplicate notebook without content
- Advanced calculated fields with date math
- Print functionality for records and lists
- Customizable PDF export templates
- Folder organization for notebooks
- Read-only mode for records
- Barcode scanning search capability
- Calendar integration
- Reminder/alert field with notifications
- Multiple image support per field
- Keyboard shortcuts/Shortcuts app integration
- Collaborative sharing between users
- Template creation for notebooks
- Undo/backup functionality
- Batch operations (edit, delete multiple)
- Tag autocomplete with global tag list
- Sub-tags support
- Column/card view options
- Adjustable font sizes
- Home button for quick navigation
- Bulk import with update option
- Android version
In-app purchases
BetterLists
No in-app purchases
Formbook
- Notebook sharing$3.99
- Additional fields pack$3.99
Questions
Is BetterLists free?
Is Formbook free?
Which has better reviews, BetterLists or Formbook?
Do BetterLists or Formbook have ads?
Which is updated more often, BetterLists or Formbook?
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