Comparison

Contacts Journal CRM vs Notepad

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

Head to head
About

Contacts Journal CRM

This app helps you manage customer relationships by tracking conversations, organizing contacts, and scheduling follow-ups. It allows you to store notes, files, and documents, and offers features like contact mapping and email templates to build stronger connections and never miss opportunities.

Highlights
  • Track last interaction with contacts
  • Manage follow-ups and reminders
  • Organize contacts with tags and filters
  • Store notes, files, and documents
  • Map contacts and plan meetings
  • Create personalized email templates
  • Link contacts to company accounts
Features
Read full description

Stay on top of your relationships with a powerful, easy-to-use CRM. Contacts Journal gives you the tools to track conversations, manage follow-ups, and organize your contacts—so you can build stronger relationships and never miss an opportunity. With Contacts Journal, you can: • Always know your last interaction with each contact, so you’re prepared for any conversation • Stay consistent with timely follow-ups, reminders, and tasks • Organize contacts using tags, groups, and filters • Keep all relevant notes, files, and documents in one place • Plan smarter meetings by seeing who’s nearby and where opportunities are • Maintain a private, secure address book fully under your control • Reach out faster with personalized emails using templates or AI TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONALS WHO MANAGE RELATIONSHIPS: • sales professionals and account managers • small business owners • freelancers, consultants, and independent operators • real estate agents, lawyers, and other client-facing roles • individuals who want to stay intentional about their personal network KEY FEATURES: LOGS, TODOS AND FILES Keep notes for each meeting with Logs; create follow-ups and reminders with ToDos; attach images and documents with Files IMPORT CONTACTS You can easily import your contacts from the Contacts app, or from a CSV file ORGANIZE CONTACTS Categorize and visualize your contacts list with Contact Tags, Favorite Contacts, Groups and Filters COMPANY ACCOUNTS Link multiple contacts to a Company Account, to track interactions at the organization level DUPLICATE DETECTION AND MERGE Detect and merge duplicate contacts CUSTOM FIELDS Extend the app by defining and creating your own custom fields MAP YOUR CONTACTS Turn your contacts into a map of opportunities. See who’s nearby, plan smarter meetings, and spot patterns with color-coded locations BUSINESS CARD SCANNER [requires a Teams plan] Quickly convert business cards into contacts EMAIL TEMPLATES Create email templates with personalization tags, to send prepared emails quickly with a personal touch AVAILABLE ON iOS AND MAC Contacts Journal is available on iOS and Mac App Store, with seamless syncing via iCloud so your data is always up to date across devices. POWERFUL FEATURES • Share Extension to save notes, links, and images from other apps • Siri Shortcuts for faster workflows and automation • Home and Lock Screen widgets for quick access • Group Emails to reach multiple contacts at once • Visual charts to track your relationship activity GREAT FOR PRIVACY No account signup needed. Your data stays fully under your control, and we never have access to it UNLIMITED PERSONAL PLAN: • The app is initially limited to 20 Logs, ToDos, Files, Custom Fields, etc. To add unlimited entries, please purchase the “Unlimited Personal Plan” • The Unlimited Personal Plan is a one-time purchase • You can purchase the "Unlimited Combined Plan" to unlock both iOS and Mac apps together CONTACTS JOURNAL FOR TEAMS: • Share your Contacts Journal data with others using iCloud accounts • Real-time, automatic syncing between multiple users • Create multiple teams to share different information with different users • Includes a Business Card Scanner Contacts Journal For Teams requires a monthly or annual subscription that is purchased through the app. The subscription will automatically renew unless canceled within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s iTunes Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited if you purchase a subscription. Terms of Service: https://contactsjournal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015780571 Privacy Policy: https://contactsjournal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015414291 Please send us your suggestions and feedback at support@zaal-llc.com

About

Notepad

This app provides a straightforward way to jot down thoughts, create lists, and save temporary information. It offers features like search, dark mode, and customizable widgets for quick access to your notes. Data is stored locally for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Search functionality
  • Dark mode
  • Lock screen widget
  • Home screen widget
  • Automatic note saving
  • Word count
  • Customizable note colors
Features
Read full description

Free! Easy to use and simple notepad app! ■ Features - Search - Dark mode - Lock screen widget with 4 font sizes - Home screen widget with 3 different sizes - Automatic note saving with the auto-save feature - Word count - Choose from 6 different colors to brighten up your notes (swipe right on the note) - Reorder your notes (press and hold the note to move it) ■ Usage - Easily enter your thoughts in the notepad - Make a shopping list - Make a To Do list - Temporarily save copy/paste items here - Draft reports, minutes, collections, and stories ■ FAQ ** How do I delete notes? Swipe left on the note to bring up the [Delete] button. Or tap the [Edit] button, then tap the red symbol to bring up the [Delete] button. ** How do I sort notes? Tap and hold the note you want to move, and then drag it up or down. Or tap the [Edit] button, then pinch the tab on the right of the note to move it. ** How do I add a note to my Lock Screen? (How do I set up a Lock Screen widget?) Please make sure your device is running the latest iOS version. Once you have updated, touch and hold the center of the Lock Screen until the [Customize] button appears at the bottom of the screen, then tap [Customize]. Select [Lock Screen], tap [Add Widgets], select this app, and then select the widget you want to use. If the name of this app is not displayed, restart your device to display it. ** How do I add a note to my Home Screen? (How do I set up a widget?) Tap and hold an empty area on your Home Screen, then tap the [+] button in the top-left corner. Select the [Notepad] widget in this app, select from three widget sizes, and then tap the [Add] button. You can add as many widgets as you like! To select a note to be displayed in the widget, tap and hold the widget on the Home Screen, then select the note you want to display from [Edit Widget] - [Notes]. ** How do I change the color of my notes? Change the color of your notes by swiping right. ** How do I display notes in the widget? Swipe right on your iPhone's Home Screen to display the widget screen. Press the [Edit] button at the bottom of the widget screen, then press the [+] symbol to allow the Notepad app to be displayed in the widget. ** What about data security? This app never collects or sends any text entered by the user to servers or any external sources outside the app. The only communication this app performs is related to advertising information. This app has been operating for over 10 years through advertising revenue and in-app purchases. All data entered by users is stored only within the app, so you can use it with confidence. 【Terms of Service】 https://komorebi-studio.com/tos_en.html 【Privacy Policy】 https://komorebi-studio.com/policyredirect.html

Screenshots

Contacts Journal CRM4 screens
Notepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Contacts Journal CRM at none against Notepad's shown. Contacts Journal CRM also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (91% vs 80%). Notepad's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Contacts Journal CRM sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.7 for Contacts Journal CRM against 4.8 for Notepad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4K and 6.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Contacts Journal CRM's written reviews are positive against 80% of Notepad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Contacts Journal CRM ships an update weekly, Notepad every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Contacts Journal CRM versus Notepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterContacts Journal CRMNotepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.4K ratings)4.8 (6.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.6% of reviews — better80.3% of reviews
Number of ratings2.4K6.4K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerzaal LLCKomorebi Inc.

Customer experience

Contacts Journal CRM

All ratings2,414 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews627 reviews
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.1%

Notepad

All ratings6,436 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews628 reviews
Positive80.3%
Neutral7.6%
Negative12.1%

User reviews

Contacts Journal CRM

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient contact management
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 💡 Customizable fields and tags
  • 🗓️ Seamless calendar integration
  • 📸 Ability to attach files and photos

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Syncing issues with iCloud
  • 🔍 Limited search functionality
  • 🗓️ Inflexible scheduling and repeat options
  • 🎨 Outdated visual design
  • 🔀 Difficulty managing duplicate contacts

Notepad

From 6.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 💰 Free with no subscription
  • 📝 Straightforward note-taking

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Ads can be intrusive
  • 🔒 No cloud backup or sync
  • 🎨 Limited customization options
  • 🔍 Lack of search or organization features

Bugs and requests

Contacts Journal CRM

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes after recent updates
  • Issues with deleting or restoring contacts
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Group messaging and email capabilities
  • Advanced reporting and analytics
  • Deeper integration with other productivity apps
  • More flexible scheduling and repeat options
  • Ability to customize the visual appearance

Notepad

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Notes sometimes disappear after updating
  • Auto-correct can be overly aggressive

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to print notes
  • Implement photo/media attachment
  • Introduce different font styles and colors
  • Provide cloud sync and backup functionality

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Contacts Journal CRM

Subscriptions6
  • 1 User14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 5 Users14 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • 20 Users14 Days trial$49.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • 1 User14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • 5 Users14 Days trial$249.991 Year
  • 20 Users14 Days trial$399.991 Year
One-time4
  • Unlimited Plan - Legacy UserFree
  • Unlimited Plan - iOS Add-On$19.99
  • Unlimited Personal Plan$24.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlimited Plan - iOS + Mac$69.99
1 purchases

Notepad

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99

Questions

Is Contacts Journal CRM free?
Contacts Journal CRM is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notepad free?
Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Contacts Journal CRM or Notepad?
Notepad is rated higher. Contacts Journal CRM averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Notepad averages 4.8 from 6.4K ratings.
Do Contacts Journal CRM or Notepad have ads?
Notepad shows ads; Contacts Journal CRM does not.
Which is updated more often, Contacts Journal CRM or Notepad?
Contacts Journal CRM ships an update weekly, and Notepad every 2 months. Most recently, Contacts Journal CRM was updated on September 22, 2026 and Notepad on September 22, 2026.

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