# LessonNote vs Showbie

The clearest difference is rating: LessonNote at 4.7 against Showbie's 3.7. LessonNote also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 36%). Showbie's advantage is ratings volume (241 vs 10) and update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. LessonNote sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per 3 months and Showbie sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

LessonNote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Showbie has 241 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of LessonNote's written reviews are positive against 36% of Showbie's.

LessonNote ships an update monthly, Showbie every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LessonNote | Showbie |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lessonnote/id507466065/reviews)** | [3.7 (241 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showbie/id548898085/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **241** |
| Positive reviews | **65.2% of reviews** | 35.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 47 MB | 299 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lesson Study Alliance](https://appshunter.io/developer/507466068) | [Showbie Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/523263741) |

## What reviewers say

### LessonNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lessonnote/id507466065)

This tool facilitates classroom lesson observation by allowing educators to document lesson flow and student engagement. It enables tracking of interactions, capturing notes, taking photos of student work, and analyzing time spent in different learning modalities. The app helps create a factual record to improve teaching and learning.

**Highlights:** Track student interactions, Record time-stamped notes, Photograph student work, Analyze time in learning modalities, Create seating charts, Review data for student-focused conversations

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 Months of Pro | $29.99 | per 3 months |
| 6 Months of Pro | $44.99 | per 6 months |
| 1 Year Pro | $64.99 | per year |
| 6-month LessonNote Pro subscription | $89.99 | one-time |
| 1-year LessonNote Pro subscription | $149.99 | one-time |
| 2-year LessonNote Pro subscription | $249.99 | one-time |


### Showbie

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showbie/id548898085)

This app streamlines classroom management by allowing teachers to assign, collect, and provide personalized feedback on student work. It supports digital portfolios and real-time assessment, making learning more effective for students and easier for educators.

**Highlights:** Personalized assignments and feedback, Digital ink, text, and voice annotations, Real-time assessment, Digital student portfolios, Parent communication, Integration with thousands of iPad apps

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Showbie Pro | $239.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient workflow
- 📚 Helpful for learning
- 🤝 Good for collaboration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💾 Unreliable file saving and syncing
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lag
- 🔍 Confusing navigation and UI

**Reported bugs**

- Text boxes disappearing or moving unexpectedly
- Notifications not working correctly
- Assignments not uploading or disappearing
- Compatibility issues on older devices

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for assignments
- More annotation tools and customization
- Offline mode for accessing content
- Better integration with other apps


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LessonNote free?

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

### Is Showbie free?

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

### Which has better reviews, LessonNote or Showbie?

LessonNote is rated higher. LessonNote averages 4.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Showbie averages 3.7 from 241 ratings.

### Do LessonNote or Showbie have ads?

Neither LessonNote nor Showbie shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, LessonNote or Showbie?

LessonNote ships an update monthly, and Showbie every 8 days. Most recently, LessonNote was updated on November 1, 2026 and Showbie on November 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.*