# Rain Garden vs Nature's Notebook

The clearest difference is rating: Nature's Notebook at 3.1 against Rain Garden's 2.1. Nature's Notebook also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (40% vs 31%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Nature's Notebook holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Rain Garden's written reviews are positive against 40% of Nature's Notebook's.

Rain Garden ships an update every 6 months, Nature's Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rain Garden | Nature's Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.1 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rain-garden/id588712983/reviews) | **[3.1 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/natures-notebook/id1463430668/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 18 | **26** |
| Positive reviews | 31.3% of reviews | **40.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 12 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [University of Connecticut](https://appshunter.io/developer/552022925) | [National Phenology Network](https://appshunter.io/developer/843843359) |

## What reviewers say

### Rain Garden

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rain-garden/id588712983)

Learn to design, install, and maintain rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff. This app provides guidance, video tutorials, and tools for plant selection, garden sizing, and cost estimation.

**Highlights:** Rain garden design and installation guidance, Video tutorials for each step, Native plant selector tool, Rain garden size calculator, Soil drainage map, Cost estimation tool, Maintenance reminders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Nature's Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/natures-notebook/id1463430668)

Record observations of plant and animal life cycles, such as flowering and migration. Mark observation sites, create species lists, and log seasonal changes in nature.

**Highlights:** Record plant and animal life cycle events, Mark observation sites, Create species lists, Log seasonal observations, Citizen science program

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rain Garden free?

Rain Garden is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nature's Notebook free?

Nature's Notebook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Rain Garden or Nature's Notebook?

Nature's Notebook is rated higher. Rain Garden averages 2.1 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Nature's Notebook averages 3.1 from 26 ratings.

### Do Rain Garden or Nature's Notebook have ads?

Neither Rain Garden nor Nature's Notebook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Rain Garden or Nature's Notebook?

Rain Garden ships an update every 6 months, and Nature's Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, Rain Garden was updated on October 22, 2026 and Nature's Notebook on October 17, 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.*