# Element Note vs Journal

The clearest difference is rating: Journal at 5.0 against Element Note's 4.6. Journal also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Element Note's advantage is ratings volume (2.6K vs 6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year and Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element Note has 2.6K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, Journal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element Note | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-loglog/id6757065270/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 68.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 129 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) | [Ha Viet Luc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1860181963) |

## What reviewers say

### Element Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673)

This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Unique handwriting brushes, Smooth drawing engine, PDF annotation, Text, shape, and image attachments, On-device OCR search, Smart dark mode, iCloud sync and collaboration

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Element Note Yearly | $3.49 | per year |
| Element Note Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Launch Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors

**Requested features**

- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-loglog/id6757065270)

Create beautiful memory pages by combining text, photos, videos, voice notes, and stickers. Organize your memories into personalized notebooks and watch your digital garden grow with each entry. This app offers a calm and creative space for journaling and scrapbooking.

**Highlights:** Combine text, photos, videos, and voice notes, Decorate pages with stickers, Freely arrange content on pages, Create custom stickers, Organize entries into notebooks, Visual memory garden growth

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LogLog Pro Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| LoglogPro Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| LogLog Pro Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Is Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Element Note or Journal?

Journal is rated higher. Element Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.6K ratings, while Journal averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Element Note or Journal have ads?

Neither Element Note nor Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Element Note or Journal?

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, and Journal every 5 days. Most recently, Element Note was updated on October 13, 2026 and Journal on October 14, 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.*