Noteshelf 3 vs Simple Journaling
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Noteshelf 3
Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.
- Handwritten note creation
- PDF annotation and markup
- Audio recording with notes
- AI-powered summarization and translation
- Customizable notebooks and templates
- Handwriting to text conversion
- Document scanning and import
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Transform your note-taking with Noteshelf! Create stunning handwritten notes, markup PDFs, and record audio, all powered by AI. Noteshelf is designed for students, teachers, and anyone who loves to take notes. Organize your thoughts and ideas like never before. Why You'll Love It - Craft beautiful handwritten notes with realistic pens and highlighters. - Personalize notebooks with custom covers and a customizable toolbar. - Choose from 200+ exclusive templates for planners, journals, and more. Write, Type, Draw, or Record - Convert handwriting to text in 65 languages. - Add fun emojis and stickers to personalize your pages. - Record audio as you take notes, perfect for lectures and meetings. - Use advanced image editing features. Paperless Organization - Organize notebooks into folders and subfolders. - Bookmark important pages and create a table of contents. - Use tags to quickly categorize and find your notes. - Create links between notebooks to connect ideas. Annotate Like a Pro - Import and annotate PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, and images. - Use the built-in document scanner to digitize physical documents. - Export and share your notes as images and PDFs. Noteshelf AI - Generate handwritten notes on any topic. - Summarize pages, translate text, and explain complex terms. Keep Your Notes Safe - Secure your notes with passwords, Face ID, or Touch ID. - Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, and Mac with iCloud sync. - Auto-backup to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and WebDAV. Share Ideas with Presentation Mode - Project your notes via external display. - Use the Laser Pointer to highlight key points. Go Premium for unlimited notebooks, handwriting recognition, auto-backup, and 100 monthly AI credits. Download Noteshelf today and take your note-taking to the next level! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Simple Journaling
This app offers a clean, distraction-free space for daily reflection and gratitude tracking. It helps users understand themselves better by visualizing emotional patterns and providing insights into writing habits. Features include mood tracking, search, and weekly goals.
- Distraction-free journaling
- Daily gratitude tracking
- Mood tracking and trend visualization
- Journal search with mood filters
- Weekly goals and streak tracking
- Insights and analytics dashboard
- AI-powered reflection prompts (Premium)
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Reflect is a simple, intentional journaling app designed to help you slow down, think clearly, and understand yourself better. Write freely, track your gratitude, and see your emotional patterns over time — all in a clean, distraction-free environment designed to feel as calm as the habit itself. WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 2: • Mood tracking — tag every entry with how you're feeling • 7-day mood trend graph on your dashboard • Add notes to past entries without editing the original • Search your entire journal history, filtered by mood • Weekly journaling goals with a live progress ring • Insights screen: streaks, mood distribution, writing patterns • All-new dark design built for focus and clarity • Guided first-launch walkthrough for new users • Entries now stored with SwiftData — no more lost journals CORE FEATURES: • Clean, distraction-free journaling • Daily gratitude tracking • AI-powered reflection prompts (Premium) • Photo journaling (Premium) • Beautiful calendar view • Mood trend visualization • Entry search with mood filters • Weekly goals and streak tracking • Insights and analytics dashboard Reflect isn't about writing perfectly — it's about showing up. Start small. Think clearly. Grow intentionally. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Noteshelf 3 at every 5 days against Simple Journaling's every 2 months. Noteshelf 3 also leads on ratings volume (6.7K vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). Simple Journaling's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Noteshelf 3 sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Simple Journaling sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Simple Journaling holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteshelf 3 has 6.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Noteshelf 3 ships an update every 5 days, Simple Journaling every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Noteshelf 3 | Simple Journaling |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.7K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 462 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd. | Jayden Dirksen |
Bugs and requests
Noteshelf 3
Reported bugs
5 issues- Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
- Unexpected loss of data or notes
- Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to create folders within notebooks
- Improve page organization and navigation
- Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
- Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
- Add support for custom stickers and templates
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Optimize performance and reduce loading times
Simple Journaling
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Noteshelf 3
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$4.997 Days
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium$7.997 Days
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium3 Days trial$7.997 Days
- Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
- Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium$19.991 Month
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$39.991 Year
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Noteshelf Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium1 Month trial$69.991 Year
- Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium$79.991 Year
- Premium3 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Premium for Noteshelf 2 users$9.99
- Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime$14.99
Simple Journaling
- Premium$4.991 Month









