Comparison

Carry vs Serious Notebook

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

Head to head
About

Carry

Securely store and manage your important documents, IDs, and private photos. This app offers encrypted storage, organized filing, and private photo capture, keeping your sensitive information safe and accessible.

Highlights
  • Securely scan and store documents
  • Capture private photos outside camera roll
  • Organize with tags, flags, and notes
  • Encrypted storage with no data selling
  • One-tap, self-destructing file sharing
  • View documents in high resolution
Features
Read full description

Carry: A Vault - Your Partner in a Paperwork-Free Future Misplaced paperwork? Sensitive photos in your camera roll? Carry is your private, secure mobile vault for ID, health, legal, and financial documents. Whether you're caregiving, planning for what's next, or just getting organized, Carry keeps your essential records safe, shareable, and always with you. Built on Trust, Not Tracking Created by Lifequipt, Carry reflects our core belief: your data should be truly yours - private, portable, and protected. - No data selling. Ever. - Best available encryption - One-tap, self-destructing file sharing - Simplicity by design, not by accident We make next-gen tech work for real people in real life. What You Can Do With Carry: - Scan and store securely: Capture single or multi-page records like IDs, contracts, or insurance cards - Take private photos: Snap images that stay out of your photo library - View documents clearly: Zoom, swipe, and browse PDFs, Word files, and images in high resolution - Organize your way: Use tags, flags, notes, and filters to find what you need fast - Stay in control: Enjoy smarter visuals and new delete safeguards for flagged or named files Coming Soon: - Guided prompts for what to upload and why - In-app search - Multi-device sync - Safest Share: Ultra-secure, one-time-use sharing with full user control Whether you're aging in place, supporting loved ones, or just want peace of mind, Carry helps you feel prepared, not overwhelmed. Try it free and discover what it's like to be ready. When you're ready, subscribe to unlock multi-page scanning and self-destructing file sharing - your documents, your rules. Less Paperwork. More Peace of Mind. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Serious Notebook

A private digital notebook for handwriting, typing, and annotating documents. Import PDFs, scan paper, and organize your thoughts with customizable tools. Keep your work securely on your device with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Handwrite and sketch with Apple Pencil
  • Type notes and highlight on iPhone
  • Import and annotate PDFs
  • Scan paper into notebooks
  • Insert text boxes, sticky notes, photos, and scans
  • Export notebooks as PDF
Read full description

Your handwriting, PDFs, and ideas. A quieter place to think. Write naturally with Apple Pencil on iPad. Type notes and highlight pages on iPhone. Import a PDF planner, annotate a worksheet, or scan paper into a notebook you can keep working in. Serious Notebook keeps your work on your device, with no account, ads, tracking, or subscription. WRITE, STUDY, AND PLAN • Handwrite and sketch on iPad with pen, pencil, highlighter, and eraser tools. Apple Pencil works on compatible iPads. • Type notes and highlight with your finger on iPhone. • Choose blank, ruled, grid, or dot-grid paper in soft white or cream. • Give each notebook its own title and cover. MAKE DOCUMENTS YOUR OWN • Import PDFs as notebooks and annotate their pages. • Scan paper on supported camera-equipped devices, review the pages, then start writing. • Add text boxes and sticky notes. With lifetime access, insert photos, PDF pages, and scans into your notes. • Move, resize, and rotate inserted objects. • Export a notebook or selected pages as PDF to save or share. NEW IN 3.0 Scan several pages straight into your open notebook as movable objects with lifetime access. Take multiple photos, review them, and add them together. On iPad, a clearer top toolbar leaves more room to write. TRY YOUR OWN NOTES The free workspace includes one handwritten notebook plus one separate PDF or scan notebook, up to 10 pages each. Try the included example without using either allowance. ONE LIFETIME PURCHASE Unlock unlimited notebooks, pages, PDF imports, camera scans, and photo insertion with a single non-consumable purchase. No recurring payments. Existing lifetime customers and eligible original paid-app customers keep access. Restore Purchases is available in Settings. PRIVATE, ON YOUR DEVICE Notes, imported documents, photos, and scans stay on the device where you create them. No app account or document upload is required. Notebooks do not automatically sync between devices. Export PDFs regularly to keep a copy of your work. Purchase and restoration use Apple's App Store services. For class notes, project ideas, PDF planners, and everyday thinking on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Carry4 screens
Serious Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

Carry and Serious Notebook are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Carry sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year and Serious Notebook 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 — 5.0 for Carry against 5.0 for Serious Notebook. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Carry ships an update every 6 weeks, Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Carry versus Serious Notebook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCarrySerious Notebook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB6 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPrevail Wellbeing, Inc.BILGESU KADAN

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Carry

Subscriptions1
  • Lifequipt Carry First Year3 Months trial$119.991 Year
1 purchases

Serious Notebook

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$24.99

Questions

Is Carry free?
Carry is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Serious Notebook free?
Serious Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Carry or Serious Notebook?
Carry and Serious Notebook are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Carry or Serious Notebook have ads?
Neither Carry nor Serious Notebook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Carry or Serious Notebook?
Carry ships an update every 6 weeks, and Serious Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, Carry was updated on November 4, 2026 and Serious Notebook on October 31, 2026.

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