# Notebook vs Private Notes.

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notebook at 73% against Private Notes.'s 14%. Notebook also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Private Notes.'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Private Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notebook ships an update every 9 days, Private Notes. every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | Private Notes. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **72.7% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 10 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [WALABOK LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/913827467) |

## What reviewers say

### Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301)

This app offers a natural journaling experience by organizing daily notes on a single page, allowing you to flip through your entries like a physical book. It prioritizes simplicity, security with passcode locks, and seamless iCloud synchronization for easy access across devices.

**Highlights:** Realistic page-turning effect, One page per day organization, iCloud sync and backup, Passcode lock with Face ID/Touch ID, Dark mode and font adjustment, Ad-free Premium option

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Password protection
- 💡 Convenient for journaling and note-taking
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 👍 Organized by date

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🚫 Unable to insert photos or attachments
- 🚫 Limited formatting options
- 🚫 No cloud sync or backup
- 🚫 Not compatible with iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Deleting entries causes the app to crash
- Long entries can cause the app to become unresponsive
- Password feature doesn't always work as expected

**Requested features**

- Add ability to insert photos and attachments
- Implement cloud sync and backup
- Allow more formatting options (font, size, color, bold, italic, etc.)
- Develop an iPad version with optimized layout
- Add a search function to easily find past entries


### Private Notes.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes/id1539765495)

Securely store your personal thoughts, ideas, and text with a passcode or biometric authentication. This app offers intuitive text editing tools and a straightforward interface for organizing timestamped notes.

**Highlights:** Biometric and passcode security, Intuitive copy/paste/cut, Text formatting (underline, bold, italic), Timestamped notes, Straightforward user interface

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is Private Notes. free?

Private Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Notebook or Private Notes. have ads?

Both Notebook and Private Notes. show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or Private Notes.?

Notebook ships an update every 9 days, and Private Notes. every 2 months. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Private Notes. on August 22, 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.*