Notebook vs Sermon Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notebook
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.
- 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
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Keep daily notes and diary entries together on one page. Turn pages like a book and revisit your past entries. Search, iCloud sync, and a passcode lock help you organize and access your notes. Core features are free; ad removal is a one-time purchase. ■ Your day on one page See the notes and diary entries you write each day together on one page. Swipe or tap to turn pages and look back on everyday moments and memories. ■ Find past entries Use the contents list or search to find a note you want to revisit. Change a note's date to record plans or past events. ■ Make reading and writing comfortable Adjust the text size or use Dark Mode. Copy, print, or share your notes. ■ Protect access with a passcode Lock access to your diary with a passcode. Face ID / Touch ID is available on supported devices. ■ Sync between devices with iCloud With iCloud sync enabled, notes synchronize automatically between devices using the same Apple Account. iCloud sync is enabled by default for new installations. iCloud Drive and Notebook's iCloud access must be enabled, with available storage and a network connection. Synchronization may take time. iCloud sync and device backups are separate features. Check your sync status and backups before changing devices. ■ Recover deleted notes Recover notes within 30 days of deletion from Recently Deleted in Settings. ■ Remove ads with a one-time purchase Core features are free. Premium removes ads with a one-time purchase, not a subscription. After changing devices, use Restore Purchases with the Apple Account used for your purchase. Over 2 million downloads worldwide. Rated 4.7 out of 5 from over 21,000 ratings across all countries and regions (October 2026). Capture your everyday moments, one page at a time.
Sermon Maker
Create and organize sermons and devotionals with a unified structure. This app synchronizes projects across iCloud-compatible devices and offers font customization and word count features. Available in multiple languages and supports dark and light modes.
- Unified sermon structure
- iCloud synchronization
- Font color customization
- Word count per section
- Multi-language support
- Dark/Light mode
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Sermon Maker is an application designed to help pastors, teachers, and church leaders create, organize, and manage sermons and devotionals. The app is compatible with iPhone devices running iOS 16.0 or later, iPads running iPadOS 16.0 or later, and Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or later. The macOS version is built with Mac Catalyst and is compatible with both Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs (through Rosetta when required). Sermon Maker integrates with iCloud, allowing users to securely save and synchronize their content across all compatible devices using CloudKit private and public databases, as well as iCloud Sharing. The application is available in English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, and Portuguese. It supports both Light Mode and Dark Mode and allows users to customize the color of text in various sections, including sermons and devotionals. Additional features include word counts for individual sections and complete documents, project organization tools, and many other productivity features designed specifically for ministry preparation. The primary purpose of Sermon Maker is to provide consistency and structure in sermon and devotional preparation. The app was intentionally designed to help users follow a unified framework, making it easier to maintain clear organization, consistency, and a standardized flow across all sermons and devotionals.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Notebook at Free against Sermon Maker's $4.99. Notebook also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and review sentiment (72% vs 40%). Sermon Maker's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs weekly). On in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Notebook is free to download; Sermon Maker costs $4.99 up front. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sermon Maker sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 40% of Sermon Maker's.
Notebook ships an update weekly, Sermon Maker daily. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notebook | Sermon Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) — better | 3.0 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Koji Ito | Ronald Steinvorth |
Customer experience
Notebook
Sermon Maker
Bugs and requests
Notebook
Reported bugs
3 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
Sermon Maker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notebook
- Remove Ads$6.99
Sermon Maker
- Donation$0.99
- Donation$9.99
- Donation$99.99
Questions
Is Notebook free?
Is Sermon Maker free?
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Sermon Maker?
Do Notebook or Sermon Maker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Sermon Maker?
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