Comparison

Notebook vs The E

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

The E

A private digital journal for your notes and memories. Attach images, customize your entries with fonts and colors, and keep your data secure with optional cloud sync and a lock mode. Export your diary in various formats.

Highlights
  • Unlimited writing
  • Cloud sync (iCloud)
  • Attach images
  • Custom fonts and colors
  • Lock mode for privacy
  • Export to HTML, RTF, text, and PDF
Features
Read full description

Your private electronic diary in your pocket. Write wonderful notes, add images, stickers, and moods — and keep everything synced with the cloud if you want. Free features: - Unlimited writing - iCloud Sync (can be disabled if you choose to) - Attach images to your diary pages - Stickers (Essentials pack) - Manual mood on each page - Custom fonts - Custom text color - Lock mode. Lock your diary so only you can access it. - Basic search - Mark diary pages as favorite - Bookmark a specific page - Default theme, blank & striped paper, default icons - Tons of settings - Export your diary to HTML, RTF and plain text. À-la-carte (or included with Pro+): - Export to PDF Book - Advanced search - Pink theme - Color hand-drawn icon pack Pro+ (monthly, yearly, or lifetime): - All à-la-carte unlocks above - Extra themes: Sepia, Midnight, Monokai, One Dark, Solarized - Premium paper: dotted, grid, kraft - Rounded icon pack - Full sticker packs (moods, seasons, solid & special colors) - Automatic on-device mood recognition (local AI — nothing sent to remote servers) - Mood Insights (streaks, stats, mood calendar) - Writing Assist on supported devices (Apple Intelligence / on-device models) - If you previously bought Unlock Pro, you already have Pro+ forever No third-party logins and no personal info collected for ads or profiling. The app uses Core Data with CloudKit, which uses a specific record zone in the CloudKit private database that is accessible only to you. -- Some app icons are from Icons8: https://icons8.com - Terms of Use (Apple EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ - Privacy policy: https:/illescasdaniel.github.io/e-diary-privacy-policy

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
The E4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: The E at none against Notebook's shown. The E also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and The E sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The E holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notebook versus The E: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookThe E
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (14K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings14K — better1
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoji ItoDaniel ILLESCAS ROMERO

Customer experience

Notebook

All ratings14,314 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral12.3%
Negative15.2%

The E

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

The E

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notebook

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$6.99
8 purchases

The E

Subscriptions2
  • Pro+ Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro+ Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time6
  • PDF Book Export$0.99
  • Advanced search$0.99
  • Icon pack 1$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Pink theme$0.99
  • PRO version$4.99
  • Pro+ Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The E free?
The E is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or The E?
The E is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while The E averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Notebook or The E have ads?
Notebook shows ads; The E does not.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or The E?
Notebook ships an update weekly, and The E weekly. Most recently, Notebook was updated on October 15, 2026 and The E on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons