# Notebook vs Brain Dump

The clearest difference is ads: Brain Dump at none against Notebook's shown. Brain Dump also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 72%) and device support (3 vs 1). Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 38) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Brain Dump sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 81% of Brain Dump's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notebook ships an update weekly, Brain Dump fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | Brain Dump |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301/reviews)** | [4.5 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-dump-voice-journal/id6473446030/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 38 |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | **80.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 25 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [Saravanan Pitchaimani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1718934465) |

## 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


### Brain Dump

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-dump-voice-journal/id6473446030)

This app transforms spoken thoughts into organized, structured notes with automatic formatting. Capture ideas, journal, or draft content hands-free, receiving clean output without manual editing. It's designed for those who think faster than they type.

**Highlights:** Speech to structured notes, Automatic formatting (headings, bullets), On-device transcription (offline), Export and share notes, AI rewrite features (Pro), Voice journaling

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is Brain Dump free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notebook or Brain Dump?

Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Brain Dump averages 4.5 from 38 ratings.

### Do Notebook or Brain Dump have ads?

Notebook shows ads; Brain Dump does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or Brain Dump?

Notebook ships an update weekly, and Brain Dump fortnightly. Most recently, Notebook was updated on November 1, 2026 and Brain Dump on October 24, 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.*