# Notebook vs Opal

The clearest difference is ads: Opal at none against Notebook's shown. Opal also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 38). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Opal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Opal 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 38, 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 100% of Opal's.

Notebook ships an update weekly, Opal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | Opal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301/reviews) | **[5.0 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opal-guided-journal-and-diary/id6745115075/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 38 |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 25 MB | 359 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.1 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [Darby Tarlow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810836939) |

## 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


### Opal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/opal-guided-journal-and-diary/id6745115075)

This app offers guided journaling and reflection prompts to help users explore their thoughts, emotions, and dreams. It features a free library of guides, multi-day series, and audio journaling options. Users can also connect themes across their entries and maintain privacy with on-device storage.

**Highlights:** Guided journaling prompts, Free library of guides, Multi-day reflection series, Audio journaling with ambient soundscapes, Handwriting, typing, and voice entry, AI-powered theme analysis, On-device private storage

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is Opal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notebook or Opal?

Opal is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Opal averages 5.0 from 38 ratings.

### Do Notebook or Opal have ads?

Notebook shows ads; Opal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or Opal?

Notebook ships an update weekly, and Opal every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notebook was updated on November 7, 2026 and Opal on November 5, 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.*