# Notebook vs 生き甲斐

The clearest difference is ads: 生き甲斐 at none against Notebook's shown. 生き甲斐 also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and 生き甲斐 sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | 生き甲斐 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 72.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 25 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [Hieu Dao](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895210475) |

## 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


### 生き甲斐

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikigai-focus/id6792533802)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 50 Matcha Coins | $0.49 | one-time |
| 150 Matcha Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| 500 Matcha Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Matcha Coins | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is 生き甲斐 free?

生き甲斐 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Notebook or 生き甲斐 have ads?

Notebook shows ads; 生き甲斐 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or 生き甲斐?

Notebook ships an update weekly, and 生き甲斐 weekly. Most recently, Notebook was updated on November 1, 2026 and 生き甲斐 on October 25, 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.*