Comparison

Notebook vs Hooks

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

Hooks

Capture and organize video ideas quickly through typing or voice input. Swipe through your saved concepts in a video-like feed, categorized by creator account and color-coded folders. Optional cloud backup is available.

Highlights
  • Save video ideas instantly
  • Voice-to-text idea capture
  • Organize by creator account
  • Color-coded folder organization
  • Video feed-style idea browsing
  • Optional cloud backup with Apple ID
Features
Read full description

Save your video ideas in one place! Your next great video starts as a passing thought. Hooks gives creators a fast, focused place to save it before it disappears. Capture an idea by typing or speaking. Organize ideas by creator account and folder, then swipe through them in a clean canvas inspired by the final short-form video experience. With Hooks you can: • Save video hooks and ideas in seconds • Speak an idea and turn it into a text note • Organize ideas across multiple creator accounts • Group ideas into color-coded folders • Swipe through your saved ideas like a video feed • Sign in with Apple to back up and restore your creator accounts, folders, hooks, and transcribed notes Hooks is local-first and works without creating an account. Sign in with Apple is optional and enables cloud backup and recovery when reinstalling the app or moving to another device. A Hooks Pro subscription is required after onboarding. Terms of Use (EULA): https://differenthq.com/hooks/terms Privacy Policy: https://differenthq.com/hooks/privacy

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Hooks3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Hooks at none against Notebook's shown. Hooks also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%) and 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 Hooks sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hooks 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. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hooks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update weekly, Hooks every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notebook versus Hooks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookHooks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (14K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoji ItoB Gilmore, LLC

Customer experience

Notebook

All ratings14,317 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral12.3%
Negative15.2%

Hooks

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
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

Hooks

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notebook

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$6.99
2 purchases

Hooks

Subscriptions2
  • Hooks Pro Weekly3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Hooks Pro Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hooks free?
Hooks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Hooks?
Hooks is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Hooks averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Notebook or Hooks have ads?
Notebook shows ads; Hooks does not.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Hooks?
Notebook ships an update weekly, and Hooks every 8 days. Most recently, Notebook was updated on October 28, 2026 and Hooks on October 7, 2026.

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