Notebook vs Pendo Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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Record your days like turning the pages of a book. A simple, elegant note-taking and diary app designed to make journaling feel natural. Over 2 million downloads worldwide. Average rating 4.7 from over 21,000 reviews. Notebook is a simple and elegant note-taking and diary app that lets you flip through your digital journal like a real book. Each day’s notes are automatically organized on one page, ready to revisit anytime with a smooth page-turning effect. ■ Your day on one page Keep your daily notes and thoughts neatly organized. You can easily look back on yesterday, last week, or even last month. Swipe or tap to turn the page and rediscover your memories like reading a personal journal. ■ Simple and ready to use Tap the Compose button to write a new note. Change dates by tapping the date field, or adjust the font size with one tap. Copy or print your entries directly — everything is intuitive, no manual required. ■ iCloud sync and backup support Keep your data secure with iCloud synchronization and backup. Access your notes across multiple devices, and restore them easily when you get a new iPhone. No complicated setup needed. ■ Private and secure Protect your personal diary with a passcode lock (Face ID / Touch ID supported). Deleted notes can be recovered within 30 days from “Recently Deleted” in settings. ■ Premium for a distraction-free experience All basic features are free. Upgrade once to Premium (one-time purchase) to remove ads and enjoy a calm, focused writing experience. Your purchase can be restored anytime, even after changing devices. Features • Page-turning effect for a realistic book-like feel • One page per day for simple organization and review • iCloud sync and backup support • Passcode lock (Face ID / Touch ID) for privacy • Dark mode, search, and font adjustment • Ad-free with Premium (one-time purchase) • Restore deleted notes within 30 days • Copy, print, or share all notes at once Capture your everyday moments, one page at a time — in your own private notebook.
Pendo Note
This app helps you capture ideas, manage tasks, and organize events with smart features. It offers AI assistance for writing, learning, and translation, and syncs your data across devices using iCloud.
- AI writing and learning assistant
- Smart calendar event creation
- Recurring to-do list management
- Unified timeline for all entries
- Customizable tags for organization
- Contact info parsing for new contacts
- iCloud sync across devices
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Pendo brings your notes and calendar together in one place. Write notes, plan your day, and keep everything organized with a clean, intuitive timeline. Whether you're jotting down ideas, planning meetings, or keeping a journal — Pendo keeps it all in sync across your devices. Your data stays yours: export every note with its photos, location and weather into a single file, and import it back anytime — perfect for backups or moving to a new device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pendo Note at none against Notebook's shown. Pendo Note also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 73%) and device support (4 vs 1). Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 840). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pendo Note sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Notebook against 4.8 for Pendo Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 840, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 90% of Pendo Note's.
Notebook ships an update every 9 days, Pendo Note every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notebook | Pendo Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) | 4.8 (840 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 840 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 133 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Koji Ito | Shenzhen Lychee Isle Co., Ltd. |
Customer experience
Notebook
Pendo Note
User reviews
Notebook
From 14K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Password protection
- 💡 Convenient for journaling and note-taking
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 👍 Organized by date
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🚫 Unable to insert photos or attachments
- 🚫 Limited formatting options
- 🚫 No cloud sync or backup
- 🚫 Not compatible with iPad
Pendo Note
From 840 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 💡 Unique timeline view for organizing thoughts
- 🎨 Cute and visually appealing design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔌 Syncing issues between devices
- 🗓️ Difficulty managing recurring tasks
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
Pendo Note
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notes and to-do items disappearing after updates
- Calendar events not syncing correctly
- Widget not displaying all information as expected
- Inability to add more than 3 images to a note
Requested features
4 requests- Add password protection or biometric lock
- Improve note-taking capabilities with more formatting options
- Integrate with more calendar/productivity apps
- Introduce a web/desktop version for better cross-platform experience
In-app purchases
Notebook
- Remove Ads$6.99
Pendo Note
- A tikka$0.99
- A basket of buns$1.99
- A cup of Coffee$4.99
Questions
Is Notebook free?
Is Pendo Note free?
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Pendo Note?
Do Notebook or Pendo Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Pendo Note?
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