# Notebook vs Pendo Note

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | Pendo Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301/reviews) | **[4.8 (840 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pendo-note/id805451002/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 840 |
| Positive reviews | 72.7% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 10 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.4 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [Shenzhen Lychee Isle Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/805451005) |

## 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


### Pendo Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pendo-note/id805451002)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A tikka | $0.99 | one-time |
| A basket of buns | $1.99 | one-time |
| A cup of Coffee | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 💡 Unique timeline view for organizing thoughts
- 🎨 Cute and visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔌 Syncing issues between devices
- 🗓️ Difficulty managing recurring tasks

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is Pendo Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notebook or Pendo Note?

Pendo Note is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Pendo Note averages 4.8 from 840 ratings.

### Do Notebook or Pendo Note have ads?

Notebook shows ads; Pendo Note does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or Pendo Note?

Notebook ships an update every 9 days, and Pendo Note every 11 days. Most recently, Notebook was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pendo Note on September 10, 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.*