Notebook vs Stream Journal
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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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.
Stream Journal
Capture life events, record thoughts, set goals, and solve problems with a simple journaling app. Organize entries by customizable sections and easily search your entire journal. Export your entries in text format for safekeeping.
- Chronological entry stream
- Customizable journal sections
- Searchable journal entries
- Export entries to text format
- Simple and intuitive interface
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The main function of this app is to let you capture the events and experiences of your life, record unique thoughts and ideas, set goals for the future and solve tricky problems. This journal is all about simplicity. It has no bells and whistles in it, only the necessary functionality. It has two main parts to it. One is the ‘Stream’ of your entries. Another is ‘Sections’. The entries in the ‘Stream’ are presented in chronological order with the newer entries being on top. Each entry belongs to a certain section of your journal. Examples of sections are: ‘thoughts’, ‘quotes’, ‘my plans’, etc. In the ‘Sections’ you choose which sections of your journal should be shown in the ‘Stream’. You can choose to show one section, several sections or all sections. The sections are editable. Other features of this app: - Search through entire journal or a set of selected sections. - Export of entries in the text format.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stream Journal at none against Notebook's 1. Stream Journal also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 72%). Notebook's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (14K vs 11). On price and rating 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. Stream Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Notebook against 4.7 for Stream Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 89% of Stream Journal's.
Notebook ships an update weekly, Stream Journal every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notebook | Stream Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) | 4.7 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Koji Ito | Karen Grigorian |
Customer experience
Notebook
Stream Journal
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
Stream Journal
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notebook
- Remove Ads$6.99
Stream Journal
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Notebook free?
Is Stream Journal free?
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Stream Journal?
Do Notebook or Stream Journal have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Stream Journal?
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