# Notebook vs Stream Journal

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebook | Stream Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-diary-and-journal-app/id654645301/reviews) | [4.7 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stream-journal/id972439087/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews | **88.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 25 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koji Ito](https://appshunter.io/developer/334329056) | [Karen Grigorian](https://appshunter.io/developer/948320401) |

## 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


### Stream Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stream-journal/id972439087)

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.

**Highlights:** Chronological entry stream, Customizable journal sections, Searchable journal entries, Export entries to text format, Simple and intuitive interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Is Stream Journal free?

Stream Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notebook or Stream Journal?

Notebook and Stream Journal are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 14K and 11 ratings respectively.

### Do Notebook or Stream Journal have ads?

Notebook shows ads; Stream Journal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notebook or Stream Journal?

Notebook ships an update weekly, and Stream Journal every 7 months. Most recently, Notebook was updated on October 18, 2026 and Stream Journal on October 2, 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.*