RV Notebook vs VanTales
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RV Notebook
Organize all your RV and camping details in one place. Track your vehicle's information, discover and rate campgrounds, and visualize your travel history on a map. Includes helpful tools like a camper level and customizable checklists for setup, takedown, and winterization.
- RV information management
- Campground discovery and rating
- Visual travel map
- Camper leveling tool
- Customizable checklists
- Data export to CSV
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RV Notebook allows you to keep all your RV and camping information together in one place—always organized and accessible on your iPhone. RV INFO TAB – Keep track of all important details about your RV, like capacities, sizes, and everything you need when you: * Register it – Key info such as VIN/FIN numbers, purchase date, etc. * Insure it – Including insurance agent contact details. * Maintain it – Dealer and manufacturer contact details, tire information, generators, etc. * Camp with it – Size and weight info, electrical requirements, etc. * Keep track of all the related warranties like the microwave, refrigerator and other appliances that came with your RV. CAMPGROUNDS TAB – RV Notebook’s real strength lies in its campground tracking features: * Use the Nearby feature to find RV compatible campgrounds within a 300 mile radius. * Easily record all the campgrounds you have visited, including the best campsites at each campground. * Add a picture of the campground’s map to make it easy to pick your next spot. * Track campground and campsite features, and keep a record of every time you visit a campground. * Rate the campgrounds where you stay to easily return to your favorites and avoid those that don’t meet your needs. * If you’ve ever struggled to recall a great campground you’d like to revisit, RV Notebook ensures you never forget a favorite camping spot again! MY TRAVELS TAB – A visual map allows you to track where you’ve been. * RV Notebook displays a map with pins marking all the places you’ve camped—great for keeping up with how many places you’ve visited. * Use the Journey Map to visually show the places you’ve visited and the routes in between over a set period of time—Take a screen shot of your journey map and share it with friends and family. You can even save the Journey Map as a PDF file. * The Add My Current Location feature creates a new campground entry using geo coordinates for the places you camp that may not have an address. Great for ‘off grid’ campers. UTILITIES TAB – RV Notebook includes a number of useful tools: * CAMPER LEVEL – Level your travel trailer or pop-up without assistance. Simply place it in the doorway of your camper, adjust the front jack, and let the audible tones guide you to a level camper. No more back-and-forth checking! * CHECKLISTS – Detailed checklists help you efficiently and safely set up and take down your RV and campsite. When the season’s over, use the winterization checklists to prepare your RV for storage. There are also supplies checklists to help you get organized about what to bring. These customizable lists ensure a successful camping trip and proper RV maintenance. * DATA EXPORT – Easily export your RV and campground data to a universally compatible CSV format if needed. * CUSTOMER FEEDBACK – A feedback capability is included for feature requests or to report issues. We’ll continue to improve RV Notebook with new features and an enhanced user experience. RV Notebook is packed with shortcuts to make managing your information easier: * AUTO SEARCH/AUTO POPULATE – As you type in a campground name, the app suggests options and auto-populates the address, phone number, and website for you. * PHONE AND WEBSITE SHORTCUTS – When you're ready to make a reservation, tap the icon beside a website or phone field to access the site or dial the number. * EMAIL SHORTCUT – Send an email to the campground contact with a tap of the icon next to the email address. * DIRECTIONS SHORTCUT – Ready to head to the campground? Tap the icon beside the address, and RV Notebook will open Maps and chart your directions. * EASY SEARCH – With RV Notebook, no matter how many campgrounds you visit, it’s easy to search through them using the search bar to find exactly what you're looking for. * TAP TO ADD / SWIPE TO DELETE – Manage your RV, campground, and visit records effortlessly with a tap or swipe. RV Notebook’s interface is designed to be intuitive.
VanTales
Document your campervan adventures with this road trip diary. Log stops, add photos, track expenses, and organize journeys. Discover and share real places with a community of travelers.
- Log stops with GPS pins
- Add photos and notes
- Track expenses and facilities
- Organize stops into trips
- View mileage and year overview
- Discover shared traveler spots
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VanTales, your campervan journal. Every place your van takes you, kept in one place. VanTales is a warm, simple journal for life on the road. For wild pull-ins, sunrises over the loch, and the campsites worth coming back to. Drop a pin where you parked up. Add photos, a few notes, a star rating, and the facilities you found. Group your stops into trips, watch your mileage tick up, and look back on the year you've had on the road. CAPTURE THE MOMENT, PARKED UP • Drop a pin or search for the exact spot • Snap photos or import them straight into a stop • Star ratings (1–5) for the places worth remembering • Notes for what you cooked, who you met, the weather that day • A cost field in your local currency to track what you spent • Tag stops your way: favourite views, dog-friendly, free pitches FACILITIES AT A GLANCE Mark off what was on offer at every stop, so future-you knows where to head back to: • Electric hook-up • Fresh water • Waste disposal • Wi-Fi • Showers TRIPS THAT COME TOGETHER ON THEIR OWN • Group stops into trips with a title, region and dates • A driving-distance total for every trip, calculated leg by leg • Region labels (Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Lakes…) on every trip card • Cover photos pulled from your best shots SEE YOUR YEAR ON THE ROAD • Timeline of every stop, newest first • A map with all your pins, every place you've parked up • Mileage adds up across every trip: your whole year, in miles FIND YOUR NEXT STOP Search stops shared by fellow VanTales travellers near you. Real places, parked up and rated by people who've actually stayed there. MADE FOR BRITISH ROADS (AND BEYOND) Distance in miles, costs in your local currency, place names and country recognition straight from Apple Maps. Works just as well in the Highlands as it does in the South of France. YOURS, PRIVATELY, ON EVERY DEVICE • iCloud sync keeps your journal on iPhone and iPad • Your journal stays in your Apple ID: no sign-ups, no ads, no tracking • Works offline; catches up when you're back in signal FREE TO JOURNAL, PRO WHEN YOU'RE READY The heart of VanTales is free: unlimited stops, photos, ratings, tags and facilities across your first two trips. VanTales Pro unlocks unlimited trips, unlimited photos per stop and every share card template, as a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-off lifetime purchase. And everything you've already made stays fully yours and fully editable, Pro or not. Bring your van. Bring your stories. We'll keep the journal. VanTales subscription payments are charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off in Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited when a purchase occurs, where applicable. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: RV Notebook at free against VanTales's freemium. RV Notebook also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. RV Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and VanTales sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
RV Notebook ships an update every 10 days, VanTales fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RV Notebook | VanTales |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mitch Ivey | Sailr Solutions Ltd |
Customer experience
RV Notebook
VanTales
In-app purchases
RV Notebook
- RV Notebook App$4.99
VanTales
- Monthly$2.991 Month
- Yearly$19.991 Year
- Lifetime$39.99









