Comparison

A5 Journal vs OCR Hero

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

A5 Journal

Features
Read full description

A5 Journal Your Records. Your Proof. Your Story. A5 Journal was created to make digital journaling feel real again. Instead of another cold white screen filled with text boxes, A5 gives you your own warm, personal library. Create and bind your own books, organize them on your shelves, fill their pages with memories, photographs, documents, forms and records, and build a collection that actually feels connected to your life.
 But A5 Journal is about more than how journaling feels.
 A5 doesn't rewrite your past. Once a journal entry is recorded, it becomes part of your history. Timestamped and set in place. No going back days later and changing what happened, what was said, or how you felt. For your personal life, that can mean accountability. Documenting the promises you make to yourself, seeing how far you've come, capturing moments exactly as they happened, and creating an honest record of your own story.
 For your work life, it can be invaluable. Record conversations, events, site conditions, decisions and important details while they're fresh. Attach photographs and supporting files. Complete forms and reports. Build a chronological record you can refer back to when remembering exactly what happened and when matters.
 A5 Journal grows with your needs, with plans designed for everyone from individuals and families to businesses and larger teams.
 And your library doesn't have to exist in isolation. Share books and forms with other A5 members, collaborate where it makes sense, and keep building your records while maintaining the permanence that makes A5 different.
 A5 Journal is growing and so is its community.
 Come rediscover what it feels like to love journaling. Build your library. Bind your books. Document the ordinary days, the milestones, the hard lessons, the conversations, the evidence and the memories worth keeping. Because your history shouldn't quietly change with an edit button.
 Document your life as it happens.
Keep the moments that matter.
Build your story with us. A5 Journal
Your Records. Your Proof. Your Story.
 You can create individual notebooks for: β€’ Personal records β€’ Business documentation β€’ Incident tracking β€’ Agreements and communications β€’ Project logs β€’ Daily journaling β€’ Ongoing documentation Core Features β€’ Separate notebooks for clear, structured organization β€’ Time-stamped & immutable entries for reliable records β€’ Secure account authentication β€’ Clean, distraction-free writing interface β€’ Simple and intuitive user experience β€’ Cloud-backed storage β€’ Fast, easy search across all entries β€’ Prioritize important notes and entries β€’ Optional reminders to stay on track β€’ Export your entries anytime β€’ Invite family & teams on available plans β€’ Share or gift your journals β€’ Multiple libraries for exceptional organization β€’ Can be used anywhere anytime with offline functions Important Notice! A5 Journal is a documentation and organizational tool. It is not a legal service and does not guarantee legal admissibility. Users are responsible for how they use their records. A 7-day free trial is available for individuals. After the trial period, an active subscription is required to access app features. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

OCR Hero

Features
Read full description

OCR Hero turns PDFs, photos, and scanned documents into editable text with fast, accurate OCR. Built for students, researchers, and professionals, OCR Hero helps you capture formulas, tables, and text from documents and convert them into formats you can actually use. Key Features Extract text from PDFs, photos, and document scans Recognize formulas, tables, and structured content with high accuracy Export to Word, LaTeX, Markdown, or plain text Process multiple files in batches Get results in seconds for most documents Sync your work across iPhone, iPad, and Web Designed for real document workflows Whether you are digitizing lecture notes, research papers, homework, reports, or technical documents, OCR Hero helps you move from image to editable content quickly and cleanly. Privacy and Security Your files are transmitted securely for processing. Extracted text may be stored in your account so you can access recent results across devices, and older data is automatically removed over time. Your data is not used to train our models. Download OCR Hero and turn documents into usable text, wherever you work. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ocrhero.com/privacy

Screenshots

A5 Journal4 screens
OCR Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

A5 Journal and OCR Hero are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. A5 Journal sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and OCR Hero sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A5 Journal ships an update weekly, OCR Hero every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
A5 Journal versus OCR Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA5 JournalOCR Hero
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better16.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size93 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThinkFULL Holdings Inc.ζ±Ÿζ…§ 杨

In-app purchases

10 purchases

A5 Journal

Subscriptions10
  • A5 Journal Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Members - Monthly7 Days trial4 variants$2.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Family Plan$10.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • A5 Journal Business Plan Monthly$25.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Members - Yearly7 Days trial4 variants$29.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business+ Plan Monthly$49.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Family Plan Yearly$109.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business Plan Yearly$259.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business+ Plan Yearly$499.991 Year
4 purchases

OCR Hero

Subscriptions3
  • OCR Hero Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • OCR Hero Pro Quarterly$13.993 Months
  • OCR Hero Pro Yearly$51.991 Year
One-time1
  • OCR Hero Credit Pack$4.99

Questions

Is A5 Journal free?
A5 Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OCR Hero free?
OCR Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do A5 Journal or OCR Hero have ads?
Neither A5 Journal nor OCR Hero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A5 Journal or OCR Hero?
A5 Journal ships an update weekly, and OCR Hero every 4 days. Most recently, A5 Journal was updated on October 10, 2026 and OCR Hero on October 1, 2026.

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