Comparison

CarBook vs Shell Notes

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

Head to head
About

CarBook

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CarBook is the smartest way to log your car's service history, fuel, and expenses. Track multiple vehicles, get reminders before things break, and let AI extract data from your service invoices in seconds. KEY FEATURES • AI receipt scanning — snap a photo of any service invoice and the data parses automatically • Smart maintenance suggestions tailored to your specific car and service history • Mileage and date-based reminders so you never miss an oil change, brake inspection, or registration renewal • Detailed expense tracking with monthly and yearly breakdowns • PDF export of your full service history — perfect for selling your car or claiming warranty • Document attachments — keep invoices, photos, and warranty papers next to each record • Available in 8 languages CARBOOK PLUS Unlock the full experience: • Unlimited vehicles • Unlimited AI receipt scans • AI-powered maintenance suggestions • Document attachments • Custom car photos PRIVACY FIRST Your data is yours. CarBook syncs to your private cloud account and never sells or shares it. Sign out anytime, delete your account, and your data is gone. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS CarBook Plus is an auto-renewable subscription with monthly or yearly billing. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://izmalkovv.github.io/carbook/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://izmalkovv.github.io/carbook/terms.html

About

Shell Notes

Features
Read full description

Encrypted notes that never leave your device. No cloud, no account, no tracking. Shell Notes is a private, offline notes app with one sharp focus: keep your writing local, encrypted, and yours alone — in a fast markdown and code editor with a calm, dark, developer-flavored theme. Ā· Real AES-256-GCM encryption (audited open-source crypto: @noble/ciphers, @noble/hashes), keyed off your passphrase via PBKDF2-SHA256. Ā· A master passphrase only you know. No recovery, by design — there is no backdoor and no copy of your data. Ā· App-lock with optional Face ID. Ā· Plain text, Markdown,JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, JSON, Shell, HTTP and CSS syntax highlighting. Ā· Folders, starring, pinning, full-text search. Ā· Eleven monospace typefaces — JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, IBM Plex Mono, Source Code Pro, Ubuntu Mono, Inconsolata, Anonymous Pro, Space Mono, Roboto Mono, VT323, and a default UI font. Ā· A subtle scanline overlay you can switch off. Ā· No analytics. No advertising. No sign-up, no email, no phone number. Ā· No cloud sync, no remote model calls, no leakage. Your notes, folders and search index stay on this device. Export your vault to JSON through the iOS share sheet whenever you choose — nothing leaves otherwise. Shell Notes protects your notes at rest, on this device, with strong encryption. If you forget your passphrase, your locked notes are gone — there is no recovery. If your unlocked iPhone is in someone else's hands, the app is only as safe as your iOS lock screen and the auto-lock setting you choose inside Shell Notes. For developers, journalists, and anyone who closes an app the moment it asks for an email address. Quiet, local, yours. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shellnotes.surge.sh/privacy

Screenshots

CarBook4 screens
Shell Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CarBook at every 9 days against Shell Notes's every 5 weeks. Shell Notes's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. CarBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Shell Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CarBook ships an update every 9 days, Shell Notes every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
CarBook versus Shell Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCarBookShell Notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtem IzmalkovIvan Dotsenko

In-app purchases

2 purchases

CarBook

Subscriptions2
  • CarBook Plus Monthly$2.991 Month
  • CarBook Plus Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Shell Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Shell Notes Pro Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Shell Notes Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Shell Notes Pro Lifetime$17.99

Questions

Is CarBook free?
CarBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shell Notes free?
Shell Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CarBook or Shell Notes have ads?
Neither CarBook nor Shell Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CarBook or Shell Notes?
CarBook ships an update every 9 days, and Shell Notes every 5 weeks. Most recently, CarBook was updated on October 8, 2026 and Shell Notes on October 16, 2026.

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