# Recto Notes vs Carbon

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Carbon at 18.0 against Recto Notes's 27.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Recto Notes ships an update every 6 days, Carbon every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Recto Notes | Carbon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 9 days |
| Size | 6 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thijs Kremers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1819996214) | [BMP Research LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798390657) |

## What reviewers say

### Recto Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recto-notes/id6778541897)

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


### Carbon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carbon-calendar-mirror/id6800547558)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Recto Notes free?

Recto Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Carbon free?

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

### Do Recto Notes or Carbon have ads?

Neither Recto Notes nor Carbon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Recto Notes or Carbon?

Recto Notes ships an update every 6 days, and Carbon every 9 days. Most recently, Recto Notes was updated on October 6, 2026 and Carbon on October 10, 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.*