Comparison

Reading Journal vs Notra

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

Head to head
About

Reading Journal

Features
Read full description

Scan any page from a physical book and get an instant, private AI summary — right on your device. Booksum turns the passages you read into clear summaries and saved notes you'll actually come back to. Your bookshelf, book tracker, and reading journal in one place — every quote, highlight, and summary saved to your library. No typing. No cloud. No account. Just point your camera at a page, and Booksum's OCR captures the text and summarizes it in seconds — fully offline. WHY BOOKSUM • 100% on-device AI — your books and notes never leave your phone • Works completely offline — read and summarize anywhere, even on a plane • Fast, accurate OCR — capture quotes and passages from any printed book • Instant summaries — understand the key idea of a chapter or passage in seconds • Private by design — no sign-up, no tracking, no data sent to servers CAPTURE EVERYTHING WORTH REMEMBERING • Snap a photo of any page and pull the text out instantly • Save your favorite quotes, highlights, and passages with the book they came from • Add your own notes and thoughts alongside each summary • Organize everything in one searchable library REVIEW & REMEMBER • Re-read and review your saved snippets anytime in the Review tab • Revisit summaries to lock in what you learned • Build a personal collection of the best ideas from every book you read PERFECT FOR • Students capturing study notes and key passages from textbooks • Readers and book lovers saving quotes from novels and non-fiction • Anyone who wants to remember more of what they read — privately FREE TO START • Capture, scan, and summarize for free • Upgrade to Premium for unlimited scans, an ad-free experience, and more Whether you're studying for an exam, building a quote collection, or just trying to remember the best ideas from the books you love, Booksum makes it effortless — and keeps everything private and on your device. Download Booksum and start turning the books you read into notes you'll never lose. ——— Booksum Premium is an auto-renewable subscription (monthly or yearly; the monthly plan includes a 7-day free trial) with an optional one-time Lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account and renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Prices are shown in the app before purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.saltserv.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.saltserv.com/privacy

About

Notra

Features
Read full description

Tired of rereading notes without remembering them? Notra turns your own class material into active study tools. Take a photo, import a PDF, or paste text. In seconds, get a clear study guide, flashcards, a quiz, and an AI tutor that answers from your material. Review the key ideas, test your knowledge, and ask for an explanation whenever a concept feels unclear. Everything stays organized by subject so every lesson is easy to find. From middle school to college, Notra helps you study what you are actually learning instead of generic content. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Reading Journal4 screens
Notra4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Reading Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Notra sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reading Journal ships an update fortnightly, Notra every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Reading Journal versus Notra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReading JournalNotra
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOday MalehEclozion

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Reading Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Booksum Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Booksum Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Booksum Pro (Lifetime)$79.99
2 purchases

Notra

Subscriptions2
  • Notra Pro Monthly7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notra Pro Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Reading Journal free?
Reading Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notra free?
Notra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Reading Journal or Notra have ads?
Neither Reading Journal nor Notra shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reading Journal or Notra?
Reading Journal ships an update fortnightly, and Notra every 10 days. Most recently, Reading Journal was updated on October 30, 2026 and Notra on October 29, 2026.

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