# Sermon Notes & Bible Journal vs Barkive

The clearest difference is ads: Barkive at none against Sermon Notes & Bible Journal's shown. Barkive also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Sermon Notes & Bible Journal's advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 3). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sermon Notes & Bible Journal sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Barkive sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Barkive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sermon Notes & Bible Journal has 1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Sermon Notes & Bible Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of Barkive's.

Sermon Notes & Bible Journal ships an update every 3 months, Barkive every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sermon Notes & Bible Journal | Barkive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sermon-notes-and-bible-journal/id683912245/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barkive/id6759880204/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 73.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 79 MB | 117 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ChuChu Train Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/415772087) | [Barkive LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881431111) |

## What reviewers say

### Sermon Notes & Bible Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sermon-notes-and-bible-journal/id683912245)

Capture, organize, and reflect on sermons with this comprehensive app. Take notes, record audio, generate transcripts and summaries, and integrate scripture. Plan actionable steps and share insights easily.

**Highlights:** Note-taking with rich text formatting, Sermon audio recording with time-stamping, Automatic transcript generation, AI-powered sermon summaries, Integrated Bible with six translations, Actionable step planning and reminders, Sermon sharing via PDF, text, or Markdown

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Features | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Features | $49.99 | per year |
| Database Transfer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Entries | $9.99 | one-time |
| All Features | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great sermon note app
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for taking notes and recording sermons
- 🚀 Organized and categorized notes
- 👍 Useful tool for pastors and church-goers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and loses notes
- 🐛 Unreliable audio recording
- 🐛 Complicated interface
- 🐛 Ads disrupt usage
- 🐛 No auto-save or recovery of notes

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when app goes to sleep
- Loses notes when closing the app
- Ignores regional settings
- Audio quality issues

**Requested features**

- Add formatting options (bold, italics, bullet points)
- Integrate with Bible apps
- Improve note-taking experience (e.g., Apple Pencil support)
- Provide better file management and export options


### Barkive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barkive/id6759880204)

Log every dog you see or meet to build a personal collection of canine encounters. Capture details like breed, notes, and photos, and watch your virtual Dog Park grow. Reflect on your memories with monthly logs and yearbooks.

**Highlights:** Log dog encounters, Capture breed, notes, and photos, Unlock and collect breed cards, Build a virtual Dog Park, View monthly Field Logs, Explore Yearbook

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Curator Mode | $2.99 | per month |
| Curator Mode | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sermon Notes & Bible Journal free?

Sermon Notes & Bible Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Barkive free?

Barkive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sermon Notes & Bible Journal or Barkive?

Barkive is rated higher. Sermon Notes & Bible Journal averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Barkive averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Sermon Notes & Bible Journal or Barkive have ads?

Sermon Notes & Bible Journal shows ads; Barkive does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sermon Notes & Bible Journal or Barkive?

Sermon Notes & Bible Journal ships an update every 3 months, and Barkive every 4 days. Most recently, Sermon Notes & Bible Journal was updated on November 11, 2026 and Barkive on November 5, 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.*