Characterize vs RPG Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Characterize
Generate unique characters with names, traits, and stats instantly. Explore diverse categories and save your favorites for any creative project. Unlock additional themed packs for even more variety.
- Unlimited name generation
- Rich character details (age, traits, etc.)
- Themed character packs
- Save and share creations
- Diverse character categories
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Characterize: Your Unlimited Character Creation Companion Characterize is the ideal tool for writers, role-players, storytellers, and anyone who needs fresh, original characters at a moment’s notice. With a tap, Characterize draws from a massive, ever-expanding database of names, traits, and stats to bring you a nearly infinite variety of unique personalities—enough for even the most epic of projects. Whether you’re crafting a daring pirate, a cunning assassin, a modern hero, or something more fantastical, Characterize helps you find the perfect fit every time. Save your favorites, tweak their details, and return for more whenever inspiration strikes! Key Features: Boundless Name Generation: - Instantly generate characters from countless categories, including humans, orcs, pirates, assassins, and more. The possibilities stretch into the quadrillions—no two characters need ever be the same! Rich Character Details: - Don’t stop at names. Dive into ages, birthdays, hair and eye color, height, intelligence, personality, and relationships—all created with a single tap. Your characters will spring to life with depth and flair! Unlock Even More Worlds: - Beyond the vast default selection, themed packs give you even more variety. From superheroes to aliens, historical figures to anime icons, you’ll find the perfect flavor for any setting. Save & Share with Ease: - Keep track of your favorite creations and share them with friends. Revisit your saved characters whenever you like—no scrolling through endless notes or documents. Whether you’re naming a long-awaited protagonist, populating a tabletop campaign, or challenging yourself to write a story without knowing your cast in advance, Characterize puts limitless inspiration at your fingertips. Stop juggling multiple tools—download Characterize today and generate your next hero with a single tap! http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula
RPG Notebook
This app helps you build worlds, manage your tabletop RPG campaigns, and organize all your notes. It offers customizable entries, linking between ideas, and map management. Keep your game world organized and accessible.
- Campaign management
- Customizable entries with various section types
- Automatic hyperlinking between entries
- Map creation and pin functionality
- Themed templates for different settings
- Extensive icon library
- Backup and export options
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RPG Notebook will help you build worlds, manage campaigns, and keep your notes tightly organized. Here are some of its great features: *CAMPAIGNS: Choose a name, select a theme that matches your setting, and simply start filling it with all your ideas. *ENTRIES: They can be customized any way you like with 8 types of sections (from simple text fields to trackers, checklists, and images) that you can name and place in any order you like. *TEMPLATES: If there's a section arrangement that you like, save it as a template for future use. *HYPERLINKS: When you finish writing something, the app checks if your text contains any phrases that match an existing entry or group name and automatically creates a link for you. *MAPS: Every campaign has a dedicated segment where numerous maps can be added. *MAP PINS: You can add simple note pins or special pins that link to an entry, group, or map. *JOURNAL: Journal notes will help you keep track of important events that happened during your sessions. *THEMES: The fantasy theme is great for the most popular tabletop RPG systems like dnd 5e or pathfinder, but the app also has themes for other settings: cthulhu, sci-fi, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, steampunk and wuxia. *ICONS: There are over 4000 built-in icons and 40 colors that you can use in your entries, but you can also add your own. *BACKUP: You can create a backup file and store it locally or export it so it can be shared with other devices. *MODES: Both light and dark modes are supported. *EVERYTHING IN YOUR POCKET: No more forgotten or lost notes. You will always be prepared for the next session or be able to immediately write down ideas that suddenly come to your mind wherever you are! :)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Characterize at none against RPG Notebook's shown. Characterize also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (345 vs 52). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Characterize sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and RPG Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Characterize holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Characterize has 345 ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Characterize's written reviews are positive against 69% of RPG Notebook's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Characterize ships an update every 3 weeks, RPG Notebook monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Characterize | RPG Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (345 ratings) — better | 4.0 (52 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | 69.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 345 — better | 52 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 295 MB | 198 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Alexander Winn | Marta Fecio |
Customer experience
Characterize
RPG Notebook
User reviews
Characterize
From 345 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for character creation
- 🚀 Great for writers and RPG players
- 💡 Lots of creative and random traits
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive, many features require purchase
- 🐛 Bugs with saving and restoring purchases
- 🔍 Limited free options
RPG Notebook
From 52 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Highly useful for TTRPG organization
- 💡 System-neutral and customizable
- 🚀 Easy to use and navigate
- ✨ Great for worldbuilding and lore
- 📝 Excellent for keeping track of characters and info
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App won't load backups
- 🐛 Ads are intrusive and inappropriate
- 🤔 Confusing interface for new users
- 🚫 No account or cross-device sync
Bugs and requests
Characterize
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on startup
- Issues with custom generators and editing characters
- Purchased content not unlocking properly
Requested features
3 requests- More free generators
- Ability to edit and customize generated characters
- Sorting and organization options for saved characters
RPG Notebook
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes completely after recent updates
- App gets stuck on the home page after an update
- Backup restoration fails, showing a loading wheel indefinitely
- App force closes during note-taking, losing progress
- Ads cannot be closed without opening their links
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- App no longer opens completely before crashing out
Requested features
24 requests- Journal functionality for play-by-post games (disable name links)
- Italicize text and other text editor functions
- Trackers that reset to zero for accumulation
- World building tools to combine campaigns
- Link campaigns together for NPC referencing
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- Output to PDF
- Dedicated NPC section
- Draw on uploaded maps
- Always allow option for pasting from other apps
- Font size adjustment for descriptions
- Ability to invite or share notes with other players
- Inventory management with counters
- Add images or thumbnails to entries
- Organize maps into groups
- Allow icon links in maps to lead to other maps
- Better map linking to zoom into specific spots
- More markers for points of interest on maps
- Add scenes that are not maps
- List NPCs for points of interest
- Attach NPCs to certain maps
- Cloud sharing or accounts for cross-device sync
- Share link for a campaign
- DM view with hidden notes/locations
- Formatted preview of all entry content at once
In-app purchases
Characterize
- Heroes & Villains Generator$0.99
- Wizards & Witches Generator$0.99
- Gods & Goddesses Generator$0.99
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- Anime & Manga Generator$0.99
- Demons Generator$0.99
- Kings, Queens, & Nobles Generator$0.99
- Apocalypse Survivors Generator$0.99
- Fantasy Races Bundle$4.99
- Mythology Bundle$5.99
- All Generators$19.99
RPG Notebook
- Premium$4.99
Questions
Is Characterize free?
Is RPG Notebook free?
Which has better reviews, Characterize or RPG Notebook?
Do Characterize or RPG Notebook have ads?
Which is updated more often, Characterize or RPG Notebook?
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