# Color Notes vs Notebook

The clearest difference is rating: Color Notes at 4.1 against Notebook's 1.0. Color Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (640 vs 1). Notebook's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Color Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month and Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Color Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Notes has 640 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Notebook every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Color Notes | Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-notes-and-diary/id1501715117/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **640** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 14.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) | [Abhaykumar Kasundra](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483184372) |

## What reviewers say

### Color Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136)

Capture thoughts and tasks with a digital notebook. Create, edit, and organize notes with customizable colors. Sync across devices to keep your ideas accessible anywhere, eliminating the need for physical notepads.

**Highlights:** Create, delete, and edit notes, Organize with customizable colors, Virtual online notebook, To-do list functionality, Cloud synchronization, Multiple device support

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $7.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and fast
- 📝 Great note-taking app
- 🎨 Useful color-coding
- 👍 Versatile and useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lost all notes after update
- 🐛 Syncing issues
- 🔍 Difficult to find old notes
- 💸 Too many ads
- 🔒 Unable to access account on new device

**Reported bugs**

- Losing all notes after updates
- Inability to access old notes
- Saving and syncing issues

**Requested features**

- Reminders feature
- Ability to print notes
- Better syncing across devices


### Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-notes-and-diary/id1501715117)

Securely store your important memos and favorite data with passcode protection. Sync your notes across devices via iCloud, export them as PDFs, and enjoy customizable themes. Never lose a thought with this free utility.

**Highlights:** Passcode protection for notes, iCloud sync for all notes, Export notes as PDF, Widget for quick access, Customizable themes, Search and sort notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Color Notes free?

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

### Is Notebook free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Color Notes or Notebook?

Color Notes is rated higher. Color Notes averages 4.1 out of 5 from 640 ratings, while Notebook averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Color Notes or Notebook have ads?

Notebook shows ads; Color Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Color Notes or Notebook?

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notebook every 7 months. Most recently, Color Notes was updated on October 13, 2026 and Notebook on October 3, 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.*