Comparison

Lake Observer vs Lockbook

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

Head to head
About

Lake Observer

Features
Read full description

The Lake Observer application is a tool that empowers citizen scientists to more easily record measurements and observations while working in the field. Lake Observer was designed by members of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) as part of a crowdsourcing platform to facilitate the collection and sharing of lake- and water-related information across the globe.

About

Lockbook

A secure, open-source note-taking app prioritizing user privacy. It encrypts all your data locally, ensuring only you and authorized users can access your notes. Offers seamless syncing and sharing across devices, with a developer-friendly command-line interface.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Open-source code
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Note sharing
  • Developer CLI
  • No personal data collection
Features
Read full description

Lockbook is an end-to-end encrypted notes app for writing, sketching, storing files, syncing across devices, and collaborating in real time. Your notes are encrypted before they leave your device, so even we can't read them. Lockbook is 100% open source: https://github.com/lockbook/lockbook Fast & Native: We built Lockbook for everyday use because we use Lockbook every day. Our native apps feel at home on every platform, with fast sync, offline support, and a polished Markdown editor for serious notes. Secure: Keep your thoughts to yourself. Lockbook encrypts your notes with keys generated on your devices. Only you and the people you share with can access your notes, folders, sketches, and files. Private: Know your customer? We sure don't. We don't collect your email, phone number, or name. We don't need a password. Lockbook is for people with better things to worry about than privacy. Collaborative: Share folders, edit notes together, and see live updates from collaborators without giving up end-to-end encryption. Open: Write in Markdown, sketch in SVG, and keep your work in formats you can actually use. Honest: Be the customer, not the product. We sell a note-taking app, not your data. Developer Friendly: The Lockbook CLI fits right into your favorite chain of piped-together Unix commands. Search your notes with fzf, edit them with vim, and schedule backups with cron. When scripting doesn't cut it, use our Rust library for a robust programmatic interface. Website: https://lockbook.net Terms of Service: https://lockbook.net/tos License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://lockbook.net/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Lake Observer4 screens
Lockbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lake Observer at none against Lockbook's 1. Lake Observer also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). Lockbook's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lockbook sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Lake Observer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lake Observer ships an update every 5 weeks, Lockbook weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lake Observer versus Lockbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLake ObserverLockbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Inc.Lockbook LLC

In-app purchases

None

Lake Observer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Lockbook

Subscriptions1
  • 30GB$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Lake Observer free?
Lake Observer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lockbook free?
Lockbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lake Observer or Lockbook have ads?
Neither Lake Observer nor Lockbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lake Observer or Lockbook?
Lake Observer ships an update every 5 weeks, and Lockbook weekly. Most recently, Lake Observer was updated on September 15, 2026 and Lockbook on September 14, 2026.

Other comparisons