# Google Cardboard vs Note Reader

The clearest difference is price: Google Cardboard at Free against Note Reader's $2.99. Google Cardboard also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 21 months). Note Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Google Cardboard is free to download; Note Reader costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Google Cardboard ships an update every 3 months, Note Reader every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Cardboard | Note Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[2.8 (598 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-cardboard/id987962261/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **598** | — |
| Positive reviews | 24.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Hieu Huynh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1699895985) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Cardboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-cardboard/id987962261)

Experience virtual reality on your iPhone. This app guides you through setting up a compatible viewer and offers initial immersive experiences to explore.

**Highlights:** VR viewer setup, Introductory VR experiences, iPhone compatibility, Cardboard viewer integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great VR experience
- 🎉 Fun and immersive
- 👍 Simulates VR headset well
- 🌟 Awesome for the price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Spinning/glitching issues on newer iPhones
- 🤕 Can cause motion sickness
- 📺 Limited content/demos
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate/interact

**Reported bugs**

- Constant spinning/shaking on some devices
- Crashes and freezes on launch
- Incompatibility with certain VR headsets

**Requested features**

- More VR games and interactive experiences
- Ability to view own photos/videos in VR
- Support for newer iOS versions
- Improved navigation and controls


### Note Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-reader/id6593666610)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Cardboard free?

Google Cardboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Note Reader free?

Note Reader costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Google Cardboard or Note Reader have ads?

Neither Google Cardboard nor Note Reader shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Google Cardboard or Note Reader?

Google Cardboard ships an update every 3 months, and Note Reader every 21 months. Most recently, Google Cardboard was updated on October 11, 2026 and Note Reader on September 30, 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.*