# Pen and Paper — Notes, drawings, PDF markup > Digital notebook for notes, drawings, PDF annotation, and diagrams. (iPhone/iPad app by Vivid Apps.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pen-and-paper/id425893570 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Vivid Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/291793754) - Category: Productivity, Graphics & Design - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.40/5 from 41 App Store ratings · 122 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15 · 50 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2011-05-09 - Data updated: 2026-08-16 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pen-and-paper/id425893570/reviews.md ## What is Pen and Paper? Pen and Paper is perfect for hand-written notes on your iPad or iPhone. You can even import and write on PDFs. INK Draw ink with your finger. Resize, recolor, and move your doodles. TEXT Add text and text boxes. Change alignment, fonts, color, and install additional fonts. Perfect for adding comments to PDF. SHAPES Add geometric primitives, arrows, curves, and polygons Use the built in diagram elements and arrows to create diagrams. Create clip art of portions that you wish to reuse. shapes can be colored using gradients and fill with patterns. Use "rough" outline to make it look more like a drawing. ZOOM AND SPLIT VIEW Zoom more than 10 times to edit and draw even tiny details. Use split view (iPad only) to see full page view or look at another page PHOTOS Include photos. You can crop and rotate photos. BOOKMARKS Add bookmarks to navigate in your documents PDF SUPPORT AND SLIDE NOTES Import and annotate PDFs from other apps or Files. Use any of the built-in "Slide Note" templates to annotate presentations. When you are done export as PDF again. Use the "clone" tool to copy a portion a PDF and marker to mark text in the PDF for easy search. SHARING To share your notes with the world, simply email them as PDF. You can also extract individual pages as JPEG images. LAYERS Use the layer list to organize order of shapes and ink on the page PAGE STYLES Pen and paper comes with a variety of page styles, but you can also create your own. Import a PDF of your favourite page style and store it as a "page style" in the app. ICLOUD SUPPORT Documents, clipart and page styles, can be stored in iCloud. FONTS Are the built-in fonts not interesting enough? Install extra Truetype fonts from sites like FontSquirrel and Blambot within the app. Features: • Layers • Pen tool with color and thickness • Marker tool for marking text in PDFs • Smooth pan and zoom • Split-view to see two parts of your documents at the same time • Bookmarks and search • Insert text, arrows, photos, rectangles, circles and polygons easily • Fill shapes with gradients and patterns • Area selection, for moving and resizing large areas of your note • Built-in icon library • PDF import and export (email or other accounts) • Install additional fonts (Truetype) • Various page styles and add your own. • Fullscreen mode • iCloud support SUBSCRIPTION Subscription removes watermark (on export) and enables lasso tool. All other features are part of free version. TERMS OF USE (EULA) Uses Apple's standard terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ## Key features - Handwritten notes and drawings - PDF import and annotation - Text and shape insertion - Zoom and split view - Layer management - Custom font installation - PDF export ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Pen and Paper PRO | $5.99 | per year | | Pen and Paper PRO monthly | $0.99 | per month | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Pen and Paper PRO | $7.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 122) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pen-and-paper/id425893570/reviews.md ### 5/5 — a amazing app with equally amazing monetisation model *2026-03-21* this is must try for anyone who takes notes on ipad to dev : fill bucket tool would be so nice , or ability of highlighter or any new brush to paint behind the pen stroke , this would be so amazing **Developer response:** Hi Exeecute. Thank you for the kind words and feedback. Those are good suggestions, and we will definitely look into both. Let us know if you have more suggestions! ### 5/5 — Just what I needed *2025-05-08* I’ve been using this app for years now and still love the functionalities offered! ### 4/5 — suggestions *2025-04-29* o il manque la possibilité de quantifié des longueurs **Developer response:** Hi Garches. Sorry, my French isn’t good enough. Are you missing the ability to specify lengths of items? Are you missing the ability to specify units? Or do you want to see a ruler? Hope you can clarify. ### 3/5 — Great product *2024-12-01* I’ve been using this product for sketch taking and note for over four years on an everyday basis up to 14 appointments a day for my business and it’s been great yes it has some limitations but there is no other product that I found that allows flexibility of not with photos moving it around anywhere on the page then placing notes and moving those anywhere around on the page like this program I hope the developers keep up with their updates and this product continues in the marketplace thanks heaps ### 3/5 — Mediocre, average *2024-11-08* Nothing remarkable or different, no special features or anything unique that makes it stand out or shine amongst the dozen of other similar apps. I did find this a little complicated and confusing on how to navigate and figure out what was what, so it wouldn't be ideal for someone who isn't tech savvy. ### 3/5 — pen improvement *2023-09-19, version 2.0.8* pen thinkness 2.0 would be good. not so smooth with pen, but okay. dark background for pdf? there is a lot to go here. Waiting for the updates. ### 5/5 — Must have app for lectures *2023-02-24* Pen and Paper is the best app for PDF note-taking due to the slide notes feature. This adds extra lines to the side of the pdf pages for easier notes which can then be exported easily to other apps. The new import screen added in the latest update is great as well. Definitely worth the money spent and thanks to the developer for creating such a great feature which I could not find anywhere else on the App Store :) ### 2/5 — Die Bedienung… *2023-01-02* …der App wirkt nicht zeitgemäß. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Gefällt mir nicht. Schade. ### 5/5 — Klasse App! *2019-10-20* ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ‚Was mir fehlt ist ein kleines Vergrößerungsfenster für das Handschriftliche Schreiben...‘ - ist zwar nicht da.... aber der Sprung in die nächste Zeile geht trotzdem Automatisch. Auch das ‚weiterziehen‘ in der Zeile. Man muss nur kurz warten. Habe ich davor nicht gemerkt. Damit ist die App klasse! Denn....ich kann auf meine gewünschte Größe zoomen und losschreien. Die Möglichkeit die überdeckte Farbe transparent zu schalten ist auch klasse - vor allem wird die Schrift darunter nicht abgeschwächt .... ### 1/5 — No option to resize thickness of pen *2019-10-13* This is a totally useless app.there is no option to resize the thickness of pen.moreover there is no option to turnoff the pressure sensitivity.all my money got wasted.please don’t buy the app. ## Frequently asked questions about Pen and Paper ### What can I do with the Pen and Paper app? This app allows you to create handwritten notes and drawings, import and annotate PDF documents, add text boxes, geometric shapes, and photos. You can zoom in for detailed editing, organize content using layers, and even import custom fonts and page styles. ### How does the subscription work? The subscription removes the watermark from exported files and unlocks the lasso tool. All other features, including note-taking, PDF annotation, drawing tools, and iCloud support, are available in the free version. ### Can I use this app on different Apple devices? Yes, the app is designed for both iPad and iPhone. On iPad, you can utilize split view to see your document and another page or app simultaneously for enhanced productivity. ### How can I share my work? You can easily share your notes and creations by emailing them as PDFs. Additionally, you can extract individual pages as JPEG images to share or use elsewhere. ### What kind of content can I add to my notes? You can add freehand ink drawings, text boxes with customizable fonts and colors, geometric shapes, arrows, and photos. The app also includes built-in diagram elements and the ability to create reusable clip art. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.13 — 2026-02-24 • Undo/redo buttions remain available on narrower displays • Fixes minor UI issues ### 2.12.1 — 2025-11-05 • Minor UI changes and bug-fixes • Added additional icon package ### 2.11.1 — 2025-09-25 • UI changes and updates for iOS26 • Menu and free resize on iOS26 • Eraser will now default also remove shapes/text • Minor bug-fix ### 2.10.1 — 2025-08-06 • Extra dark mode • Minor UI changes ### 2.9.1 — 2025-07-08 • Eye dropper for color options • Save custom colors to palette • Lucide icons • Switch between RGB and hex colors in Settings • Boolean operations on shapes (will convert to polygons) • Tint images (great for icons) • Enable/disable visible tooltips in settings • Minor UI changes and bug-fix Thank you for supporting Pen and Paper! ## Apps similar to Pen and Paper | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Aiditor - AI Image Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aiditor-ai-image-editor/id6446832840) | — | Free | Productivity | | [iPaint: AR Room & Car Designer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipaint-ar-room-and-car-designer/id1573875240) | — | Free | Productivity | | [Themes - Icon Changer + Widget](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/themes-icon-changer-plus-widget/id1569379140) | 4.5 (2,103) | Free | Productivity | | [AIEraser](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aieraser/id6446980280) | 3.0 (2) | Free | Productivity | | [Teleprompter - video script](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teleprompter-video-script/id1581622140) | 4.3 (89) | Free | Productivity | | [폰트통](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1661271680) | 5.0 (2) | Free | Productivity | ## More apps by Vivid Apps - [Voice Alarm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-alarm/id300240299) - [Lifecards - Postcards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifecards-postcards/id304401787) - [Eyestorm Lite (Jezzball clone)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eyestorm-lite-jezzball-clone/id310090179) - [Strip Designer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/strip-designer/id314780738) All apps by Vivid Apps: https://appshunter.io/developer/291793754 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-16.*