Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes

Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes

Journal, Notebook & Study

46K ratings
628 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

Released
September 24, 2019
Updated
October 16, 2026

Features

Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes screenshot #1 for iPhone
Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes screenshot #2 for iPhone
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Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes screenshot #4 for iPhone
Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes screenshot #5 for iPhone
Penbook: Paper Planner & Notes screenshot #6 for iPhone
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About

Create custom digital notebooks with a vast library of stationery or import your own PDFs for annotation. Write naturally with a stylus and organize your notes with dynamic features like live planners and searchable handwriting.

✓Live Paper dynamic stationery
✓Over 400 stationery types
✓Import and annotate PDFs
✓Natural handwriting with stylus
✓Searchable handwritten notes
✓Shape recognition
✓Customizable notebook covers
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What users say about Penbook

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+2

What's New in Penbook

8.1.1

October 16, 2026

iPhone Duo users, this one's for you: this update adds support for poses, new stationery sizes, and a minimap update. (This minor update fixes an incorrect stationery size.)

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22

Subscriptions & In-App Purchases

Penbook Premium

Create unlimited books, export pages and more

$19.991 Year
7 Days trial
How to cancel Penbook subscription ⁉️

Events

Read more about Paper, redesigned

Paper, redesigned

New pens. New tools. Better notes.

Sep 14, 2026 — Oct 15, 2026

Read more about Sharpen Up Your Apple Pencil

Sharpen Up Your Apple Pencil

Bring your iPad to class and skip paper

Aug 8, 2026 — Sep 8, 2026

Read more about Introducing Sleep Journal

Introducing Sleep Journal

Take note of your sleep habits.

Aug 10, 2026 — Sep 4, 2026

User reviews

Love it

It is a very nice app, I enjoy using it is quite easy to figure it out and I never had any issues with it. There is just one thing I wish was different, I think maybe would be nice to have more options of sticker and tapes or maybe like a store where we could download different and new designs that we liked! That would be super fun!!
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Great when not TERRIBLE!

This app is fantastic, especially if you are writing with an Apple Pencil on an iPad. Anything beyond that can be a problem.

To write a note, you must first create a notebook. There are some nice templates (though at least one series is nightmarishly horrible), but if you aren't using a template, you have to build your own notebook. This is hardly a bad thing and is in fact very fun! There is no shortage of paper here, that's for sure (and almost all are free). Ahem, Noteful.

Writing is fairly intuitive, though drawing can be hard because of a lack of basic drawing-related features (rotate, mirror, paint bucket). There are various pen types, including a good highlighter.
The biggest problem here is that sometimes an entire page's writing will mysteriously vanish. It won't be deleted, but you will drive yourself crazy trying to find a way to make it visible again (my experience: close either the notebook or the whole app).

Creating and writing in notebooks is fine, but adding stickers, text, tape, and pictures to them is notoriously hard. First of all, there are no "layers" to move different things to, making arranging anything on the page hard or even impossible. Second, scaling is very wonky for all attachments, especially tapes. Third, everything is susceptible to disappearing along with your writing. This doesn't affect the actual writing part of this app, but it might be a significant problem depending on how you want to use it.

I still like this app, but I just don't do too much with it.

(This is all for the iPad app. On iPhone, it is noticeably buggier.)
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Helpful

Great for staying organized. Easy to use

Repetir lápices

Me encanta pero me gustaría que el mismo tipo de lápiz se pudiera agregar varias veces al panel en diferente color o tamaño

Great app

Great app

Developer apps

Featured on

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

5 issues

Sticker resizing issues causing app freezes

Bug

Ruler placement and alignment problems

Bug

Inconsistent behavior when switching between pages

Bug

Calendar sync not working as expected

Bug

PDF import and annotation functionality not reliable

Bug
✨

Requested Features

5 requests

Allow custom notebook covers or images

Feature

Add text box and typing capabilities

Feature

Improve organization with folders or tags

Feature

Provide more customization options for templates

Feature

Implement a more intuitive undo/redo system

Feature

FAQ

What is Penbook?

Penbook is a digital notebook application that allows you to write naturally with your Apple Pencil or stylus on a variety of customizable stationery. It also enables you to import and annotate PDF documents, turning your device into a versatile note-taking tool.

What are the key features of Penbook?

Key features include 'Live Paper' dynamic stationery, over 400 academic and planning stationeries, PDF import for annotation, natural handwriting support, searchable handwritten notes, shape recognition, and unlimited customizable notebook covers.

How much does Penbook cost?

The app offers a free version where you can use all stationery and writing features in a single notebook. To create and export unlimited notebooks, access new stationery and covers, and receive regular updates, you can upgrade to Penbook Premium.

What devices is Penbook compatible with?

Penbook is designed for use on Apple devices, specifically the iPad and iPhone, leveraging features like the Apple Pencil for a natural writing experience.

What are common use cases for Penbook?

Common use cases include taking lecture notes with specialized academic stationery, planning your schedule with live planners, annotating textbooks or documents, journaling, and practicing handwriting or drawing.