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Penjo: Pencil Journal, Planner

Penjo: Pencil Journal, Planner

Handwritten Diary & Calendar

277 ratings
141 reviews
🌟 Lifestyle
📊 Productivity
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

Released
March 27, 2023
Updated
October 13, 2026

Features

Developer

Zafer ARICAN
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Penjo: Pencil Journal, Planner screenshot #1 for iPhone
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🧾$39.99
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About

This app combines journaling, planning, and note-taking with a pencil-first interface. It offers powerful handwriting search, creative image tools, and seamless integration with calendars and reminders. Organize your thoughts and tasks with flexible layouts and personalized tools.

✓Pencil-first writing and sketching
✓Handwriting search and text conversion
✓Calendar and reminders integration
✓Creative image editing tools
✓Customizable pen and tool picker
✓Flexible page layouts
✓iCloud sync across devices
Show original description

What users say about Penjo

Reviews of Penjo are mostly positive: the Lifestyle app is rated 4.7/5 from 277 App Store ratings. What users like most: excellent Apple Pencil integration and handwriting experience, seamless calendar and reminders integration. Top complaints: unreliable cloud sync across multiple devices, confusing payment model and paywall messaging. Summarized from real user reviews.

Positive things

  • ✍️Excellent Apple Pencil integration and handwriting experience
  • 📅Seamless calendar and reminders integration
  • 💰One-time lifetime purchase option (no subscriptions)
  • 🎨Clean, minimalist, and intuitive user interface
  • ⚡Fast and responsive performance
  • 📱Works flawlessly across iOS and iPadOS devices
  • 🖼️Easy image insertion and manipulation on pages
  • 🔍Handwriting search functionality
  • 👨‍💼Responsive and helpful developer support
  • 🎯Focused design that avoids unnecessary clutter
  • 📖Perfect for daily journaling and note-taking
  • 🔄Cloud syncing capability (when working properly)

Negative things

  • 🐛Unreliable cloud sync across multiple devices
  • 💳Confusing payment model and paywall messaging
  • 🔐Missing security features like screen lock
  • 📱Limited macOS support (Intel Macs incompatible)
  • 🎨Limited customization options for colors and themes
  • 📄Cannot export entire notebooks as PDF
  • 🖊️Text selection and editing tools are clunky
  • ❌Restore purchases button broken for some users
  • ⚠️Automatic app updates without user permission
  • 🔗Broken support page links
  • 📊Limited page layout and template options
  • 🎯Calendar-centric design limits non-daily use cases
See all reviews
+1

What's New in Penjo

3.7.13

October 13, 2026

- Overdue reminders: on today's page, reminders from earlier days that are not done yet now appear below today's reminders, under Overdue, with their due date. You can turn this off in the page's … menu. - Undo is more reliable after scribbling to erase, straightening a line with a cross mark, and pasting. - Bug fixes and improvements.

More
7

Subscriptions & In-App Purchases

Monthly Subscription

All features unlocked during subscription

$2.991 Month
Price Updates
September 29, 2026→$2.99
January 6, 2026→$2.49
July 29, 2025→$2.49
June 29, 2024→$1.99
How to cancel Penjo subscription ⁉️

Events

Read more about Apple Reminder Integration
Event EndedMajor Update

Apple Reminder Integration

Add and manage Apple Reminders, right inside Penjo

Jun 30, 2025 — Jul 31, 2025

Read More

Read more about Dark Mode
Event EndedMajor Update

Dark Mode

Now with dark mode, scribble to erase, and more

May 12, 2025 — May 31, 2025

Read More

Read more about Image Playground Integration
Event EndedMajor Update

Image Playground Integration

Generate Images from your drawings, images or text

Dec 29, 2024 — Jan 14, 2025

Read More

See All

User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

Frustrated

bought the premium since i got super excited to use this app long term and was met with a locked screen. i can’t even open the app anymore. it’s just locked for me. have tried everything possible. what a scam
SunflowerapplesSunflowerapples

Response from developer

Thanks for your feedback. It is probably due to global authentication settings and it has solutions. Please contact us at support@penjoapp.com with some details. We will be happy to help.

First try

I came across this app a few years ago but never looked into it until today. I was looking for something that had the following criteria: 1. Pull sync with my calendars and reminders and auto populate in the planner. 2. Unlimited space for meeting notes. 3. search capabilities for historical entries. 4. drag and drop capabilities of photos or stickers like Goodnotes. 5. An easy transition from Apple Pencil to Typing. This one seems to have all the things I needed without all the extra add ons that bog down apps. I really do like this planner and look forward to using it. The only suggestion I can think of off the top is for an item to list what it is if you hover over it. I have no idea what each thing does unless I actually click on it and then decide if that is what I really wanted to do or need to back out. I know I will learn it over time but it would be nice to be there from the start to help you get familiar.
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Cox241Cox241

Response from developer

Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! We’re really glad Penjo has the combination of features you were looking for while still keeping things simple. Your suggestion about showing what each tool does before selecting it is a great point, especially for new users getting familiar with the app. We’ll definitely keep this in mind as we continue improving the experience. Thanks again for giving Penjo a try, and we hope you enjoy using it! Feel free to reach out anytime if you have any questions or suggestions.

Gone through Plenty of Planners

I have gone through plenty of planners and given up after finding too many things I didn’t like about it. Hassles of changing from day to month to week to year, the ability to go from the screen to the next to add a grocery list or things to do list the ability to synchronize with Apple calendar. This one has it all. There are a few things I wish it would do, but those are not big enough to dissuade me from marrying this Penjo Journal/planner.
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Run2patRun2pat

Response from developer

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We’re very happy to hear that Penjo has made planning easier after you tried so many other apps. We’d also be glad to hear about the features you still wish Penjo had. Please feel free to contact us anytime at support@penjoapp.com and share your suggestions.

Best journaling experience.

I used to journal all through my childhood and teens but had stopped recently due to privacy concerns. I am so glad someone made this excellent app where I could jump back into journaling like I did back in the day right of the bat. One of the best things I like about this app as you can make a one time purchase instead of a subscription. It definitely needs an option to lock individual journals with dedicated passcodes. Also needs an option to change the spacing between lines.
Show more
SonicastleSonicastle

Response from developer

Thank you for your thoughtful review! We are especially happy to hear that Penjo helped you return to a habit you enjoyed for many years. Dedicated passcodes for individual journals are already on our roadmap and will be included in one of our upcoming major releases. Regarding line spacing, you can already customize it in the Paper Type settings under Customize in the journal settings (tap the three-dot icon on the journal card). Feel free to reach out anytime at support@penjoapp.com.

Gefällt mir…

… aber die Kalender-Auswahl bleibt nicht bestehen
MaxMeridianMaxMeridian

Response from developer

Vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback. Es freut uns, dass Ihnen Penjo gefällt, und es tut uns leid, dass die Kalender-Auswahl nicht gespeichert bleibt. Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns unter support@penjoapp.com, damit wir uns das genauer ansehen und Ihnen weiterhelfen können.

See 136 more reviews

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User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

13 issues

Cloud sync not working across devices despite paid subscription

Bug

App crashes when using photo effects

Bug

Calendar not syncing or displaying properly

Bug

Notebooks disappearing or becoming unopenable

Bug

Text boxes misaligning after app closure

Bug

Bluetooth keyboard text appearing at bottom of screen

Bug

Restore purchases button non-functional

Bug

iCloud sync not automatic despite being enabled

Bug

Family sharing not working on secondary Apple IDs

Bug

Support page returning 404 errors

Bug

Forced app updates without user consent

Bug

Text selection tools unreliable on mobile devices

Bug

Photo shape cutting requires specific upload order

Bug
✨

Requested Features

24 requests

Dark mode or black background option

Feature

Screen lock/page lock to prevent accidental writing

Feature

Apple Pencil advanced features (highlighter, squeeze, double-tap)

Feature

Text formatting options (resize, color change for selected text)

Feature

More page layout templates and line spacing options

Feature

Ability to convert handwriting to text

Feature

Stickers and decorative elements for journaling

Feature

Bullet point and to-do list functionality

Feature

Google Drive and Google Tasks integration

Feature

PDF annotation and file linking capabilities

Feature

Folder and subfolder organization system

Feature

Non-calendar-based notebook organization

Feature

Weekly and monthly view options

Feature

Automatic page creation at 50% capacity

Feature

Customizable default text preferences

Feature

Straight line drawing tool (like Procreate)

Feature

Voice memo support

Feature

Outlook calendar integration

Feature

Book-style page turning interface

Feature

Habit tracker and monthly review templates

Feature

Daily prompt suggestions for journaling

Feature

Emoji and motivational sticker packs

Feature

Page thumbnails and quick navigation

Feature

Hyperlinked navigation tabs

Feature

FAQ

What does Penjo do?

Penjo is a pencil-first journal and daily planner that helps you set goals, plan ahead, and keep organized notes. It integrates with Apple Calendar and Reminders, offers on-device handwriting search, and provides creative image tools for a personalized experience.

What are the key features of Penjo?

Key features include pencil-first writing and sketching, powerful on-device handwriting search, integration with calendars and reminders, creative image tools like background removal and stickers, customizable tool pickers, flexible page layouts, and iCloud sync.

How much does Penjo cost?

Penjo offers a freemium model. Users can unlock unlimited journals and pages, full iCloud sync, enhanced calendar integration, and protected journals through a subscription called Penjo Unlimited. Family Sharing is available on monthly plans.

What devices is Penjo compatible with?

Penjo is designed for Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, Mac, and visionOS, with iCloud sync ensuring your data is up-to-date across all your devices. It also supports Google Calendar and Exchange.

What are common use cases for Penjo?

Common use cases include daily journaling, planning daily tasks and appointments, creating habit logs, sketching ideas, annotating documents, and organizing notes by topic or color using bookmarks.