# Penjo: Pencil Journal, Planner — user reviews

> 115 indexed App Store user reviews of Penjo by Zafer ARICAN, rated 4.70/5 from 273 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penjo-pencil-journal-planner/id6446053076/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penjo-pencil-journal-planner/id6446053076.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 240 · 4★ 15 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 8

## What do users think of Penjo?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- ✍️ 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)

**Cons**

- 🐛 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

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Cloud sync not working across devices despite paid subscription
- App crashes when using photo effects
- Calendar not syncing or displaying properly
- Notebooks disappearing or becoming unopenable
- Text boxes misaligning after app closure
- Bluetooth keyboard text appearing at bottom of screen
- Restore purchases button non-functional
- iCloud sync not automatic despite being enabled
- Family sharing not working on secondary Apple IDs
- Support page returning 404 errors
- Forced app updates without user consent
- Text selection tools unreliable on mobile devices
- Photo shape cutting requires specific upload order

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode or black background option
- Screen lock/page lock to prevent accidental writing
- Apple Pencil advanced features (highlighter, squeeze, double-tap)
- Text formatting options (resize, color change for selected text)
- More page layout templates and line spacing options
- Ability to convert handwriting to text
- Stickers and decorative elements for journaling
- Bullet point and to-do list functionality
- Google Drive and Google Tasks integration
- PDF annotation and file linking capabilities
- Folder and subfolder organization system
- Non-calendar-based notebook organization
- Weekly and monthly view options
- Automatic page creation at 50% capacity
- Customizable default text preferences
- Straight line drawing tool (like Procreate)
- Voice memo support
- Outlook calendar integration
- Book-style page turning interface
- Habit tracker and monthly review templates
- Daily prompt suggestions for journaling
- Emoji and motivational sticker packs
- Page thumbnails and quick navigation
- Hyperlinked navigation tabs

## Newest reviews (18 of 115)

### 4/5 — First try

*2026-08-09*

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.

### 4/5 — Super App!

*2026-05-03*

Diese App macht genau das, was ich bisher mit Goodnotes versucht habe, aber so nicht geschafft habe. Jeder Tag hat eine Notizfunktion, egal, wie viele Seiten. Mit der Übersicht lässt sich alles leicht wiederfinden und such die Suchfunktion klappt einwandfrei!
Wenn jetzt noch der Fehler beim Einfügen langer Texte behoben wird, bin ich wunschlos glücklich.
Einfach super!

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank für die wunderbare Bewertung!

Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass Penjo Ihnen genau die tägliche Notizstruktur, Übersicht und Suchfunktion bietet, die Sie gesucht haben. Wir werden uns mit dem Problem beim Einfügen längerer Texte beschäftigen und versuchen, dies in einem kommenden Update zu verbessern.

Nochmals vielen Dank für Ihre freundlichen Worte und Ihr hilfreiches Feedback!

### 5/5 — Syncs with Apple calendar

*2026-02-08*

I NEVER review apps. But this one is worth reviewing for! I was looking for a planning app that synced with my apple calendar and couldn’t find ANY where I could create a drawing of my day and see it along side my calendar. Then I came across a Reddit post recommending Penjo. So far, it has made daily planning easy and FUN. Although it’s great the way it is, I really hope that it gets enough traction to keep improving.

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for this beautiful review. The fact that you never review apps and chose to write one for Penjo truly means a lot to us.

It makes us happy to hear that you were looking for a way to draw your day and see it alongside your Apple Calendar and that Penjo gave you exactly that. Making daily planning feel personal, creative, and fun is the heart of why Penjo exists.

And thank you for your hope that Penjo keeps growing. We are constantly working on improvements and new ideas, and support like yours is what keeps us inspired to continue building with care.

If you ever have suggestions or ideas, please feel free to reach out at support@penjoapp.com. We would love to hear from you.

### 4/5 — Great Planner

*2026-02-02, version 3.6.13*

This is a great planner. I would suggest adding new page templates such as two column pages. Another great functional template would be a daily planner page. Each page might show the days events in the corner so you can see your day while marking up the page.

### 5/5 — This is the one!

*2026-01-28*

I have been looking for a note taking app that has the same fountain pen as the one in Apple’s notes. I have gone through sooo many and paid for more just to get the “pro” versions and they all were disappointing. But lo and behold, Reddit to the rescue! I couldn’t believe this little app had my beloved fountain pen! I gave them my money immediately! I have been using them since, faithfully. My writing is flawless and doesn’t distort like Apple notes app after hours of case study reviews. I have just two suggestions. Allow for the ability to lock our screen. I am sure zooming the page in and out is useful for some tasks, but for just writing or journaling, it does move more than I like when my arm hits the screen or my hand makes contact during writing. I have seen others with that function and it is wonderful keeping the page at the size you want and stable. Second, I may be missing this, I honestly may be missing the first suggestion, as in the ability exists and I am overlooking it but, I would love to have all of the Apple Pencil options, esp. the highlighter. If I am overlooking these things, I would love to be directed to them. Other than that, chef’s kiss! 10/10 no notes!!

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your through review and kind words. Happy to hear that Penjo meets your expectations. 
Regarding the zoom lock, it is a great idea and we immediately decided to include it in the next update and here it is!. Penjo v3.6.14 now includes zoom locking. When set from the context menu in the note, the zoom will be fixed to that current level to reduce the effect of possible palm touch. Thanks again for the suggestion. 

Regarding the all pencil options. You can switch between the default and favorite one from the pen icon on the right in tool picker. You can add remove pencils to your favorite toolpicker. Feel free to check FAQ in penjoapp.com or contact us last support@penjoapp.com

Thanks again for your kind words and suggestions.

### 5/5 — Perf, just some suggestions

*2026-01-22*

Rlly absolutely love I cannot tell u how absolutely amazing this is. One suggestion I do have is if there could be some templates or daily prompts to write about to enhance the journaling experience would be cool. 

Ooo what about some themes too? Like I recently used free notes and colla notes and rlly love how their icons for the pencil features look n all since I use penjo everyday and I’m kinda wanting a different theme at some days.

Oh and since there’s numbers telling me how many pages I’ve used, it would be great if I could see a glimpse of all the pages at once in that specific day so I could go to a specific page when I need it

**Developer response:** Update: Thank you for your review update. Good news!  Changing color of a handwritten section is already available. Just select the handwritten note with the lasso tool in the pencil tool picker then choose a color from the tool picker. You will see the color of the drawing/note changes. 
Feel free to reach out anytime at support@penjoapp.com for any questions, feedback or suggestions. 

----------------------
Update 2: We also added indicators for multi sheets in the same day to show number of sheets for the same day. 
Update: We added an indicator showing number of pages for each day in week, month and list views in Penjo v3.6.7. Thanks again for your suggestion. 
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you enjoy journaling in Penjo. Showing page numbers or an indicator for how many pages a day includes is a great idea and we’ve noted it for future updates.

### 5/5 — Eine schöne App

*2026-01-19*

Penjo ist wirklich eine tolle App vor allem die Verschlüsselung ist mir wichtig. Ich bin aber noch am ausprobieren. Leider habe ich vor kurzem irgendwie einen Eintrag gelöscht als ich auf dem iPhone nach dem Eintrag geschaut habe daher habe ich die Synchronisation komplett aus gemacht und mache es lieber manuell. Ich habe gelesen das jemand die Sticker Funktion vermisst wie bei Goodnotes ich verwende einfach die geteilte Ansicht und kopiere es dann und füge es ein, das klappt auch sehr gut. Aber ich nutze hauptsächlich Fotos bisher. Was ich bisher gesucht habe aber nicht gefunden habe ist eine Einstellung für die Scrollrichtung, ich würde es sehr gerne von rechts nach links wischen wie ein Buch statt von unten nach oben. Aber ansonsten bin Ich sehr zufrieden mit der App . Vielen Dank an den Entwickler dafür. Ich habe auch gleich die lebenslange Version gekauft. Den Betrag investiere ich gerne für eine tolle App. 😌

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank für Ihre freundliche und ausführliche Bewertung und für Ihre Unterstützung von Penjo. Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass Sie die App insgesamt genießen.

Bezüglich der Synchronisation können Sie sich jederzeit gerne an uns wenden, damit wir uns das von Ihnen erlebte Problem gemeinsam ansehen können.

Vielen Dank auch, dass Sie geteilt haben, wie Sie mit Stickern über die geteilte Ansicht arbeiten. Das ist eine sehr gute Lösung. Außerdem planen wir, in kommenden großen Versionen Collections einzuführen. Bleiben Sie also gespannt.

Auch Ihr Feedback zu den bevorzugten Scrollrichtungen haben wir notiert. Vielen Dank, dass Sie uns darauf aufmerksam gemacht haben. Solche Rückmeldungen helfen uns sehr dabei, das Nutzungserlebnis weiter zu verbessern.

Vielen Dank nochmals für Ihr Vertrauen und Ihre Unterstützung. Das bedeutet uns sehr viel.

### 2/5 — Tools not working

*2026-01-10, version 3.6.12*

The writing experience has been great. However, I recently paid for the lifetime license access and I am still unable to lock the journal, add files, delete, and bookmark, etc. The cloud syncing does work but it is not automatic.

The aforementioned tools were why I purchased the license and if I do not have access to them, I want my money back. Thanks.

### 5/5 — Out of words, just wow

*2026-01-05*

No cuz this is literally such a great tool not just for journaling but for taking notes for schoolwork as well. I’ve recently started using this app to take notes on after buying the upgraded version and lemme tell u it’s so good, especially that feature where u want to see a random day of what u wrote as a way for me to remember and memorize. 

One suggestion, it would be cool to have a book version of it as well like turning a page if i don’t wanna swipe down for this specific journal to see my notes for that specific day. Oh and changing the page and color layout for one specific day would be cool too.

**Developer response:** Update: Thank you for your review update. Good news!  Changing color of a handwritten section is already available. Just select the handwritten note with the lasso tool in the pencil tool picker then choose a color from the tool picker. You will see the color of the drawing/note changes. 
Feel free to reach out anytime at support@penjoapp.com for any questions, feedback or suggestions. 

----------------------
Update 2: We also added indicators for multi sheets in the same day to show number of sheets for the same day. 
Update: We added an indicator showing number of pages for each day in week, month and list views in Penjo v3.6.7. Thanks again for your suggestion. 
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you enjoy journaling in Penjo. Showing page numbers or an indicator for how many pages a day includes is a great idea and we’ve noted it for future updates.

### 5/5 — Best journal app for iPad

*2026-01-04*

It is surprisingly difficult to find a journal app that works flawlessly with Apple Pencil. Most apps, including the native journal app, are buggy or feel like they were designed with typing first in mind. Penjo is the first app I’ve found that feels like it puts the Apple Pencil experience first. It is refreshingly simple. The extra integrations like with the calendar and reminders add to the experience instead of making it more cluttered. When I add photos to an entry, I get to easily drag them to a space on the actual page (instead of existing outside of or seperate from the entry like other journal apps have it). This has everything I need, in just the way I want to use it! I am a lifetime user for sure.

**Developer response:** Thank you for this thoughtful review and for your kind words. It’s great to hear that Penjo’s simplicity and Pencil-first approach fit so well with what you were looking for.
Ease of use and creating a real-journal feeling have always been at the core of our motivation, and features like Apple Calendar & Reminders integration and flexible photo placement are designed with exactly this in mind. We’re really pleased to see that this approach resonates with you.
Knowing that you consider yourself a lifetime user is incredibly motivating for us. Thank you for your support and for taking the time to share your experience.

### 5/5 — Finally!!!!

*2026-01-04*

This app has been something I’ve needed for a long time and I am so happy I was able to come across it. This app just allows you to download and write as though you were writing in an actual journal. It works so well with the Apple Pen and it’s a great addition to my IPad! Just the fact that there are no subscriptions is amazing you just download and start writing. For someone who likes to journal I highly recommend this app!

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for this wonderful review. We’re really happy to hear that Penjo feels like a real journal and that you’re enjoying writing with Apple Pencil on your iPad. Creating a simple and natural writing experience has always been important to us, so your words truly mean a lot. Thank you for recommending Penjo, and happy journaling.

### 5/5 — Simple & good

*2026-01-02, version 3.6.12*

Very simple app with useful features. Loving it.

### 5/5 — Not syncing

*2026-01-02, version 3.6.12*

This won’t sync across my devices.     And I have a paid lifetime account.

### 5/5 — Best calendar/journal yet

*2025-12-22, version 3.6.12*

I love that I can journal in my own handwriting and have iCal calendar on the same page. Penjo has all the functionality I want and is easy to use.

### 2/5 — Funktioniert nicht wie erwartet

*2025-12-22*

Leider irreführende Darstellung

Die App wirbt mit automatischer Kalender- und Erinnerungsintegration auf der Tagesseite. In der Praxis erscheinen Termine und Erinnerungen jedoch nur in separaten Overlays oder bestimmten Ansichten – nicht so, wie es in den Screenshots suggeriert wird.

Zusätzlich funktionierte die iCloud-Synchronisation zwischen iPhone und iPad bei mir unzuverlässig bzw. gar nicht, trotz aktivierter Einstellungen.

Die Idee der App ist schön, die Umsetzung entspricht für mich aber nicht der beworbenen Funktionalität.


Für kreatives Zeichnen sicher nett, als zentrales Planungs-Tool jedoch enttäuschend.

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit genommen haben, Ihr ehrliches Feedback mit uns zu teilen. Es tut uns leid zu hören, dass Ihre Erfahrung nicht Ihren Erwartungen entsprochen hat, und wir schätzen es sehr, dass Sie Ihre Punkte so ausführlich erklärt haben.

Gerne möchten wir klarstellen, dass Kalendereinträge und Erinnerungen direkt zur Tagesnotiz hinzugefügt werden können, genau wie in den Screenshots dargestellt. Sobald sie hinzugefügt sind, werden sie Teil der jeweiligen Tagesseite und erscheinen nicht nur in separaten Ansichten. Dennoch verstehen wir, dass dies möglicherweise nicht klar ersichtlich war oder in Ihrem Fall nicht wie erwartet funktioniert hat.

Was die iCloud-Synchronisation betrifft, entspricht dies definitiv nicht dem Erlebnis, das wir bieten möchten. Die Synchronisation sollte zuverlässig zwischen iPhone und iPad funktionieren. Falls dies nicht der Fall ist, würden wir sehr gerne Ihre konkrete Konfiguration und mögliche Protokolle prüfen, um herauszufinden, was schiefgelaufen ist.

Wenn Sie möchten, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte unter support@penjoapp.com. Wir helfen Ihnen gerne weiter und schauen uns sowohl das Kalender-/Erinnerungs-Verhalten als auch das iCloud-Synchronisationsproblem gemeinsam an.

Vielen Dank nochmals für Ihr Feedback. Es hilft uns, Penjo weiter zu verbessern, und wir wissen es sehr zu schätzen, dass Sie die App ausprobiert haben.

### 2/5 — The heck??

*2025-12-18, version 3.6.12*

I’ve had this app for a few days now and had no idea that I had to pay for more than 5 pages of journaling. Just updated it and now I’m told that I have to pay?

### 5/5 — Start Journaling Now!!

*2025-12-12*

i wanted to update my review now that apple journal is on ipad, there are people who may need convincing that this app is the best. if you want FULL control of your layout- photos, lined paper, all system fonts, this is the app you want. the newer list mode is a small but effective change. ive started other subjects and a bullet journal with 4-month spreads. and yes, as some other users have mentioned i also have a folder of png "stickers" to decorate, and it makes it feel like a physical journal. ive even designed washi tape for my bullet journal. this app makes it so enjoyable, its life changing! for now, the only thing apple journal has over penjo is voice memos, if thats important to you. "effects" photos crashes the app, i recommend using a shortcut or removing backgrounds yourself. ONLY negative i have. so , START JOURNALING in 2026!!! thank you penjo for being such a responsive & innovative team.         original review: this is everything i could want in a digital journal. i started using this app at the beginning of the year. i've been journaling almost every day. when night mode came out, it was like christmas for me. the experience typing with a bluetooth keyboard is still not perfect, it brings the text all the way to the bottom of the screen when i'm typing somewhere else. not a big deal but a bit inconvenient. (edit:fixed!) something i would love to see is the option to simply have numbered pages in a journal instead of it being organized by date. i find it difficult to use this app for subjects other than daily journaling. (fixed again!) still 5 stars though by far. great app.

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for taking the time to update your review and for sharing such detailed feedback. It truly means a lot to us. Reading that Penjo feels “life changing” is incredibly motivating for our team.

We’re also really glad you noticed that several of the points from your original review have been addressed. Your feedback genuinely helps shape how Penjo evolves.

Regarding the crash when using photo effects, thank you for pointing this out clearly. This is definitely not expected behavior, and we would really like to fix it as quickly as possible. If you’re willing, could you please share a few details with us? You can reach us at support@penjoapp.com. Even small details help a lot.

Thank you again for your kind words, creativity, and for recommending Penjo to others. We’re excited to keep making journaling better together, and yes, let’s start journaling in 2026.

### 5/5 — Absolutely amazing, underrated gem

*2025-12-11*

I love this app and literally everything about it. The only feedback I can think of is if it would be possible to resize and change colors of a specific written text when it’s lassoed. Other than that, this app is giving what it needs to give.

**Developer response:** Update: Thank you for your review update. Good news!  Changing color of a handwritten section is already available. Just select the handwritten note with the lasso tool in the pencil tool picker then choose a color from the tool picker. You will see the color of the drawing/note changes. 
Feel free to reach out anytime at support@penjoapp.com for any questions, feedback or suggestions. 

----------------------
Update 2: We also added indicators for multi sheets in the same day to show number of sheets for the same day. 
Update: We added an indicator showing number of pages for each day in week, month and list views in Penjo v3.6.7. Thanks again for your suggestion. 
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad you enjoy journaling in Penjo. Showing page numbers or an indicator for how many pages a day includes is a great idea and we’ve noted it for future updates.

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Frustrated

*2026-03-20*

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

**Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback. This issue should be solvable and is not the intended experience. Please contact us at support@penjoapp.com with a few details about your device and what you see on the locked screen, and we will do our best to help you get back into the app.

### 1/5 — Sub

*2026-03-03, version 3.6.16*

Trying to charge me but I don’t even have a subscription

### 1/5 — Cloud save is broken.

*2025-11-16, version 3.6.9*

I have premium Penjo, on both my iPhone and iPad mini. I usually write on the calendar on my iPad and then view on my phone sometimes. When I viewed on my phone earlier today, the calendar was empty, and I noticed it also saved. Then I checked my calendar on my iPad and everything was gone too. I am extremely upset. I would like my money back.

### 1/5 — You updated my app without my permission!

*2025-09-16, version 3.6.5*

When I asked questions about your update because I had concerns about it, you updated my app without my permission!  There is no longer an update button!  I did NOT want that update without answers to my questions 1st & I decide whether or not to update.  Worse yet, you screwed up the app.  I don’t like the way it looks now.  I ‘m sorry I ever paid you money when I am so poor.  Talk about high-handed behavior on your part.

### 1/5 — I just wanna use the app 😭

*2025-08-28*

Since my apple account is linked to my family I cannot purchase this myself cause it’s impossible for me to verify the payment method, so I purchased an apple gift card, but for whatever reason its not allowing me to purchase the app with my apple balance, so as a last ditch effort my mom purchased the app so I could restore the purchase since we have family sharing on, but the restore purchases button is BROKEN. Like nothing happens when I press it. Then on top of that, the app support link leads to a page that doesn’t exist so its impossible to get help for this. So mad right now. I just want a planner that auto populates with the things i put in my google calendar and this is an insane amount of hoops to jump through for that function.

**Developer response:** We’re very sorry for the trouble you experienced. The Restore Purchases button should work normally, but please note that Family Sharing is currently available only for the monthly subscription, not for the lifetime purchase. That may be why you couldn’t restore it.

Also, apologies for the broken support link — we fixed it as soon as we noticed. If you still need help, please reach out to us directly at support@penjoapp.com and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Thank you for sharing your feedback, and again, we’re sorry for the frustration caused.

### 1/5 — Wenn's geht auch null

*2025-04-11*

Man kann 2 Tagebücher kostenlos erstellen und in diesen tagebüchern 5 Seiten schreiben ohne zu bezahlen nicht zu empfehlen

**Developer response:** Vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback. Penjo bietet ein monatliches Abonnement mit einer 3-tägigen kostenlosen Testphase an, damit Sie alle Funktionen in Ruhe ausprobieren können. Es gibt auch eine Einmalzahlung für lebenslangen Zugang. Wir verstehen, dass die aktuellen Begrenzungen nicht für alle passend sind, und schätzen Ihre Rückmeldung sehr. Bei Fragen oder Anregungen können Sie uns jederzeit unter support@penjoapp.com kontaktieren.

### 1/5 — Bugs

*2025-04-07, version 3.4.7*

Donwloaded the ical and now I can’t open the calendar in the app. This was the whole reason I downloaded the app and can’t figure it out.

### 1/5 — Paywall

*2025-04-04, version 3.4.7*

Blocked by paywall as always. Only 5 free days to plan.

### 1/5 — Trotz Kauf funktioniert Export nicht?!

*2024-09-11*

PDF-Export funktioniert trotz 9,99€ nicht!?

**Developer response:** Update:
Vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback!
Der PDF-Export – sei es für einen einzelnen Tag, ein ganzes Journal oder einen bestimmten Datumsbereich – gehört seit Beginn zu den Kernfunktionen von Penjo. Wir verstehen, dass die Nutzung möglicherweise nicht ganz klar war, und schätzen Ihr Feedback sehr. Seitdem haben wir mehrere Updates veröffentlicht, darunter viele neue Funktionen und Verbesserungen am PDF-Export. Sollten Sie Fragen haben oder weitere Unterstützung benötigen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte unter support@penjoapp.com – wir helfen Ihnen gerne weiter!

### 1/5 — looks nice, but that’s all what is good

*2023-12-31, version 2.5.1*

extremely limited. why would i spend time hand writing if i cannot convert it to text later? the selection tool does not work on written text. so this app is an electronic version of a blackboard. you can only keep images/pdfs of the written stuff, nothing else.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Gone through Plenty of Planners

*2026-07-09*

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.

**Developer response:** 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.

### 5/5 — Best journaling experience.

*2026-06-19*

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.

**Developer response:** 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.

### 5/5 — Gefällt mir…

*2026-05-11*

… aber die Kalender-Auswahl bleibt nicht bestehen

**Developer response:** 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.

### 5/5 — Update. I’ve figured out my issue.

*2026-05-01, version 3.7.2*

Best journaling app on iOS. This one lets you use Apple Pencil to write; not very many have this feature. You can only type.

### 5/5 — Cross platform Day Timer Replacement!

*2026-04-19, version 3.7.1*

Responsive developer!  Super simple with lots of basic features. Was exactly what I was looking for in a daily business journal.

### 5/5 — My daily double

*2026-04-19, version 3.7.1*

So much fun. Use it daily as a food journal as well a journal journal: daily life stuff, I mean. Easy to organize pages. Easy to add graphics. GREAT customer service!

### 5/5 — Excellent iPad planner app

*2026-04-15, version 3.7*

I did a lot of research and experimenting with different planner/journaling apps before I settled on this one. Excellent app, love the calendar integration and ability to write or add text, photos, etc. 
the developer also seems very invested in continuing to improve while welcoming communication from users! Awesome experience thus far.

### 5/5 — Elegant Journal App

*2026-03-27*

I am pretty sure I’ve tried almost every planner or journal application in the App Store and have come away feeling like the annual subscriptions and templates hosted on app specific storefronts weren’t worth the money. On top of that, it always felt slow and clunky to get to the part where I can just write stuff down. Then, I’d have to deal with menus and buttons in the way of my writing and by the time I’d get adjusted to where I was ready to jot my thoughts down, the moment would already be passed. Penjo is different. It’s simple, fast, and stays out of my way. It incorporates the best of native iOS and macOS features and expands in all the areas Apple fell short. I don’t regret buying the lifetime license at all and encourage anyone on the fence to support this tool.

**Developer response:** Thank you for the kind words and detailed review! Getting you to the page as fast as possible, with nothing in the way, is the core design principle behind Penjo, so it means a lot to hear it landing that way. We appreciate your lifetime support and have plenty more in the works.

### 5/5 — My favourite app!

*2026-03-05, version 3.6.16*

The one time payment of 20 dollars for unlimited EVERYTHING… WAS SUCH AN EASY PAYMENT FOR ME. I ADORE THIS APP!

### 5/5 — Tried it again

*2026-02-16, version 3.6.15*

I redownloaded it and it works perfectly now

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*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 2026-09-19.*