# Penlog: Handwriting Journal — Apple Pencil tasks to Notion > Handwritten daily journal with two-way task sync to Notion. (iPhone/iPad app by RT Indianapolis Holdings LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penlog-handwriting-journal/id6765667652 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [RT Indianapolis Holdings LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896030549) - Category: Productivity, Lifestyle - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.70/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 9 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-06-08 - Data updated: 2026-10-20 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penlog-handwriting-journal/id6765667652/reviews.md ## What is Penlog? Write a task by hand. Watch it show up in Notion. Penlog is a handwritten daily journal. You write with Apple Pencil on iPad. On iPhone you see today, add and check off tasks, and read every page. Every day gets its own page, so there is nothing to name, nothing to file, and no folder to choose. You write. Your other apps update themselves. Rick Thomas, a solo founder in Indianapolis, builds Penlog for people who think in ink. TWO-WAY TASK SYNC WITH NOTION A task you write by hand becomes a real task in your Notion tasks database. Cross it off with Apple Pencil, or tap it on iPhone, and it completes in Notion. Complete it in Notion and it shows as done on your page. Task status moves in both directions automatically. There is no export step and no copying and pasting. NOTATION READING Penlog reads your notation, not only your words. A bullet is a task. A dash is a note. An X means done. An underline makes a heading. Your page arrives sorted into tasks and notes instead of a wall of transcribed text. Penlog reads a page after you stop writing, not while you write. It waits for a finished thought rather than reacting to a half-formed stroke. CARRY-FORWARD An open task stays with you. If you do not finish it today, Penlog carries it forward to tomorrow's page, and to the day after, until you cross it off. Nothing gets lost because you turned the page. THE MORNING BRIEFING Connect Notion, your calendar, Claude, or ChatGPT. Penlog places today's events and open tasks on your page before you open it. That is the Morning Briefing. You can edit or hide anything in it before you start writing. SEEDING FROM AN AI ASSISTANT Ask Claude or ChatGPT to put something on tomorrow's page and it is waiting when you sit down. Penlog calls this seeding. It works in the other direction too, because an assistant can read the page you wrote by hand. FOR AGENTS, SCRIPTS, AND DEVELOPERS Every page is available through a REST API. Penlog also runs a Model Context Protocol server, usually written MCP, so any assistant that supports MCP can read your page and write to it the same way it reads your calendar. Penlog is listed in the Notion Integration Gallery and in the official MCP Registry. WHAT IS FREE AND WHAT NEEDS PRO The journal is free. You can write every day, have your notation read into tasks and notes, carry unfinished tasks forward, and export your pages without a subscription. Penlog Pro adds the destinations, and you can try it free for 14 days. Two-way Notion sync, calendar import, the REST API, and the MCP server require Pro. Pro also removes the daily limit on handwriting reads that applies to free accounts. WHAT PENLOG IS NOT Penlog does not replace Notion and it does not ask you to move your tasks somewhere new. If you keep tasks in Notion and write by hand on iPad, you are doing both today and reconciling them yourself. Penlog is the part in between. FROM A FIVE-STAR REVIEW sleepypeach wrote: "I loved notion but really struggle to refer to it on a daily basis... Written systems worked better but didn't allow me to plan long term. Penlog has been the perfect solution to my workflow issues." PRIVACY AND SECURITY Penlog encrypts all network traffic in transit with TLS. You can delete your account in Settings, which permanently removes your data from Penlog's servers. Writing needs an iPad and Apple Pencil. SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE TERMS Penlog Pro is an auto-renewable subscription, offered monthly or annually. Eligible new subscribers get a 14-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when the trial ends, or when you confirm the purchase if there is no trial. The subscription renews automatically unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and renewal is charged within 24 hours of the end of that period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://penlog.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://penlog.app/privacy/ ## Key features - Handwritten daily journaling - Two-way task sync with Notion - Notation reading for tasks and notes - Carry-forward of unfinished tasks - Morning Briefing with calendar/AI integration - AI assistant seeding and reading - REST API and MCP server support ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Penlog Pro Monthly | $8.99 | per month | | Penlog Pro Annual | $89.99 | per year | ## Is Penlog safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess Penlog. ## Is Penlog legit? Penlog: Handwriting Journal has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Penlog is 50 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penlog-handwriting-journal/id6765667652/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Cool but *2026-10-02* great app but option to keep handwritten notes handwritten and push only to briefing would make it even better, not every day is just a plan or tasks… sometimes it’s also ideas ## Frequently asked questions about Penlog ### What is Penlog? Penlog is a handwritten daily journal that syncs tasks and notes with Notion. It allows you to write with an Apple Pencil on an iPad and view/manage tasks on your iPhone. The app intelligently reads your handwriting to create structured entries. ### Does Penlog have ads? No, Penlog does not contain advertisements. It is ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted journaling experience. ### How does Penlog sync with Notion? Penlog offers a two-way task sync with Notion. Tasks written by hand become real tasks in Notion, and completing them in either app updates the status in both. This sync is available with the Pro subscription. ### What are the limitations of the free version of Penlog? The free version of Penlog allows daily writing, notation reading, carrying forward unfinished tasks, and exporting pages. However, features like two-way Notion sync, calendar import, REST API, and MCP server require a Pro subscription and have a daily limit on handwriting reads. ### What is the 'Morning Briefing' feature in Penlog? The Morning Briefing feature connects Penlog with Notion, your calendar, Claude, or ChatGPT. It places today's events and open tasks on your page before you start writing, and you can edit or hide these items. ### Can I use Penlog without an Apple Pencil? While Penlog is optimized for use with an Apple Pencil on an iPad for handwriting, you can add and check off tasks on your iPhone. The core functionality relies on handwriting input for the best experience. ### How often is Penlog updated? Penlog was last updated on October 19, 2026, with version 1.3.0. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support for the application. ### What devices does Penlog support? Penlog is available for iPhone and iPad devices. This allows for a seamless experience across Apple's mobile ecosystem. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.3.0 — 2026-10-19 Penlog now runs on iPhone. ON IPHONE • See today at a glance: your calendar and every open task. • Add a task by typing it or by saying "Hey Siri, Penlog a task." With no signal, it is saved on your phone and sent with your next one. • Check tasks off from anywhere. If Notion is connected, they complete there too. • Read back any page you have written, and jump to a day from the calendar. ON IPAD • Start of day: the first time you open Penlog each day, look over yesterday's open tasks, check off what you finished, and start fresh. You can turn it off in Settings. • The top bar and the Briefing now sit on paper instead of gray. FIXES • Long pages are read in full. • Days you did not write no longer add empty rows to Notion. ### 1.2.19 — 2026-10-07 Fixes and improvements: • Tasks no longer appear twice on a page when you use Penlog on more than one device. • Tasks and calendar events that arrive after you open today's page now show up right away. • Settings > Default Paper Type now applies to pages you haven't written on yet. • Page dates are saved correctly on devices set to a non-Gregorian calendar. • Tasks completed late in the evening are recorded on the right day. • Slide Over and Split View windows get a compact toolbar and stay writable. ### 1.2.18 — 2026-09-16 Behind the scenes fixes and improvements. ### 1.2.17 — 2026-09-11 Handwriting recognition is faster on long pages. More reliable syncing to your connected apps. Behind the scenes fixes and improvements. ### 1.2.16 — 2026-09-10 Removed a Siri tip that could reappear on the Briefing after you had already seen it. Corrected the app name shown in the Settings shortcuts row. Reliability improvements behind the scenes. --- *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 2026-10-20.*