Comparison

Pencil Note vs Trace Pad Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pencil Note

Create and organize digital sticky notes on a virtual bulletin board. Supports Apple Pencil for realistic writing and drawing with pressure sensitivity. Offers various paper types and pen colors for personalized notes.

Highlights
  • Digital bulletin board for notes
  • Apple Pencil support with pressure sensitivity
  • Four paper types and two pen colors
  • Finger eraser functionality
  • Organize and move notes freely
  • Split screen support
Features
Read full description

Gather your thoughts in a flash using Pencil Note! With support for the new Apple Pencil, you can create sticky notes and save them on a digital bulletin board. Choose from 4 different paper types: pink or yellow sticky notes, graphing, or cardstock paper and two pen colours: red or blue to create notes on the go. Keep track of important dates, lists and other matters in this handy app. Apple Pencil support allows you to jot down notes like you would in reality. Pressure sensitivity gives you the option to not only write, but draw. Applying more pressure with the pen creates thicker lines. Now, once enabled in the Options screen, you can also erase your mistakes using a swipe of your finger! Use Pencil Note to write or draw out ideas and always have them on hand! Features: - Create and keep track of notes using this handy digital bulletin board. - Move around notes to help you organize your thoughts to commit them to memory. - Use red or blue ink and choose from 4 paper types to make differentiation easy. - Make a mistake? Simply trash the note and create a new one or enable the finger eraser in the Options screen to make quick work of your errors with a swipe of your fingertip! - Draw or write! The Apple Pencil support allows you to further enhance your notes, but you can also draw designs with your fingertips. - Simple controls! Tap on a paper to create a new page and tap away from a note when done to minimize and then move it around the bulletin board. - Split screen is supported to let you take notes as you use other apps. - All rotations are now supported for more ease of use. - Throw away old or outdated notes using the waste basket icon to keep everything neat and tidy! - Keep an eye on all of your notes with a quick glance! Organize your day and your thoughts in a snap! **The music used in the App Preview videos are for demonstration purposes only and are not available within the app. The music has been provided by Sound-ideas.com.

About

Trace Pad Pro

Features
Read full description

Trace Pad Pro provides a simple white screen for tracing, with the option to add a reference image you can resize, rotate, and move using simple on-screen gestures. Includes trace effect, screen brightness control, and screen locking. Image brightness, contrast, and opacity can also be adjusted. New tools: flip images horizontally, overlay a proportional tracing grid (long-press to change grid size), and toggle grayscale for clearer line work.

Screenshots

Trace Pad Pro3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Trace Pad Pro at 3 against Pencil Note's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Pencil Note costs $0.99 and Trace Pad Pro $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pencil Note ships an update every 7 months, Trace Pad Pro every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Pencil Note versus Trace Pad Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPencil NoteTrace Pad Pro
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating2.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size168 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMagitech CorporationKanta Kikubo

In-app purchases

None

Pencil Note

No in-app purchases

None

Trace Pad Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pencil Note free?
Pencil Note costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Trace Pad Pro free?
Trace Pad Pro costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pencil Note or Trace Pad Pro have ads?
Neither Pencil Note nor Trace Pad Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pencil Note or Trace Pad Pro?
Pencil Note ships an update every 7 months, and Trace Pad Pro every 6 months. Most recently, Pencil Note was updated on September 25, 2026 and Trace Pad Pro on September 30, 2026.

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