# Planner for iPad vs CalenDraw

The clearest difference is monetization model: Planner for iPad at free with in-app purchases against CalenDraw's subscription. Planner for iPad also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 57%). CalenDraw's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Planner for iPad sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month and CalenDraw sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Planner for iPad against 4.5 for CalenDraw. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CalenDraw has 3.4K ratings behind it against 501, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Planner for iPad's written reviews are positive against 57% of CalenDraw's.

Planner for iPad ships an update every 5 weeks, CalenDraw every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planner for iPad | CalenDraw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (501 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planner-for-ipad/id1246635949/reviews) | **[4.5 (3.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendraw-calendar-notes/id1500028479/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 501 | **3.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **70.9% of reviews** | 57.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 59 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Craft LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/370766525) | [DataBeNice LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1500028478) |

## What reviewers say

### Planner for iPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planner-for-ipad/id1246635949)

This app offers a digital planner experience on your iPad, allowing you to write directly on your calendar with Apple Pencil. Personalize your planner with various decorative materials and choose from different style sheets. Your data is safely stored in the cloud.

**Highlights:** Handwriting on calendar with Apple Pencil, Monthly, weekly, and daily calendar views, Personalize with stamps, to-do lists, and more, Sync with other calendars like Google Calendar, Cloud storage for data backup, Customizable style sheets

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $3.49 | per month |
| Plus | $5.49 | per month |
| 50 (+0) | $1.00 | one-time |
| 100 (+0) | $2.00 | one-time |
| 150 (+0) | $3.00 | one-time |
| 200 (+0) | $4.00 | one-time |
| 500 (+100) | $8.00 | one-time |
| 800 (+200) | $12.00 | one-time |
| 1600 (+400) | $24.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🖋️ Smooth writing experience with Apple Pencil
- 📆 Seamless integration with Apple Calendar
- 🎨 Variety of stamps, stickers, and customization options
- 📝 Ability to handwrite notes and plans
- 🗓️ Convenient day, week, and month views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model for premium features
- 🔍 Limited color and pen options in free version
- 🚫 Inability to delete certain elements like masking tape
- 🔀 Lack of synchronization between day, week, and month views
- 📱 No iPhone app for on-the-go access

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional app freezes when using certain features
- Handwritten notes not syncing correctly between views
- Date/time display issues after software updates

**Requested features**

- Copy and paste functionality
- Ability to resize and rotate stickers/stamps
- One-time purchase option for premium features
- Improved palm rejection and pressure sensitivity
- Integration with Google Calendar


### CalenDraw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendraw-calendar-notes/id1500028479)

This app combines handwritten notes, drawings, and calendars in a single digital workspace. It allows for direct annotation on your calendar with a stylus, event management, and integration with other popular calendar and reminder services. Organize your thoughts and schedule visually.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes and drawings on calendar, Color-coded scheduling, Drag and drop event rescheduling, Keyboard event entry, Calendar and reminder integration, Full-text search, Customizable widgets

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CalenDraw Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Pro Access | $9.99 | per year |
| CalenDraw Pro | $9.99 | per year |
| CalenDraw Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| CalenDraw Pro | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for organizing daily routine
- 👍 Great for planning and journaling
- 👍 Syncs well across devices
- 👍 Customizable writing tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy behavior, crashes, and data loss
- 🐛 Reminders not working as expected
- 🐛 Disappearing notes and entries
- 🐛 Laggy performance on some devices
- 🔍 Limited functionality in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Reminders showing up on wrong dates
- Calendar dates not aligning correctly
- Inability to delete task lists
- Keyboard getting stuck
- Pencil drawing functionality not working

**Requested features**

- Separate pages for notebooks and task lists
- Option to remove animations
- Ability to import photos/images
- Weekly and yearly calendar views
- Handwriting-to-text conversion


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planner for iPad free?

Planner for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CalenDraw free?

CalenDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Planner for iPad or CalenDraw?

CalenDraw is rated higher. Planner for iPad averages 4.5 out of 5 from 501 ratings, while CalenDraw averages 4.5 from 3.4K ratings.

### Do Planner for iPad or CalenDraw have ads?

Planner for iPad shows ads; CalenDraw does not.

### Which is updated more often, Planner for iPad or CalenDraw?

Planner for iPad ships an update every 5 weeks, and CalenDraw every 2 weeks. Most recently, Planner for iPad was updated on October 24, 2026 and CalenDraw on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*