Comparison

Noteflow vs Pencil Journaling

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

Head to head
About

Noteflow

This app offers a digital notebook experience designed to replace pen and paper. It allows for note-taking, PDF annotation, sketching, and freeform idea capture with vector ink that scales without quality loss. Seamlessly integrate real-world content and organize your thoughts digitally.

Highlights
  • Digital notebook replacement for pen and paper
  • Annotate PDFs and sketch freely
  • Convert real-world images to vector ink
  • Fluid editing without traditional layers
  • Drag-and-drop integration with iOS
  • Cloud storage synchronization
Features
Read full description

Noteflow is designed to replace pen and paper. It is a modern digital notebook that lets you get the most from your iPad and iPhone. Use it for taking notes, annotating PDFs, sketching and doodling, plus a whole lot more: Copy and paste from the real world: Use Inkport gen 2 to snap a picture of a whiteboard or writing and convert it into Noteflow's native vector ink. No special paper needed. Then resize, re-color, or edit as if you wrote it in Noteflow. Create layered drawings without layers: Use the highlighter tool to color and shade behind existing ink. Use Color-Select to separate and edit individual colors. It's a much more fluid and natural editing experience than with layers. Use the straight-line tool with a grid for fast and intuitive wireframes and drafting. Drag-and-drop, cloud-storage, and more: Noteflow natively integrates with iOS's file system and drag-and-drop capabilities. Drop photos and text into Noteflow, and drag your drawings into other apps. Store your files locally or sync with the cloud service of your choice. Make Noteflow a seamless part of your workflow, the way you like. SPACE FOR YOUR IDEAS TO ROAM Our vision for Noteflow is simple: to be digital pen and paper. The magic of pen and paper is in their versatility. They are useful for so many things, but particularly for the freeform capture of ideas. Noteflow expands upon this quality. You can naturally do all the things you normally do with pen and paper: take notes in meetings or class, and jot down flashes of inspirations on the go. And you can take that to a whole new level: One of Noteflow’s best uses is for "thinking on digital paper": quickly capture key ideas and concepts, then move and organize them on the screen. Noteflow's vector ink engine lets you scale and edit your work without any loss of quality. Your words and drawings remain tack sharp when zoomed in, giving you a huge effective working canvas even on a single page. There are analogues in the physical world, such as sketchnotes or everyday working on a white board, but being able to fluidly edit and move your ideas around the page is something you can only do digitally. When you represent the ideas in your head with your own personal scribbles on the screen, it effectively becomes an extension of your mind - giving you more room to think. We've designed every part of Noteflow to let you intuitively capture and work on your ideas the way you like. Whether it's dropping in existing information, quickly sketching concepts, or assembling polished presentations for others. EVALUATE NOTEFLOW RISK FREE Rather than just read about Noteflow, go ahead and try it out: We've decided to make the Basic Edition completely FREE. The Basic Edition is a full featured note-taking and sketching app. It comes with the Fountain Pen with black ink, photos, and a standard set of 5 popular fonts for text. Books max out at 20 pages each, but you can create as many as you like. NOTEFLOW+ Upgrade instantly at any time to get: + Inkport + Import and annotate PDFs + A customizable, full color palette, + The Marker, Write-Behind Highlighter and Straight Line tools. + Rotate, Cut, Copy, Paste Ink, and Page Management, + Notebooks with unlimited pages, + Page backgrounds and sizes, + An additional 50+ fonts, + And more! Learn more in the in-app Quickstart Guide. DIGITAL TOOLS FOR A DIGITAL AGE I hope you'll find Noteflow a useful part of your workflow, and that you'll discover new ways to do things with it that weren't easy before. We're very proud of the work we've put into Noteflow, but we're also just seen the beginning of what's possible with powerful new digital platforms like the iPad. Our goal is to push these platforms to their limits to craft useful tools. Tools that can help us think a little more clearly, communicate a bit more effectively, and connect with other in new and enriching ways. Thanks for joining us on this journey! -- The App Makers @ Qrayon.

About

Pencil Journaling

This app offers a focused journaling experience with a pen-compatible notebook and a built-in timer. Choose from over 50 themes and set daily reminders to cultivate a writing habit. Its minimalist interface helps you concentrate on your thoughts and clear your mind.

Highlights
  • Pen-compatible notebook
  • Focus timer
  • Over 50 journaling themes
  • Daily habit notifications
  • Minimalist UI
  • Page sharing options
Read full description

A simple notebook with a timer that allows you to choose a theme and write in pen. It also includes features for journaling, such as a list of over 50 themes and app notifications that can be made into a daily habit. This is recommended when you want to concentrate on your thoughts and clear your head. * Notebooks that are compatible with Apple Pencil and other pens * Timer that allows you to focus on a certain time * Minimal UI that doesn't interfere with thinking * A list of topics about work, yourself, etc. that you don't have to worry about what to write about * App notifications to encourage habit formation Usage: - Decide on the device orientation (i.e. page orientation) and press the Add button. - Decide on a theme or title. - Set the time for the timer. - Choose your favorite pen. - Start the timer. - Now let's focus on writing! - While the timer is running, you can switch between pen, eraser, and lasso in the lower left corner of the screen. - The thumbnails in the page list can be resized by pinching in and out. Version 1.3: Page sharing (copy/print/save image, etc.) is now supported. Tap the Share button at the bottom right of the page and select the sharing option (sharing to external applications may not work properly). Version 1.2: Skipped Version 1.1: Double-tap of the Apple Pencil is now supported. If you enable "Use Apple Pencil Double Tap" in the settings, you can switch between pen and eraser by double-tapping the Apple Pencil while the timer is running (the toolbar in the lower left corner of the screen will be hidden and the lasso tool will not be available).

Screenshots

Noteflow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Noteflow at none against Pencil Journaling's shown. Noteflow also leads on ratings volume (182 vs 7) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Noteflow against 4.1 for Pencil Journaling. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Noteflow has 182 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of Noteflow's written reviews are positive against 50% of Pencil Journaling's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Noteflow versus Pencil Journaling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteflowPencil Journaling
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (182 ratings) — better4.1 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews46.7% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings182 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.4 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQrayon, LLCMasaru Suzuki

Customer experience

Noteflow

All ratings182 ratings
Positive78.0%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.8%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral10.0%
Negative43.3%

Pencil Journaling

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Noteflow

No in-app purchases

None

Pencil Journaling

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Noteflow free?
Noteflow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pencil Journaling free?
Pencil Journaling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Noteflow or Pencil Journaling?
Noteflow is rated higher. Noteflow averages 4.2 out of 5 from 182 ratings, while Pencil Journaling averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.
Do Noteflow or Pencil Journaling have ads?
Pencil Journaling shows ads; Noteflow does not.
Which is updated more often, Noteflow or Pencil Journaling?
Noteflow ships an update every 6 weeks, and Pencil Journaling every 6 weeks. Most recently, Noteflow was updated on October 10, 2026 and Pencil Journaling on September 30, 2026.

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