# PaperTube vs Penned

The clearest difference is price: PaperTube at Free against Penned's $4.99. PaperTube also leads on iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.6). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

PaperTube is free to download; Penned costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Penned holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 101 and 87 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of PaperTube's written reviews are positive against 50% of Penned's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PaperTube | Penned |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papertube/id1317169114/reviews) | **[4.6 (87 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101** | 87 |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 33 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.2** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NeoLAB Convergence Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/916072724) | [Edwing H Santos Mena](https://appshunter.io/developer/1851857999) |

## What reviewers say

### PaperTube

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papertube/id1317169114)

Easily create videos by simultaneously recording your screen and handwritten notes. Enhance your productions with adjustable pen settings, camera options, and custom background templates. Share your content as various file formats.

**Highlights:** Simultaneous screen and handwriting capture, Adjustable pen thickness and color, Front and rear camera switching, Customizable background templates, Export as PDF, PNG, JPEG, Paper remote control functionality

**In-app purchases:** none


### Penned

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765)

A minimalist handwriting app designed for privacy, keeping all your notes securely on your device. It features natural writing with Apple Pencil, on-device AI text recognition, and smart tagging for easy searching. Export your notes as PDFs in a clean, distraction-free interface.

**Highlights:** Natural Apple Pencil writing, On-device AI text recognition, 100% private, no cloud, Export beautiful PDFs, Smart tagging and search, Distraction-free interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PaperTube free?

PaperTube is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Penned free?

Penned costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, PaperTube or Penned?

Penned is rated higher. PaperTube averages 4.4 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Penned averages 4.6 from 87 ratings.

### Do PaperTube or Penned have ads?

Neither PaperTube nor Penned shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, PaperTube or Penned?

PaperTube ships an update every 2 months, and Penned every 2 months. Most recently, PaperTube was updated on October 16, 2026 and Penned on October 10, 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.*