PenCake vs Mainichi Routine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PenCake
A minimalist writing app designed for focused journaling, storytelling, and personal expression. Enjoy a distraction-free interface with elegant typography and seamless cross-device syncing. Secure your work with auto-save and biometric protection.
- Distraction-free interface
- Elegant typography
- Cross-device syncing
- Auto-save and version history
- Markdown support
- Organized by Stories
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A beautifully minimal space for your thoughts. Pencake helps you focus on your words—whether you’re writing a journal, a story, or something just for yourself. Since 2018, more than 2.3 million writers have chosen Pencake as their space to write in peace. Its clean, distraction-free interface helps you focus entirely on your words. No clutter, no noise—just you and your story. With elegant typography and smooth spacing, writing on Pencake feels as natural and beautiful as writing in a real book. Minimalist, yet powerful - Clean and aesthetically refined interface - Designed to enhance focus and creativity - Beautiful fonts and themes that suit your mood Writing made effortless - Start writing instantly with an intuitive experience - Enjoy smooth performance even with long-form writing - Stay organized with “Stories” that group related entries Write anywhere, anytime - Sync your work seamlessly across all your devices - Continue writing wherever inspiration strikes Safe and secure writing - Auto-save, version history, and trash recovery - Face ID / Touch ID protection Built for real writers - Supports Markdown for flexible formatting - Word and character count, image insertion, and preview mode - Ideal for all kinds of writing—journaling, blogging, novel writing, and fanfiction Whether you're an aspiring writer or just someone who loves writing in peace, Pencake offers a simple yet inspiring place to put your thoughts into words. * Some features such as auto-sync, desktop access, themes, and advanced fonts are available through Premium. --- - Official website: https://pencake.app/ - Desktop app: https://pencake.app/download/desktop/ - FAQs: https://pencake.app/faq/ - Format text: https://pencake.app/guide/markdown/ - Email: pencake.app@gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pencakeapp - X (Twitter): https://x.com/pencakeapp Please help translate into your language. https://crowdin.com/project/pencake Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pencake.app/privacy/
Mainichi Routine
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Mainichi Routine is a gentle, cute routine tracker that switches with the kind of day you are having. Weekday or day off, office or home, day shift or night shift. Days are not all the same, so each morning you just pick "what kind of day is today?" and only that day's routines line up. ■ What you can do ・Assign routines to day types (Weekday A, Day off B, and so on) ・Tap a card when you have done it. Targets per day are supported (drink water 6 times a day) ・Sort routines into morning, daytime and evening ・Keep events (timed or all-day) alongside, and look back on the monthly and weekly calendar ・Write a short diary with today's mood ・Days where you finished everything get a star on the calendar ・A once-a-day summary reminder and per-routine reminders (notifications are created on your device only) ・On a night out, count your drinks and get a gentle nudge when you pass the limit you set (for adults of legal drinking age) ■ Make it yours ・Hand-drawn sticker icons for your routines (emoji work too) ・Themes change the whole color scheme and texture, including the dark "Night sky" theme (themes are in-app purchases) ■ Private by design ・All data stays on this device. Nothing is sent to a server ・No account, no ads, no tracking ・Export and import a backup file any time No pressure. Record what you did, and keep the app by your side every day.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Mainichi Routine at daily against PenCake's monthly. PenCake's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. PenCake sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Mainichi Routine sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PenCake ships an update monthly, Mainichi Routine daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PenCake | Mainichi Routine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (121 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 121 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Diffathy, Inc. | Famulite Lab. LLC |
In-app purchases
PenCake
- Tip the Developer (Subs)$1.491 Month
- Premium Yearly Subscription$6.991 Year
- Premium Yearly Subscription$9.991 Year
- Tip the Developer$0.99
- Upgrade to Premium$1.99
- Tip the Developer$2.99
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- Upgrade to Premium$2.99
- Upgrade to Premium$3.99
- Upgrade to Premium$5.99
- Tip the Developer$9.99
- Lifetime Premium Access$15.99
- Upgrade to Premium Lifetime$19.99
- Lifetime Premium Access$23.99
Mainichi Routine
- テーマ「ミント」$0.49
- テーマ「ラベンダー」$0.49
- テーマ「よぞら」$0.49









