# Penman vs Smart Countdown

The clearest difference is update cadence: Penman at every 2 weeks against Smart Countdown's every 5 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Smart Countdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, Smart Countdown every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | Smart Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **252** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 104 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 18.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Karim Azar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1323132448) |

## What reviewers say

### Penman

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098)

Effortlessly convert spoken words into text notes in over 120 languages using advanced speech-to-text technology. Enhance your writing with AI-powered actions and organize your notes with a powerful, intuitive editor. Sync securely across devices and export your work in various formats.

**Highlights:** Speech to text transcription, AI-powered writing enhancements, Intuitive text editor, Note organization and categorization, Cross-device iCloud sync, Export to PDF, TXT, Image, HTML, Multiple language support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discount Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Penman Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| 3 Months Penman Premium | $8.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Voice to Text Live | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Discount Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| 6 Months Penman Premium | $16.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Voice to Text plan | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly Speech to Text Live | $19.99 | per year |
| Yearly Speech Voice to Text | $29.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $29.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $39.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Voice to Text | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate speech-to-text transcription
- ⚡ Fast and efficient note-taking
- 🎨 Beautiful, intuitive UI design
- 🌍 Supports multiple languages
- 📱 Easy text export to various formats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 💾 Data loss and disappearing text issues
- 🔄 Unreliable syncing across devices
- ⏸️ Recording stops when phone sleeps
- ❌ Inconsistent speech-to-text accuracy

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or during use
- Text disappears without user action
- Transcription halts when device enters sleep mode
- iCloud sync failures between devices
- Notes deleted when free trial expires

**Requested features**

- Persistent highlighting tool color selection
- Export to Markdown (.md) format
- Custom photo book covers
- More font options
- Ability to keep handwritten notes without conversion


### Smart Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-countdown/id1449837238)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is Smart Countdown free?

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

### Do Penman or Smart Countdown have ads?

Neither Penman nor Smart Countdown shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or Smart Countdown?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Smart Countdown every 5 months. Most recently, Penman was updated on October 19, 2026 and Smart Countdown on October 4, 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.*