Comparison

Penman vs ToText

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

Head to head
About

Penman

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
Read full description

Penman turns your voice into notes — and your notes into knowledge. Record lectures, meetings, and ideas with real-time voice transcription in 120+ languages, chat with your notes through Spaces AI, and let built-in study tools create flashcards and quizzes for you. VOICE TO TEXT, LIVE - Real-time speech transcription in 120+ languages - Import audio files and transcribe them in minutes - Dictate hands-free, then refine with AI actions (summarize, reorder, rewrite) SPACES — AI CHAT WITH YOUR NOTES - Ask questions and get grounded answers with citations and source cards - Knowledge retrieval across your notes, documents, and recordings - On-device intelligence with Apple Foundation Models AI STUDY TOOLS - Generate flashcards from any note in one tap - Build quizzes automatically and test yourself - Summarize, reorder, and run custom AI prompts SCAN, LISTEN, CREATE - OCR: turn photos and scans into editable text - Text-to-speech playback with word highlighting - Create images with Apple Image Playground EVERYWHERE YOU WORK - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Export to PDF, TXT, JPG, and HTML - App Intents and Shortcuts for automation - Rich text editor with fonts and bidirectional writing support PREMIUM Unlock unlimited transcription, all AI features, and every export format with Penman Premium. Download Penman today and turn every conversation, lecture, and meeting into notes that work for you. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account, and will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscriptions in the App Store Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://penmanai.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://penmanai.app/privacy

About

ToText

This app converts spoken words into text in real-time, saving you typing time. It offers an intuitive interface for editing transcribed audio and includes features like instant recording and text highlighting synchronized with audio.

Highlights
  • Real-time voice to text transcription
  • Instant recording
  • High accuracy speech to text
  • Split text for readability
  • Highlight text with audio
  • Text editing and search
  • Unlimited usage
Features
Read full description

ToText transcribes voice notes into text in realtime and saves time spend in typing. This free speech to text app provides an intuitive interface to read and edit text along with listening to recorded voice. Core Features of App - Use the app without registration - Instant Recording - High accuracy speech to text engine - Split text for easy reading/editing - Highlight text with audio - Text editing - Search - Unlimited Usage* ToText can be used in many areas, few benefits are... - Save time in writing minutes of meeting - Take notes using while driving a car - Work as a virtual assistant to take your dictations - Help in transcribing interviews - Provides text to people with accessibility needs (deaf, hard-of-hearing)

Screenshots

Penman4 screens
ToText4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Penman at 4.1 against ToText's 3.0. Penman also leads on ratings volume (252 vs 6). ToText's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and review sentiment (67% vs 58%). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ToText asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Penman holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penman has 252 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 67% of ToText's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Penman versus ToText: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenmanToText
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (252 ratings) — better3.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews57.7% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings252 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.610.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSER_INTAbsoluit as

Customer experience

Penman

All ratings252 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive57.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative38.5%

ToText

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Penman

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • 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
Show 6 more
  • Highlighting loses color after copy-paste
  • Recording continues but doesn't transcribe after interruption
  • App force closes when deleting notes
  • Restore purchase button non-functional
  • Perpetual onboarding loop after trial signup
  • Transcription accuracy drops after initial sentences

Requested features

10 requests
  • Persistent highlighting tool color selection
  • Export to Markdown (.md) format
  • Custom photo book covers
  • More font options
  • Ability to keep handwritten notes without conversion
Show 5 more
  • Keep phone active during recording
  • Recently deleted folder for recovery
  • Standalone keyboard replacement
  • Unlimited recording time in free version
  • Auto-save and local backup system

ToText

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Penman

Subscriptions9
  • Monthly Discount Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Penman Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • 3 Months Penman Premium3 Days trial$8.993 Months
Show 6 more
  • Annual Voice to Text Live$14.991 Year
  • Yearly Discount Premium$14.991 Year
  • 6 Months Penman Premium3 Days trial$16.996 Months
  • Yearly Voice to Text plan7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Speech to Text Live6 Months trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Speech Voice to Text7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$29.99
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$39.99
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$59.99
None

ToText

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Penman free?
Penman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ToText free?
ToText is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Penman or ToText?
Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while ToText averages 3.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Penman or ToText have ads?
Neither Penman nor ToText shows ads.

Other comparisons