# Penman vs Vemo

The clearest difference is rating: Vemo at 4.6 against Penman's 4.1. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Vemo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Vemo holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 252 and 102 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 58% and 58% positive.

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, Vemo every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | Vemo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews) | **[4.6 (102 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vemo-ai-note-taker/id6458929422/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 102 |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | **58.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Savings LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/407094601) |

## 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discount Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly Penman Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| 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


### Vemo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vemo-ai-note-taker/id6458929422)

This AI-powered tool automatically transcribes and summarizes your work meetings, extracting key action items and decisions. It allows for easy editing, sharing, and querying of meeting content, ensuring you never miss important details and can focus on the conversation.

**Highlights:** AI-powered note taking, Automatic action item extraction, Magic edit for note adjustments, Effortless sharing of notes, Ask questions about meeting content, Visual mind map generation, Flawless, synced transcription

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro | $83.90 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is Vemo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Penman or Vemo?

Vemo is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while Vemo averages 4.6 from 102 ratings.

### Do Penman or Vemo have ads?

Neither Penman nor Vemo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or Vemo?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Vemo every 4 weeks. Most recently, Penman was updated on November 2, 2026 and Vemo on November 3, 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.*