# Penman vs Live Transcribe Voice Notes

The clearest difference is rating: Penman at 4.1 against Live Transcribe Voice Notes's 3.0. Penman also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (252 vs 2). Live Transcribe Voice Notes's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 58%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Live Transcribe Voice Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 100% of Live Transcribe Voice Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, Live Transcribe Voice Notes every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | Live Transcribe Voice Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-transcribe-voice-notes/id6473301659/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 104 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Grails](https://appshunter.io/developer/1572914708) |

## 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


### Live Transcribe Voice Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-transcribe-voice-notes/id6473301659)

This app offers fast, private, and accurate live speech-to-text transcription. It works offline and is designed for accessibility, making it ideal for meetings, lectures, and everyday conversations. Transcriptions can be easily exported.

**Highlights:** Live speech-to-text transcription, Offline transcription capability, Private and secure processing, Export transcriptions, Light and dark modes, Accessibility features

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live Transcription - Month | $4.99 | per month |
| Live Transcription - Annual | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is Live Transcribe Voice Notes free?

Live Transcribe Voice Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Penman or Live Transcribe Voice Notes?

Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while Live Transcribe Voice Notes averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Penman or Live Transcribe Voice Notes have ads?

Neither Penman nor Live Transcribe Voice Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or Live Transcribe Voice Notes?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Live Transcribe Voice Notes every 5 months. Most recently, Penman was updated on October 26, 2026 and Live Transcribe Voice Notes on October 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*