# Penman vs note.ai

The clearest difference is rating: Penman at 4.1 against note.ai's 3.3. Penman also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 33%) and ratings volume (252 vs 12). note.ai's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and note.ai sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penman holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penman has 252 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 33% of note.ai's.

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, note.ai weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | note.ai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews)** | [3.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteai-smart-ai-note-taker/id6535689404/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | **57.7% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **12.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [HASANCAN ZUBAROGLU](https://appshunter.io/developer/1745700101) |

## 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


### note.ai

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteai-smart-ai-note-taker/id6535689404)

This AI-powered app transforms your voice recordings into organized, actionable text notes. It automatically generates summaries and titles, making it ideal for meetings, lectures, and capturing ideas on the go.

**Highlights:** Voice to text transcription, AI-generated summaries, Automatic note titling, Real-time recording, Multi-language support, Meeting minutes recorder, Lecture note capture

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Annual | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is note.ai free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Penman or note.ai?

Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while note.ai averages 3.3 from 12 ratings.

### Do Penman or note.ai have ads?

Neither Penman nor note.ai shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or note.ai?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and note.ai weekly. Most recently, Penman was updated on November 6, 2026 and note.ai on November 12, 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.*