# Penman vs TranscribeAI

The clearest difference is rating: Penman at 4.1 against TranscribeAI's 3.7. Penman also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 44%) and ratings volume (252 vs 58). TranscribeAI's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and TranscribeAI sells 7 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 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 252 and 58 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 44% of TranscribeAI's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | TranscribeAI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews)** | [3.7 (58 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transcribeai-note-taker/id6739488479/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 58 |
| Positive reviews | **57.7% of reviews** | 44.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 104 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Ripon Soum](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781016398) |

## 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


### TranscribeAI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transcribeai-note-taker/id6739488479)

This intelligent assistant transforms audio files, podcasts, and YouTube videos into accurate text transcriptions. It offers AI-powered summaries and an interactive chat feature to engage with your content. Save time and easily access information from any audio source.

**Highlights:** Audio to text transcription, Podcast episode transcription, YouTube video transcription, AI-powered summaries, Interactive content chat, Secure transcription storage

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| premium monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| premium yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| 1 Hour | $1.99 | one-time |
| 20 Hours | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5 Hours | $8.99 | one-time |
| 10 Hours | $14.99 | one-time |
| Premium One Time Purchase | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Solid app
- 🚀 Great function
- 👍 Simple use
- 👍 Nice interface
- 👍 Improved significantly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Freezes up and stops working
- 💰 Greedy & unethical
- 💰 False lifetime offer
- 💰 Billing Errors
- 💰 Needs to buy credits

**Reported bugs**

- Transcription failed
- Audio files not found the next day
- Inaccurate transcription in multiple languages

**Requested features**

- Add more languages, especially Arabic
- Add preview of sample being worked on
- Implement dark mode
- Add share audio feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is TranscribeAI free?

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

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

Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while TranscribeAI averages 3.7 from 58 ratings.

### Do Penman or TranscribeAI have ads?

Neither Penman nor TranscribeAI shows ads.

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

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and TranscribeAI every 2 weeks. Most recently, Penman was updated on October 23, 2026 and TranscribeAI on October 21, 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.*