Penman vs Common Hours
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Common Hours
This app offers a novel approach to coworking, connecting users for shared work sessions. It facilitates focused productivity by enabling individuals to work together remotely. Discover a new way to collaborate and get things done.
- Novel coworking approach
- Remote collaboration
- Focused productivity sessions
- Shared work environments
Read full descriptionHide full description
A new type of coworking app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Common Hours at 5.0 against Penman's 4.1. Common Hours also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). Penman's advantage is ratings volume (252 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Penman sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Common Hours asks for nothing beyond the download.
Common Hours holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penman has 252 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, Common Hours every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Penman | Common Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (252 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 252 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | SER_INT | Alexander Kim |
Customer experience
Penman
Common Hours
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Common Hours
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Penman
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
- Unlimited Voice to Text$29.99
- Unlimited Voice to Text$39.99
- Unlimited Voice to Text$59.99
Common Hours
No in-app purchases
