# Penman vs Common Hours

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penman | Common Hours |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (252 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penman-ai-note-taker/id1434184098/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/common-hours/id6779274174/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **252** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 104 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [SER_INT](https://appshunter.io/developer/525443615) | [Alexander Kim](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779274176) |

## 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


### Common Hours

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/common-hours/id6779274174)

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.

**Highlights:** Novel coworking approach, Remote collaboration, Focused productivity sessions, Shared work environments

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penman free?

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

### Is Common Hours free?

Common Hours is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Penman or Common Hours?

Common Hours is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while Common Hours averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Penman or Common Hours have ads?

Neither Penman nor Common Hours shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penman or Common Hours?

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Common Hours every 5 days. Most recently, Penman was updated on October 19, 2026 and Common Hours on October 18, 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.*