# Penbook vs Stylus Labs Write Pro

The clearest difference is price: Penbook at Free against Stylus Labs Write Pro's $8.99. Penbook also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (46K vs 41). Stylus Labs Write Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (77% vs 58%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Penbook is free to download; Stylus Labs Write Pro costs $8.99 up front. Penbook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Stylus Labs Write Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Penbook against 4.5 for Stylus Labs Write Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penbook has 46K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Penbook's written reviews are positive against 77% of Stylus Labs Write Pro's.

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, Stylus Labs Write Pro every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penbook | Stylus Labs Write Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295/reviews)** | [4.5 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stylus-labs-write-pro/id1498369428/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **46K** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | 57.8% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 143 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pencil Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473063859) | [Matthew White](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498369427) |

## What reviewers say

### Penbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295)

Create custom digital notebooks with a vast library of stationery or import your own PDFs for annotation. Write naturally with a stylus and organize your notes with dynamic features like live planners and searchable handwriting.

**Highlights:** Live Paper dynamic stationery, Over 400 stationery types, Import and annotate PDFs, Natural handwriting with stylus, Searchable handwritten notes, Shape recognition, Customizable notebook covers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Penbook Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Penbook Premium | $7.99 | per month |
| Penbook Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| Penbook Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Penbook Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Penbook Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Penbook Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎨 Variety of customization options for notebooks
- 📝 Smooth writing experience with Apple Pencil
- 🗓️ Useful calendar integration
- 💡 Innovative features like washi tape and stickers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and data loss issues
- 🔒 Lack of password protection or locking feature
- 🔧 Glitchy zooming and ruler functionality
- 🧭 Poor notebook and page management
- 💰 Restrictive free version, expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Sticker resizing issues causing app freezes
- Ruler placement and alignment problems
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between pages
- Calendar sync not working as expected
- PDF import and annotation functionality not reliable

**Requested features**

- Allow custom notebook covers or images
- Add text box and typing capabilities
- Improve organization with folders or tags
- Provide more customization options for templates
- Implement a more intuitive undo/redo system


### Stylus Labs Write Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stylus-labs-write-pro/id1498369428)

This app offers advanced tools for editing and navigating handwritten documents, combining note-taking and vector drawing capabilities. It supports flexible file organization, cloud services, and a non-proprietary SVG format for easy sharing.

**Highlights:** Intelligent handwriting selection and editing tools, Reflow handwritten text with insert space tool, Create handwritten links and bookmarks, Non-proprietary SVG file format export, Apple Pencil support, Split view for multi-document work, PDF export

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penbook free?

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

### Is Stylus Labs Write Pro free?

Stylus Labs Write Pro costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Penbook or Stylus Labs Write Pro?

Penbook is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 46K ratings, while Stylus Labs Write Pro averages 4.5 from 41 ratings.

### Do Penbook or Stylus Labs Write Pro have ads?

Neither Penbook nor Stylus Labs Write Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penbook or Stylus Labs Write Pro?

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, and Stylus Labs Write Pro every 4 months. Most recently, Penbook was updated on November 5, 2026 and Stylus Labs Write Pro on November 3, 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.*