Comparison

Penbook vs SuperNotes Note Taking App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Penbook

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
Read full description

Write naturally with your Apple Pencil on Live Paper with Penbook. Build your perfect notebook from more than four hundred types of stationery. Then, use the best digital inking technology to pour your ideas, notes, plans, and dreams into it. Penbook's Live Paper is way smarter than ordinary stationery. Schedule your life on a monthly planner that shows a real calendar, organize your day with a day planner that shows you what time it is, and record your nutrition on a food diary that knows what day it is. Or, bring your own stationery! Import your PDFs into Penbook for quick annotation and editing. Give your notebooks colorful covers with fun art, and share them so your notes are always where you need them. FEATURES • Live Paper, the dynamic stationery that uses the smarts of your iPad and iPhone • Over 400 of academic, scientific, and planning stationeries • Import PDFs and use them as notebooks • Write naturally with your Apple Pencil, stylus, or finger • Unlimited unique cover combinations for your notes • Search your handwritten notes for words or phrases • Snap your strokes to perfect shapes with shape recognition INCLUDED STATIONERIES Penbook has a huge selection of customizable stationery. Each page of your notebook can be different, turning your iPad or iPhone into a magic notebook: • Blank stationery, with an optional date and configurable margin • Ruled paper with variable density • Graph paper with four options for square sizes • Dot stationery, either squared or isometric (offset) • Cross stationery with configurable margins and density • To Do pages with four layout options • Monthly habit paper for tracking streaks, habits, and goals • Day planner paper with a live updating timeline and calendar, and three layouts • Weekly planner paper that highlights the current time and date • Monthly planner paper that keeps track of the current day and shows you what's coming next • Yearly stationery for getting a complete overview of your next 365 days • Cornell paper for taking perfect study notes • French ruled (Séyès) paper • Penmanship practice paper • Table stationery for hand-written spreadsheets • Polar graph paper for plotting radial data • Semi-log and loglog paper for data with exponential growth or decay • Isometric stationery with equilateral (60-60-60) or isosceles (75-75-30) triangles • Perspective paper, configurable with one, two, or three vanishing points • Developer stationery with device stencils and configurable note-taking areas • Storyboard paper with 3 frame aspect ratios • Engineering paper with variable density • Chemistry paper for easily sketching molecules • Staff and tablature (music) paper with optional linked staves GET THE MOST OUT OF PENBOOK Use all of Penbook's stationery and writing features in a single notebook for free for as long as you like. Upgrade to Penbook Premium to create and export unlimited notebooks, receive access to new stationery and covers as they're designed, and get regular app updates. Penbook Premium is available by purchasing a yearly subscription or a one-time (lifetime) in-app purchase. When you choose to upgrade with the yearly subscription, you can start using Penbook Premium for free with a 7-day free trial. During the trial, cancel any time until 24 hours before the trial expires, and you will not be charged. If you do not cancel, you will be automatically billed for the yearly subscription when your free trial ends. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Our customer-first privacy policy: https://penbook.app/privacy-policy Penbook's terms of use: https://penbook.app/terms-of-use

About

SuperNotes Note Taking App

Transform your device into a digital notebook for handwritten notes and PDF annotation. Utilize Apple Pencil for drawing, sketching, and adding various objects. Organize and share your work seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Handwritten note-taking
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Drawing and sketching tools
  • Layers for object management
  • Template library
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

SuperNotes turns your device into digital paper! Take beautiful handwritten notes, import PDFs and write freely with Apple Pencil and other styluses. WRITE & DRAW • Draw, doodle or sketch with any pencil or your fingers • Full Apple Pencil support • Add Text, Images, Shapes, Stickers and more • Move, resize or rotate any objects • Work with Layers PDF SUPPORT • Import PDF files • Highlight, annotate and markup PDFs • Export any document as a PDF file TEMPLATES • Large selection of paper formats • Templates for Writing, Math, Music and more • Change Background colors SHARE, PRINT & EXPORT • Easily share and export your notes • Full Printing support • Option to Import & Export SuperNotes files EVEN MORE • Automatic iCloud sync to all your devices • Manage your notes with folders • Side by Side Mode on iPad • Dark Mode • Thousands of Stickers • Add sticky Notes • Import & Take Photos SUPPORT Our goal is to build the best apps in the world. You can help us by reporting bugs and requesting features via Email: help@rocketapps.com TERMS & PRIVACY https://rocketapps.com/privacy.html https://rocketapps.com/terms.html SUBSCRIPTION TERMS: The App offers an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription to provide you with unlimited access to all PRO Features while you maintain an active subscription. Payment will be charged to the credit card connected to your iTunes Account when you confirm the initial subscription purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of the renewal will be identified. You may manage your subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your Account Settings after the purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable.

Screenshots

Penbook4 screens
SuperNotes Note Taking App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Penbook at free with in-app purchases against SuperNotes Note Taking App's subscription. Penbook also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (45K vs 614). SuperNotes Note Taking App's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Penbook sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and SuperNotes Note Taking App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SuperNotes Note Taking App holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penbook has 45K ratings behind it against 614, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Penbook's written reviews are positive against 41% of SuperNotes Note Taking App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Penbook ships an update every 6 days, SuperNotes Note Taking App every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Penbook versus SuperNotes Note Taking App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenbookSuperNotes Note Taking App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (45K ratings)4.7 (614 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.4% of reviews — better41.4% of reviews
Number of ratings45K — better614
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPencil ResearchRocket Apps GmbH

Customer experience

Penbook

All ratings45,245 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral4.7%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews486 reviews
Positive57.4%
Neutral13.0%
Negative29.6%

SuperNotes Note Taking App

All ratings614 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive41.4%
Neutral12.1%
Negative46.6%

User reviews

Penbook

From 45K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

SuperNotes Note Taking App

From 614 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Great for taking notes
  • 👍 Useful for drawing and adding pictures
  • 👍 Helpful for school and college

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and crashes
  • 🐛 Notes randomly deleting
  • 💰 Requires payment for more features
  • 🚫 Account required to use app

Bugs and requests

Penbook

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

SuperNotes Note Taking App

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Lag when using Apple Pencil
  • Notes disappearing after closing the app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to view multiple notes at once
  • Option to minimize pen sidebar
  • Improved PDF annotation performance

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Penbook

Subscriptions7
  • Penbook Premium5 variants$4.991 Month
  • Penbook Premium$7.991 Month
  • Penbook Premium7 Days trial3 variants$14.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • Penbook Premium7 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Penbook Premium7 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Penbook Premium$29.991 Year
  • Penbook Premium7 Days trial3 variants$39.991 Year
One-time4
  • Premium Lifetime (Loyalty)$29.99
  • Penbook Premium Lifetime2 variants$49.99
  • Penbook Premium Lifetime$59.99
Show 1 more
  • Penbook Premium Lifetime$69.99
4 purchases

SuperNotes Note Taking App

Subscriptions4
  • Rocket Apps Membership3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Rocket Apps PRO Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Rocket Apps PRO Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Rocket Apps Membership3 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Penbook free?
Penbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SuperNotes Note Taking App free?
SuperNotes Note Taking App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Penbook or SuperNotes Note Taking App?
SuperNotes Note Taking App is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 45K ratings, while SuperNotes Note Taking App averages 4.7 from 614 ratings.
Do Penbook or SuperNotes Note Taking App have ads?
SuperNotes Note Taking App shows ads; Penbook does not.
Which is updated more often, Penbook or SuperNotes Note Taking App?
Penbook ships an update every 6 days, and SuperNotes Note Taking App every 10 days. Most recently, Penbook was updated on September 24, 2026 and SuperNotes Note Taking App on September 22, 2026.

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