# Penbook vs Digital Planner

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Penbook at 58% against Digital Planner's 21%. Penbook also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). Digital Planner's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penbook sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Digital Planner sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penbook holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 46K and 14K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Penbook's written reviews are positive against 21% of Digital Planner's.

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, Digital Planner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penbook | Digital Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295/reviews)** | [4.3 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-planner-task-journal/id1632352471/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **46K** | 14K |
| Positive reviews | **58.0% of reviews** | 20.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#106** | — |
| Size | 142 MB | 433 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pencil Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473063859) | [ToolStyle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1402526967) |

## What reviewers say

### Penbook

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

**Currently charting:** #106 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| 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 | $29.99 | per year |
| Penbook Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime (Loyalty) | $29.99 | one-time |
| Penbook Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |
| Penbook Premium Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |
| Penbook Premium Lifetime | $69.99 | 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


### Digital Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-planner-task-journal/id1632352471)

This app combines a daily planner with creative tools to organize your life and express your imagination. Create habit trackers, to-do lists, and reading lists, all while using colorful templates, stickers, and brushes. It also features AI art generation to add unique visuals to your pages.

**Highlights:** Habit trackers, To-do lists, Reading and movie lists, Creative templates, Stickers and brushes, AI art generation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Planner & Calendar: Agenda | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| One month subscription | $13.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| 3 Months subscription | $22.99 | per 3 months |
| 2 Month Subscription | $39.99 | per 2 months |
| 1 Year Subscription | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful for organization
- 🌟 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 👍 Useful for planning and tracking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overly expensive subscription
- 🔒 Limited free features
- 🐛 Glitchy performance
- 📢 Constant prompts to upgrade

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and crashing issues
- Incorrect spelling on templates
- Subscription issues and charges

**Requested features**

- More free templates and options
- Ability to customize without paying
- Improved drawing/writing tools
- Reduced subscription cost


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penbook free?

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

### Is Digital Planner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Penbook or Digital Planner?

Penbook is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 46K ratings, while Digital Planner averages 4.3 from 14K ratings.

### Do Penbook or Digital Planner have ads?

Digital Planner shows ads; Penbook does not.

### Which is updated more often, Penbook or Digital Planner?

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, and Digital Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Penbook was updated on October 24, 2026 and Digital Planner on October 23, 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.*