# Penbook vs Handwriting Book

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Penbook at 58% against Handwriting Book's 0%. Penbook also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (46K vs 7). Handwriting Book's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penbook sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Handwriting Book sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penbook holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penbook has 46K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Penbook's written reviews are positive against 0% of Handwriting Book's.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penbook | Handwriting Book |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295/reviews)** | [3.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwriting-book-note-taking/id1645807794/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **46K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **57.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#179** | — |
| Size | 143 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pencil Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473063859) | [婧 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/797015558) |

## What reviewers say

### Penbook

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

**Currently charting:** #179 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, iPhone Duo support

**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


### Handwriting Book

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/handwriting-book-note-taking/id1645807794)

This app offers an infinite canvas for note-taking and creative work. It features natural writing, shape and text insertion, document scanning, and easy sharing options. Organize your notes with folders and tags, and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Infinite canvas, Natural writing experience, Insert text, shapes, and images, Built-in document scanner, Folder and tag organization, Multi-device synchronization, Export to PDF and image

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual subscription | $4.49 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penbook free?

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

### Is Handwriting Book free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Penbook or Handwriting Book?

Penbook is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 46K ratings, while Handwriting Book averages 3.6 from 7 ratings.

### Do Penbook or Handwriting Book have ads?

Neither Penbook nor Handwriting Book shows ads.

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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.*