# Penbook vs Noteshelf

The clearest difference is chart position: Penbook at #88 against Noteshelf's unranked. Penbook also leads on ratings volume (46K vs 7.1K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penbook sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Noteshelf sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Penbook against 4.6 for Noteshelf. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penbook has 46K ratings behind it against 7.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 58% and 57% positive.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penbook | Noteshelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295/reviews) | **[4.6 (7.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-ai-notes-and-pdf/id6458735203/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **46K** | 7.1K |
| Positive reviews | **57.8% of reviews** | 57.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#88** | — |
| Size | 142 MB | 558 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pencil Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473063859) | [Fluid Touch Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/318004740) |

## What reviewers say

### Penbook

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

**Currently charting:** #88 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


### Noteshelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteshelf-ai-notes-and-pdf/id6458735203)

Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note creation, PDF annotation and markup, Audio recording with notes, AI-powered summarization and translation, Customizable notebooks and templates, Handwriting to text conversion, Document scanning and import

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf 3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Weekly Premium | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf3 Monthly Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf Premium Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf 3 Yearly Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Noteshelf3 Yearly Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium for Noteshelf 2 users | $9.99 | one-time |
| Noteshelf 3 Premium - Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📚 Versatile note-taking features
- 🎨 Customizable templates and covers
- 🔍 Accurate handwriting recognition
- 💻 Seamless integration across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices
- 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data security
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🔧 Buggy or missing features from previous versions

**Reported bugs**

- Notebooks failing to open or sync correctly
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Imported PDFs losing formatting or functionality
- Unexpected loss of data or notes
- Compatibility issues with older devices or operating systems

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create folders within notebooks
- Improve page organization and navigation
- Implement a more intuitive color picker and pen customization
- Introduce a history/undo feature for linked pages
- Add support for custom stickers and templates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penbook free?

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

### Is Noteshelf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Penbook or Noteshelf?

Noteshelf is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 46K ratings, while Noteshelf averages 4.6 from 7.1K ratings.

### Do Penbook or Noteshelf have ads?

Neither Penbook nor Noteshelf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penbook or Noteshelf?

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, and Noteshelf every 5 days. Most recently, Penbook was updated on October 25, 2026 and Noteshelf on October 25, 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.*