# Penbook vs Table & Spreadsheet Maker

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Table & Spreadsheet Maker at none against Penbook's 10. Table & Spreadsheet Maker also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 58%). Penbook's advantage is ratings volume (46K vs 10) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penbook sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Table & Spreadsheet Maker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Penbook holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penbook has 46K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Penbook's written reviews are positive against 78% of Table & Spreadsheet Maker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, Table & Spreadsheet Maker weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penbook | Table & Spreadsheet Maker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penbook-paper-planner-and-notes/id1473064295/reviews)** | [4.2 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/table-and-spreadsheet-maker/id6771582139/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **46K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 57.8% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 143 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.1 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pencil Research](https://appshunter.io/developer/1473063859) | [Naoyuki Rikiji](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465757389) |

## 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


### Table & Spreadsheet Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/table-and-spreadsheet-maker/id6771582139)

Organize lists, manage data, and build custom tables with this flexible spreadsheet-style app. Create checklists, track inventory, manage tasks, and more with customizable columns and powerful sorting and filtering options.

**Highlights:** Customizable tables, Checklists and trackers, Multiple column types, Sorting and filtering, Color-coded rows, CSV and 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 Table & Spreadsheet Maker free?

Table & Spreadsheet Maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Penbook or Table & Spreadsheet Maker?

Penbook is rated higher. Penbook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 46K ratings, while Table & Spreadsheet Maker averages 4.2 from 10 ratings.

### Do Penbook or Table & Spreadsheet Maker have ads?

Neither Penbook nor Table & Spreadsheet Maker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penbook or Table & Spreadsheet Maker?

Penbook ships an update every 5 days, and Table & Spreadsheet Maker weekly. Most recently, Penbook was updated on November 7, 2026 and Table & Spreadsheet Maker on November 5, 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.*