# Penned vs UnTrap for YouTube

The clearest difference is rating: Penned at 4.6 against UnTrap for YouTube's 4.1. Penned also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 13). UnTrap for YouTube's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (62% vs 50%). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Penned costs $4.99 and UnTrap for YouTube $4.99 up front. UnTrap for YouTube sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Penned asks for nothing beyond the download.

Penned holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UnTrap for YouTube has 496 ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Penned's written reviews are positive against 62% of UnTrap for YouTube's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Penned ships an update every 2 months, UnTrap for YouTube fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penned | UnTrap for YouTube |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (87 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765/reviews)** | [4.1 (496 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/untrap-for-youtube/id1637438059/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 87 | **496** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **62.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#22** |
| Size | 1 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Edwing H Santos Mena](https://appshunter.io/developer/1851857999) | [Yevhen Tretiakov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1592732760) |

## What reviewers say

### Penned

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765)

A minimalist handwriting app designed for privacy, keeping all your notes securely on your device. It features natural writing with Apple Pencil, on-device AI text recognition, and smart tagging for easy searching. Export your notes as PDFs in a clean, distraction-free interface.

**Highlights:** Natural Apple Pencil writing, On-device AI text recognition, 100% private, no cloud, Export beautiful PDFs, Smart tagging and search, Distraction-free interface

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### UnTrap for YouTube

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/untrap-for-youtube/id1637438059)

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Enhance your YouTube viewing with over 250 features designed to remove distractions and boost productivity. Enjoy AI-powered video summaries, customizable layouts, content filtering, and focus tools for a cleaner, more efficient experience.

**Highlights:** AI video summaries, Hide Shorts, comments, and suggestions, Layout customization, Content filtering, Focus tools, Auto-redirect homepage, Hide ad banners

**Features:** Safari Extension, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $35.99 | per year |
| Tip | $24.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $34.99 | one-time |
| TIp | $39.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $44.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $49.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $59.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $69.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $79.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $89.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Customizable YouTube experience
- 🔒 Blocks distractions like Shorts and recommendations
- 👍 Improves productivity and focus
- 👍 Extensive customization options
- 👍 Works on Safari browser

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs with hiding comments and playlists
- 🐛 Issues with blocking channels and videos
- 🐛 Performance slowdowns
- 🔒 Concerns about invasive permissions
- 💰 Paid app with additional subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Shorts not being blocked consistently
- Buttons and features not working as expected
- Sync and login issues
- Compatibility problems with iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Option to disable video autoplay
- Ability to block specific channels and videos
- Sync settings across devices
- Preset customization profiles
- Support for Chrome and other browsers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penned free?

Penned costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is UnTrap for YouTube free?

UnTrap for YouTube costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Penned or UnTrap for YouTube?

Penned is rated higher. Penned averages 4.6 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while UnTrap for YouTube averages 4.1 from 496 ratings.

### Do Penned or UnTrap for YouTube have ads?

Neither Penned nor UnTrap for YouTube shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Penned or UnTrap for YouTube?

Penned ships an update every 2 months, and UnTrap for YouTube fortnightly. Most recently, Penned was updated on September 22, 2026 and UnTrap for YouTube on September 26, 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.*