Comparison

Penned vs ScanVault‎

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Penned

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
Read full description

Your thoughts deserve privacy. Penned Notes is a minimalist handwriting app that keeps everything on your device. - Natural Apple Pencil writing - AI text recognition (on-device) - 100% private - zero cloud required - Export beautiful PDFs - Smart tagging & search - Clean, distraction-free interface Unlike other note apps, Penned Notes uses Apple's Neural Engine to recognize your handwriting locally and nothing leaves your device. No accounts, no tracking, no subscriptions to complex features you don't need. Perfect for: - Daily journaling - Class notes & studying - Meeting notes - Sketches & brainstorming - Sensitive work documents Privacy-first architecture means your notes stay truly yours. Download Penned Notes.  Where your thoughts are penned, not surveilled.

About

ScanVault‎

Read full description

ScanVault‎ is a fast and simple tool for managing all your QR and barcode scans in one place. You can instantly scan codes to view their content, generate new QR codes when you need to share links or information, and sort everything into clear categories so nothing gets lost. Every scan is automatically stored in your history, with detailed scan information that makes it easy to revisit and reuse important codes later. When you create or scan something useful, you can save it to your gallery or export it for use in documents, presentations, or sharing with others. The free version includes up to five scans, two generated QR codes, and two exports, and supports only QR codes and standard barcodes, which is ideal for light or occasional use. Upgrading to Premium unlocks unlimited scanning, unlimited QR code generation, and unlimited exports, so you can rely on ScanVault‎ for everyday work and personal tasks. Premium also adds support for all major code formats, making the app flexible enough for more advanced or professional scenarios. Whether you are organizing tickets, product codes, or personal QR links, ScanVault‎ keeps everything quick, organized, and easy to access whenever you need it.This application contains auto-renewable subscriptions and In-App Purchases.1 week: $4.99, 1 month: $12.99, 1 year: $39.99, Lifetime: $59.99. Terms of Use Link: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y7_VaRlRozxIlSm94VpVPGuNY0iksI63LFUUs2gGmZA/edit?usp=sharing

Screenshots

Penned4 screens
ScanVault‎4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScanVault‎ at Free against Penned's $4.99. ScanVault‎ also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). Penned's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ScanVault‎ is free to download; Penned costs $4.99 up front. ScanVault‎ sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Penned asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Penned versus ScanVault‎: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPennedScanVault‎
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (87 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings87 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdwing H Santos MenaTwins LDS LLC

In-app purchases

None

Penned

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

ScanVault‎

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Weekly-Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly$12.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$59.99

Questions

Is Penned free?
Penned costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScanVault‎ free?
ScanVault‎ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Penned or ScanVault‎ have ads?
Neither Penned nor ScanVault‎ shows ads.

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