# Charcoal vs Pencil Planner

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Charcoal at none against Pencil Planner's 3. Charcoal also leads on ratings volume (144 vs 12). Pencil Planner's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pencil Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Charcoal asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Charcoal against 4.6 for Pencil Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charcoal has 144 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Charcoal's written reviews are positive against 84% of Pencil Planner's.

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charcoal | Pencil Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews) | **[4.6 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-stift/id1661094074/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 29 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) | [TNX Apps UG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1270694783) |

## What reviewers say

### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


### Pencil Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-stift/id1661094074)

This app allows users to visually plan their schedules by drawing appointments directly onto a calendar. It offers an intuitive, pen-on-paper experience for effortless scheduling, making it ideal for families and couples to coordinate activities and boost overall productivity.

**Highlights:** Draw appointments directly on calendar, Intuitive pen-on-paper planning, Visual family planner, Couple calendar for shared planning, Boost productivity and organization, Supports iPad stylus input

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quarterly Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Pro | $7.99 | per year |
| Pro | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charcoal free?

Charcoal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pencil Planner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Charcoal or Pencil Planner?

Pencil Planner is rated higher. Charcoal averages 4.5 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Pencil Planner averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.

### Do Charcoal or Pencil Planner have ads?

Neither Charcoal nor Pencil Planner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charcoal or Pencil Planner?

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, and Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Charcoal was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pencil Planner on November 3, 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.*