# Pencil vs Self Study CS

The clearest difference is ads: Pencil at none against Self Study CS's shown. Pencil also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Self Study CS's advantage is update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Pencil ships an update fortnightly, Self Study CS daily. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil | Self Study CS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-read-write-connect/id1542437927/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 44 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ONE POINT SIX TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542437929) | [APPS BAY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1599035519) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-read-write-connect/id1542437927)

Access summaries, shorts, and e-books across various genres. Engage with a global community of readers and writers, track your reading progress, and discover new ideas from independent authors.

**Highlights:** Book summaries and shorts, E-books from independent authors, 25+ sub-genres, Reading activity tracker, Global reader and writer community, Short content creation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Self Study CS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/self-study-cs-learn-to-code/id6765632695)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil free?

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

### Is Self Study CS free?

Self Study CS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pencil or Self Study CS have ads?

Self Study CS shows ads; Pencil does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil or Self Study CS?

Pencil ships an update fortnightly, and Self Study CS daily. Most recently, Pencil was updated on October 1, 2026 and Self Study CS on October 7, 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.*