# Zavala vs Penloop

The clearest difference is price: Zavala at Free against Penloop's $6.99. Zavala also leads on ratings volume (67 vs 3). Penloop's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Zavala is free to download; Penloop costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Penloop holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zavala has 67 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Zavala's written reviews are positive against 100% of Penloop's.

Zavala ships an update every 2 weeks, Penloop fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zavala | Penloop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zavala/id1546457750/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penloop/id6479236344/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **67** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 18 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Vincode, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434335357) | [DynaPlastic Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1344665647) |

## What reviewers say

### Zavala

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zavala/id1546457750)

This app offers a modern approach to outlining, providing a full suite of features. It supports gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows for efficient organization and content creation. Easily import and export in various formats, sync across devices, and customize your outlining experience.

**Highlights:** OPML Import & Export, Markdown Export, iCloud Syncing & Sharing, Nested Tags, Image Embedding, Keyboard Shortcuts, Drag and Drop

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Penloop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penloop/id6479236344)

This app helps you organize your life by capturing events, todos, notes, and more. It offers a flexible system with calendars, folders, and tags to manage your information privately on your device.

**Highlights:** Capture events, todos, notes, journals, Organize with calendars, folders, tags, Private, on-device data storage, Automatic backups, Create multiple spaces, Sync via iCloud Drive

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zavala free?

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

### Is Penloop free?

Penloop costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Zavala or Penloop?

Penloop is rated higher. Zavala averages 4.8 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Penloop averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Zavala or Penloop have ads?

Neither Zavala nor Penloop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zavala or Penloop?

Zavala ships an update every 2 weeks, and Penloop fortnightly. Most recently, Zavala was updated on September 25, 2026 and Penloop on September 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*