Comparison

Calligraphy vs Zendoodle for iPad

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

Head to head
About

Calligraphy

Learn the art of beautiful handwriting with this comprehensive course. It offers theoretical and practical lessons to develop your penmanship skills and master letter shapes. Practice on a digital pad or print exercises for paper practice.

Highlights
  • Theoretical and practical lessons
  • Hand muscle development
  • Letter shape mastery
  • Digital training pad
  • Printable exercises
  • Guideline sheet customization
Features
Read full description

Dive into the enchanting universe of calligraphy, a place where every mark bears witness to the sophistication of script. More than just penmanship, calligraphy is a visual concert of alphabets, assembled with delicacy and symmetry, capturing the individuality of each creator. This discipline elevates writing beyond mundane communication, turning it into a unique artistic statement. Becoming proficient in calligraphy is a path filled with ongoing education and practice. The Cursive Writing App serves as a manual for effective cursive handwriting, offering a series of successive theoretical and hands-on lessons. Upon completing this course, you will acquire the necessary writing abilities, develop mastery over the hand's writing muscles, and learn how to practically apply these skills to the shapes of letters. The free version without a subscription includes lessons on basic principles in writing, the first two lessons of more advanced stages, and limited writing on the training pad. With the subscription, you'll get access to all theoretical and practical lessons of the course plus an ability to write on the training pad. You can also print all exercises in the "Practice" section, as well as tune and print a guidelines sheet for practicing on paper. *Calligraphy Course Subscription* • Calligraphy Course requires a subscription to access all books' content. • Once your purchase is confirmed, you will be charged through your iTunes account. • The subscription will automatically renew. • You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in your App Store account, but at least 24 hrs before the end of the current period. • If you chose an offered trial period and would like not to proceed with subscribing, you have to cancel your subscription at least 24 hrs before the end of the Trial, otherwise, you will be charged for the first billing period. Terms of use: https://calligraphy.app/penman-book/termsofuse/ Privacy policy: https://calligraphy.app/penman-book/privacy/

About

Zendoodle for iPad

This app offers a relaxing and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It's based on the Zentangle method, an easy-to-learn artistic technique.

Highlights
  • Zentangle method-based doodling
  • Create beautiful images
  • Structured pattern drawing
  • Relaxing and fun experience
  • Easy to learn technique
Read full description

Zendoodle is a doodling app based on the Zentangle method. **The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Screenshots

Calligraphy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calligraphy at 2.9 against Zendoodle for iPad's 1.0. Calligraphy also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 8 months). Zendoodle for iPad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price and ads 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

Both are free to download. Calligraphy sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Zendoodle for iPad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calligraphy holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calligraphy has 25 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Calligraphy's written reviews are positive against 0% of Zendoodle for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Calligraphy ships an update every 5 weeks, Zendoodle for iPad every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Calligraphy versus Zendoodle for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCalligraphyZendoodle for iPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (25 ratings) — better1.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings25 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVladislava RudetskaiaEpseelon OU

Customer experience

Calligraphy

All ratings25 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative52.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative50.0%

Zendoodle for iPad

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Calligraphy

Subscriptions4
  • Full Access Weekly Sale$0.997 Days
  • Full Access Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Full Access$3.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Full Access Monthly Family$7.991 Month
None

Zendoodle for iPad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Calligraphy free?
Calligraphy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zendoodle for iPad free?
Zendoodle for iPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Calligraphy or Zendoodle for iPad?
Calligraphy is rated higher. Calligraphy averages 2.9 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Zendoodle for iPad averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Calligraphy or Zendoodle for iPad have ads?
Neither Calligraphy nor Zendoodle for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Calligraphy or Zendoodle for iPad?
Calligraphy ships an update every 5 weeks, and Zendoodle for iPad every 8 months. Most recently, Calligraphy was updated on November 3, 2026 and Zendoodle for iPad on October 30, 2026.

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