# NoteEase vs Pencil

The clearest difference is monetization model: Pencil at freemium against NoteEase's subscription. Pencil also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly). NoteEase's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (42% vs 25%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NoteEase sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per year and Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NoteEase holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NoteEase has 67 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of NoteEase's written reviews are positive against 25% of Pencil's.

NoteEase ships an update monthly, Pencil every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NoteEase | Pencil |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteease-recording-made-easy/id1571634854/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-pdf-notes-with-pencil/id6466286421/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **67** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **41.7% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 113 MB | 465 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hangzhou Jiadi Bozhong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506720843) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## What reviewers say

### NoteEase

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteease-recording-made-easy/id1571634854)

This app digitizes handwritten notes and photos, allowing for easy annotation and organization. Capture, edit, and share your visual and text-based ideas across devices for a streamlined workflow.

**Highlights:** Convert photos to digital notes, Annotate existing photos, Type and format text notes, Stylus support for drawing, Organize and archive notes, Sync and share across devices

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly member | $4.49 | per year |
| Yearly member | $29.99 | per year |
| Xnotes永久会员优惠价 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Permanent member | $6.99 | one-time |
| Permanent member | $49.99 | one-time |


### Pencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-pdf-notes-with-pencil/id6466286421)

Create beautiful notes, sketch ideas, and annotate PDFs with advanced ink tools and AI assistance. Convert handwriting to text, scan documents, and organize files seamlessly across cloud services. Enjoy a realistic ink-on-paper feel with stylus support.

**Highlights:** Advanced ink tools for writing and sketching, AI Assistant for summarization and translation, Handwritten notes to editable text conversion, Document scanning with automatic frame recognition, Cloud service integration for file management, Full-text search for PDFs, PDF reader with highlighting and read aloud

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All and AI Assistant | $2.99 | per month |
| GoodPencil Upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NoteEase free?

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

### Is Pencil free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NoteEase or Pencil?

NoteEase is rated higher. NoteEase averages 4.4 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Pencil averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do NoteEase or Pencil have ads?

Neither NoteEase nor Pencil shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NoteEase or Pencil?

NoteEase ships an update monthly, and Pencil every 8 days. Most recently, NoteEase was updated on October 22, 2026 and Pencil on October 11, 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.*