# Pencil Calendar vs Digital Planner for iPad

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Digital Planner for iPad at 2.1K against Pencil Calendar's 85. Digital Planner for iPad also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pencil Calendar sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Digital Planner for iPad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Pencil Calendar against 4.3 for Digital Planner for iPad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Digital Planner for iPad has 2.1K ratings behind it against 85, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 38% of Pencil Calendar's written reviews are positive against 44% of Digital Planner for iPad's.

Pencil Calendar ships an update fortnightly, Digital Planner for iPad every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Calendar | Digital Planner for iPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (85 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-calendar-calendarpad/id1587598103/reviews) | **[4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-planner-for-ipad/id6444685151/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 85 | **2.1K** |
| Positive reviews | 37.5% of reviews | **44.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 6 MB | 226 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Semore Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551678206) | [Alina Shpak](https://appshunter.io/developer/1656104667) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-calendar-calendarpad/id1587598103)

This app offers a handwritten planner and note-taking experience for iPad users. It provides two pages for every calendar period, allowing for separate planning and note-taking. Users can customize layouts, write naturally with Apple Pencil, and export their creations.

**Highlights:** Dual-page calendar layouts, Handwritten notes and drawings, Customizable templates, Apple Calendar integration, Home Screen widgets, PDF/PNG export, Perpetual planning

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CalendarPad Pro | $9.99 | one-time |
| CalendaPad Pro Promo | $9.99 | one-time |


### Digital Planner for iPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digital-planner-for-ipad/id6444685151)

Organize your life with a digital planner that mimics a classic paper notebook. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, manage tasks, events, and notes across your Apple devices. Offers flexible planning views and calendar syncing.

**Highlights:** Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly planning, Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil, Syncs with Apple, Google, and Outlook Calendars, Create and manage tasks and notes, Import and annotate PDFs, Customizable templates

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Planner (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |
| Digital Planner (Three month) | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Digital Planner (Annual) | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless integration with calendar
- 📝 Intuitive and easy to use
- ✨ Visually appealing design
- 🖋️ Great for handwritten notes
- 📚 Helpful book tracking feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 💰 Subscription-based model
- 🔒 Difficulty canceling subscription
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🗓️ Sync issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Lasso tool issues with cut and paste
- Disappearing text when writing over stickers
- Inconsistent calendar sync
- Eraser leaving jumbled pieces
- Inability to rearrange pages

**Requested features**

- Ability to delete individual pages
- Improved eraser functionality
- Sync with Outlook calendar
- Monthly and yearly view improvements
- Widgets for quick access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Calendar free?

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

### Is Digital Planner for iPad free?

Digital Planner for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pencil Calendar or Digital Planner for iPad?

Digital Planner for iPad is rated higher. Pencil Calendar averages 4.2 out of 5 from 85 ratings, while Digital Planner for iPad averages 4.3 from 2.1K ratings.

### Do Pencil Calendar or Digital Planner for iPad have ads?

Neither Pencil Calendar nor Digital Planner for iPad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil Calendar or Digital Planner for iPad?

Pencil Calendar ships an update fortnightly, and Digital Planner for iPad every 6 days. Most recently, Pencil Calendar was updated on November 11, 2026 and Digital Planner for iPad on November 12, 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.*