Comparison

LinHand vs Pencil

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

Head to head
About

LinHand

Capture ideas with a fluid writing experience, organize them with outlines, and quickly find information through text search. Share your notes in various formats, including native data for seamless collaboration.

Highlights
  • Fluent writing with various brushes and colors
  • Create outlines for easy navigation
  • Quick text search within notes
  • Export to PDF, PNG, and native format
  • Add pictures and text to notes
  • iCloud automatic data storage
Features
Read full description

With LinHand, you can take notes, share notes, and add pictures and text to them at any time. 【1】Fluent writing Writing with LinHand is as smooth and precise as writing in a real notepad. There are a variety of brushes and colors to choose from. [2] Create an outline Add a directory to the file, easy to find and jump to the page. 【3】Quick search text Perform a global search of text to quickly find key annotations. 【4】Support exporting files in various formats Supports exporting files in PDF, PNG, .LinHand formats. Use .LinHand format files to easily share LinHand native data with other users. LinHand uses iCloud to automatically store data, please turn on iCloud to store data in the phone's system settings. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account upon confirmation of your order. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Accounts will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by visiting your Account Settings after purchase. Terms of use: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/530890491 Privacy Policy: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/141347640

About

Pencil

This app allows users to handwrite, sketch, and annotate PDFs on their iPad and iPhone. It supports Apple Pencil and other styluses for note-taking, drawing, and even watercolor painting. Features include audio recording within notes and AI assistance for summarizing and translation.

Highlights
  • Handwrite and sketch with stylus or finger
  • Annotate and mark up PDFs
  • Record audio directly in notes
  • Create formatted text notes
  • Watercolor painting workspace
  • Scan and import documents
  • AI assistance for summaries and translation
Features
Read full description

Pencil brings handwriting, sketching, PDF annotation and watercolor painting to iPad and iPhone. Designed especially for Apple Pencil on iPad, it also works with other compatible styluses and your finger. Take notes in class, mark up a document, plan your week or paint an idea while it is still fresh. • Write and sketch your way. Use Apple Pencil on iPad, or write and draw with a compatible stylus or your finger on iPad and iPhone. Start a PDF note from a paper template, choose your ink colors and add typed text, images and shapes. Use lined or grid backgrounds to give your notes structure. • Make your PDFs useful. Highlight passages, add comments, write in the margins and insert your signature. Search inside a document, bookmark important pages and rearrange, duplicate or rotate pages as your work develops. • Keep the conversation with your notes. Record audio directly in a PDF note and play it back alongside the page. Revisit a lecture, meeting or explanation without separating the recording from your written notes. • Type when words come first. Create formatted Text Notes with fonts, colors, lists, checklists, tables and images. Turn a quick thought into a clear set of notes, a plan or a longer draft, then export it as a PDF to share. • Explore watercolor painting. Open a dedicated painting workspace, choose your paper and experiment with brushes, mixed colors and washes. Paint from a reference photo, try guided practice lessons and export your painting as an image or PDF. • Bring paper into your notebook. Scan documents with the camera, import files through the Files app and add photos to your work. Keep notes, PDFs and paintings organized in folders, ready to return to when you need them. • Get help from AI. Ask questions about your documents, summarize a passage, explain an unfamiliar concept or translate selected text. Use AI Chat to work through an idea alongside your notes. Privacy Policy: https://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LinHand3 screens
Pencil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pencil at 4.0 against LinHand's 3.0. Pencil also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 52 months). LinHand's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 25%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. LinHand sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year and Pencil sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pencil holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of LinHand's written reviews are positive against 25% of Pencil's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LinHand ships an update every 52 months, Pencil weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
LinHand versus Pencil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLinHandPencil
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 52 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB511 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer侠光 邢Kairoos Solutions SL

Customer experience

LinHand

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Pencil

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

LinHand

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly subscription$2.991 Year
One-time1
  • upgrade Pro$4.99
4 purchases

Pencil

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Unlock All and AI Assistant3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Pencil Annual3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pencil Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is LinHand free?
LinHand 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, LinHand or Pencil?
Pencil is rated higher. LinHand averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Pencil averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do LinHand or Pencil have ads?
Neither LinHand nor Pencil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LinHand or Pencil?
LinHand ships an update every 52 months, and Pencil weekly. Most recently, LinHand was updated on November 3, 2026 and Pencil on November 12, 2026.

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