Screen Pencil vs Reader's Bench
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Screen Pencil
Record videos of websites while simultaneously taking notes with your finger. Capture audio using the built-in or external microphone for comprehensive documentation.
- Website video recording
- Finger-drawn note-taking
- Audio recording (internal/external mic)
- Productivity tool
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Record a video of a website while taking notes with your finger, with the option to record audio with the built in mic or external mic.
Reader's Bench
This app is a PDF reader and markup tool designed for serious study and research. It allows users to read, annotate, take notes, and review highlighted content from PDF documents with efficient performance and a distraction-free interface.
- PDF reading and markup
- Handwriting and typed notes
- Annotation extraction for review
- Highlight, underline, strikethrough
- Image capture and insertion
- Export notes and annotated PDFs
- Word definition and sentence translation
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Reader's Bench — Read, Annotate & Take Notes Reader's Bench is a powerful PDF and ePub reader built for students, researchers, and professionals who need to study documents deeply. Import PDFs and ePub files, annotate them with a rich set of tools, take handwritten notes side by side, and organize everything in one place. KEY FEATURES • PDF & ePub Reader Import PDFs from the Files app, share sheet, or Safari. Supports vertical and horizontal scrolling, single-page and continuous page views, and a comfortable dark mode for reading in any lighting. • Rich PDF Annotations Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text. Add text boxes, image boxes, freehand drawings, and capture areas with Apple Pencil or your finger. Every annotation can be edited, moved, or deleted at any time. • Annotation Review View all your annotations in a summary list, filter by type, and export the review as a separate PDF report. Revisit key points without re-reading the entire document. • Handwritten Notes Take notes on a digital canvas with Apple Pencil. Switch between Canvas (infinite scroll) and Page (discrete pages) modes. Choose from dotted, squared, lined, or blank backgrounds and customize colors. Shape detection automatically perfects hand-drawn shapes. • Split View Work with your PDF and notes side by side. Switch between horizontal and vertical layouts and resize panels with a draggable divider. • Bookmarks & Search Bookmark pages for quick access and browse them in one place. Search inside documents and jump to results by page instantly. • Export & Share Export annotated PDFs, handwritten notes as PDFs, or annotation reviews as reports. Share via the iOS share sheet or print directly from the app. • iCloud Sync Documents and annotations sync across your devices via iCloud, so your work is always with you. • ePub Support Import ePub books and convert them to PDF for reading and annotation. • Share Extension Import PDFs directly from any app using the system share sheet. Reader's Bench turns your iPad and iPhone into a complete study and research workstation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Screen Pencil at 5.0 against Reader's Bench's 3.5. Screen Pencil also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Reader's Bench sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Screen Pencil asks for nothing beyond the download.
Screen Pencil holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Screen Pencil ships an update every 8 days, Reader's Bench weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Screen Pencil | Reader's Bench |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 3.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DAE J MYUNG | Rohmiapps Inc. |
Customer experience
Screen Pencil
Reader's Bench
In-app purchases
Screen Pencil
No in-app purchases
Reader's Bench
- Reader's Bench Subscription14 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
- Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$69.99
Questions
Is Screen Pencil free?
Is Reader's Bench free?
Which has better reviews, Screen Pencil or Reader's Bench?
Do Screen Pencil or Reader's Bench have ads?
Which is updated more often, Screen Pencil or Reader's Bench?
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