Comparison

Screen Pencil vs Pencil

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Website video recording
  • Finger-drawn note-taking
  • Audio recording (internal/external mic)
  • Productivity tool
Read full description

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.

About

Pencil

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
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

Screen Pencil3 screens
Pencil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Screen Pencil at 100% against Pencil's 25%. Screen Pencil also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Screen Pencil asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Screen Pencil holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Screen Pencil's written reviews are positive against 25% of Pencil's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Screen Pencil versus Pencil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreen PencilPencil
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size0 MB465 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDAE J MYUNGKairoos Solutions SL

Customer experience

Screen Pencil

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pencil

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

In-app purchases

None

Screen Pencil

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Pencil

Subscriptions1
  • Unlock All and AI Assistant3 Days trial$2.991 Month
One-time1
  • GoodPencil Upgrade$3.99

Questions

Is Screen Pencil free?
Screen Pencil is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pencil free?
Pencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Screen Pencil or Pencil?
Screen Pencil is rated higher. Screen Pencil averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Pencil averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Screen Pencil or Pencil have ads?
Neither Screen Pencil nor Pencil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Screen Pencil or Pencil?
Screen Pencil ships an update every 8 days, and Pencil every 8 days. Most recently, Screen Pencil was updated on October 5, 2026 and Pencil on October 11, 2026.

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