Comparison

TabPad vs Pencil Grades

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

Head to head
About

TabPad

Organize your notes with a colorful tabbed interface, similar to sticky notes. Pin important notes to the top and quickly find what you need with keyword search. Cloud synchronization is available for seamless access across devices.

Highlights
  • Colorful tabbed note organization
  • Pin important notes
  • Keyword search functionality
  • Cloud synchronization
  • Cross-device support
Features
Read full description

Colorful tabs like stickies allow you to switch from one note to another -You can pin a specific note to the first tab. - Keyword search - Cloud Synchronization (charged)

About

Pencil Grades

Features
Read full description

Pencil Grades is a focused reference and practice companion for graphite drawing — from 9H precision lines all the way to a velvety 9B. A clean grade chart, paired techniques and a simple session log on a single stage. No clutter, no popups, no upsells. KEY FEATURES • Complete 9H to 9B grade chart with darkness, hardness and tonal range • Each grade lists ideal use cases — drafting, underdrawing, portrait, expressive shading • Curated drawing techniques: parallel hatch, cross-hatch, stippling, smooth blend, scumble, sgraffito, frottage and more • Each technique paired with the grades that suit it best • Session log to track what you practiced, which grade you used and for how long • Italian-paper aesthetic with quiet typography — built to stay out of the way BUILT FOR PRACTICE Whether you are blocking in an architectural drawing, working a tonal portrait, or pushing a quick gesture sketch, Pencil Grades helps you pick the right pencil and the right mark. PRIVACY No tracking. No accounts. Your session log lives on your device.

Screenshots

TabPad2 screens
Pencil Grades3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pencil Grades at none against TabPad's 2. Pencil Grades also leads on ads (none vs shown). TabPad's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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. TabPad sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Pencil Grades asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
TabPad versus Pencil Grades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTabPadPencil Grades
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShigenori KumagaiLinh Phan Nhat Khanh

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TabPad

One-time2
  • Upgrade(macOS)$2.99
  • Upgrade(iOS)$3.99
None

Pencil Grades

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TabPad free?
TabPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pencil Grades free?
Pencil Grades is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do TabPad or Pencil Grades have ads?
TabPad shows ads; Pencil Grades does not.

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