Comparison

Note X vs Pencil

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

Head to head
About

Note X

A versatile note-taking app for digital and handwritten notes, memos, and drafts. Organize study materials with built-in notebooks, insert images, and customize writing styles. Secure your notes with password protection.

Highlights
  • Keyboard and handwriting input
  • Built-in notebooks for organization
  • Insert pictures into notes
  • Customizable paper and font colors
  • Password protection and encryption
  • Share notes as images
Features
Read full description

Note X is a super practical note-taking app and notebook, where you can realize paperless learning and easily complete take notes, handwritten notes, memos and unlimited drafts to help you record your life and study. [Function Introduction] -It also supports keyboard input and handwriting input, making notes more flexible and convenient. -Built-in different notebooks help you sort out your study notes. -It supports inserting pictures into notes, making notes more efficient. -You can choose a variety of writing paper and font colors to meet your different needs. -Support the use of iPad and Apple Pencil to improve your use efficiency. -One-click to generate pictures and share your notes inspiration with friends. -Set a password for your notes and encrypt your notes. This subscription will be automatically renewed through your iTunes account, and the renewal fee will be deducted according to your package within 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel the automatic renewal at the Account Settings Department. To cancel the automatic renewal, you must at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. If your trial has not ended, the remaining days will automatically expire after you start subscribing. To open the subscription, you need to agree to the following terms: Terms of Service: https://keshoujie.github.io/posts/keshoujie/fuwu Privacy terms: https://keshoujie.github.io/posts/keshoujie/privacy

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

Note X4 screens
Pencil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Note X at 4.6 against Pencil's 4.0. Note X also leads on ratings volume (23 vs 4) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). Pencil's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 10 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Note X sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Note X holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Note X has 23 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Note X ships an update every 10 months, Pencil every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Note X versus Pencil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNote XPencil
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (23 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB465 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer受杰 柯Kairoos Solutions SL

Customer experience

Note X

All ratings23 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.7%

Pencil

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Note X

Subscriptions2
  • Plus Version3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Plus Version Quarterly3 Days trial$3.993 Months
One-time1
  • Pro Version$6.99
2 purchases

Pencil

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

Questions

Is Note X free?
Note X 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, Note X or Pencil?
Note X is rated higher. Note X averages 4.6 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Pencil averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Note X or Pencil have ads?
Note X shows ads; Pencil does not.
Which is updated more often, Note X or Pencil?
Note X ships an update every 10 months, and Pencil every 8 days. Most recently, Note X was updated on September 16, 2026 and Pencil on October 11, 2026.

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