Comparison

Pen and Paper vs Note X

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

Head to head
About

Pen and Paper

Create handwritten notes and drawings, annotate PDFs, and add text and shapes. Zoom in for detailed editing, organize content with layers, and import custom fonts and page styles. Share your creations as PDFs or JPEGs.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes and drawings
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Text and shape insertion
  • Zoom and split view
  • Layer management
  • Custom font installation
  • PDF export
Features
Read full description

Pen and Paper is perfect for hand-written notes on your iPad or iPhone. You can even import and write on PDFs. INK Draw ink with your finger. Resize, recolor, and move your doodles. TEXT Add text and text boxes. Change alignment, fonts, color, and install additional fonts. Perfect for adding comments to PDF. SHAPES Add geometric primitives, arrows, curves, and polygons Use the built in diagram elements and arrows to create diagrams. Create clip art of portions that you wish to reuse. shapes can be colored using gradients and fill with patterns. Use "rough" outline to make it look more like a drawing. ZOOM AND SPLIT VIEW Zoom more than 10 times to edit and draw even tiny details. Use split view (iPad only) to see full page view or look at another page PHOTOS Include photos. You can crop and rotate photos. BOOKMARKS Add bookmarks to navigate in your documents PDF SUPPORT AND SLIDE NOTES Import and annotate PDFs from other apps or Files. Use any of the built-in "Slide Note" templates to annotate presentations. When you are done export as PDF again. Use the "clone" tool to copy a portion a PDF and marker to mark text in the PDF for easy search. SHARING To share your notes with the world, simply email them as PDF. You can also extract individual pages as JPEG images. LAYERS Use the layer list to organize order of shapes and ink on the page PAGE STYLES Pen and paper comes with a variety of page styles, but you can also create your own. Import a PDF of your favourite page style and store it as a "page style" in the app. ICLOUD SUPPORT Documents, clipart and page styles, can be stored in iCloud. FONTS Are the built-in fonts not interesting enough? Install extra Truetype fonts from sites like FontSquirrel and Blambot within the app. Features: • Layers • Pen tool with color and thickness • Marker tool for marking text in PDFs • Smooth pan and zoom • Split-view to see two parts of your documents at the same time • Bookmarks and search • Insert text, arrows, photos, rectangles, circles and polygons easily • Fill shapes with gradients and patterns • Area selection, for moving and resizing large areas of your note • Built-in icon library • PDF import and export (email or other accounts) • Install additional fonts (Truetype) • Various page styles and add your own. • Fullscreen mode • iCloud support SUBSCRIPTION Subscription removes watermark (on export) and enables lasso tool. All other features are part of free version. TERMS OF USE (EULA) Uses Apple's standard terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

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

Screenshots

Pen and Paper4 screens
Note X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pen and Paper at none against Note X's shown. Pen and Paper also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 10 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Pen and Paper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Note X sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 23 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pen and Paper ships an update every 5 weeks, Note X every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pen and Paper versus Note X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPen and PaperNote X
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (41 ratings)4.6 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings41 — better23
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1514.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVivid Apps受杰 柯

Customer experience

Pen and Paper

All ratings41 ratings
Positive80.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews145 reviews
Positive69.7%
Neutral17.2%
Negative13.1%

Note X

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pen and Paper

Subscriptions2
  • Pen and Paper PRO monthly$0.991 Month
  • Pen and Paper PRO$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pen and Paper PRO$7.99
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

Questions

Is Pen and Paper free?
Pen and Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Note X free?
Note X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pen and Paper or Note X?
Note X is rated higher. Pen and Paper averages 4.4 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Note X averages 4.6 from 23 ratings.
Do Pen and Paper or Note X have ads?
Note X shows ads; Pen and Paper does not.
Which is updated more often, Pen and Paper or Note X?
Pen and Paper ships an update every 5 weeks, and Note X every 10 months. Most recently, Pen and Paper was updated on October 15, 2026 and Note X on September 16, 2026.

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