# Safety Note+ Pro vs Penned

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Penned at none against Safety Note+ Pro's 6. Safety Note+ Pro's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 50%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On ads, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Safety Note+ Pro costs $3.99 and Penned $4.99 up front. Safety Note+ Pro sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Penned asks for nothing beyond the download.

Safety Note+ Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Safety Note+ Pro has 743 ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Safety Note+ Pro's written reviews are positive against 50% of Penned's.

Safety Note+ Pro ships an update fortnightly, Penned every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Safety Note+ Pro | Penned |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$3.99** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (743 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safety-note-plus-pro-locked-notes/id460661291/reviews)** | [4.6 (87 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **743** | 87 |
| Positive reviews | **77.1% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 79 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Eightythree Technology](https://appshunter.io/developer/431033047) | [Edwing H Santos Mena](https://appshunter.io/developer/1851857999) |

## What reviewers say

### Safety Note+ Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safety-note-plus-pro-locked-notes/id460661291)

Secure your private notes with advanced protection. This app offers passcode and biometric locks, intruder reports, and folder-specific security. Organize, back up, and share your sensitive information with peace of mind.

**Highlights:** Advanced security system, Passcode and biometric protection, Intruder report, Decoy password, Folder-specific locking, Note organization and backup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iCloud Sync Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Cloud Backup Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| iCloud Sync Yearly | $6.99 | per year |
| Cloud Backup Yearly | $8.99 | per year |
| Reset Password | $1.99 | one-time |
| iCloud Sync Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🔒 Secure password storage
- 🚀 Convenient organization
- 💡 Useful for storing sensitive information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Password reset issues
- 💰 Subscription model concerns
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📝 Limited formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Notes not saving properly
- Password not recognized after updates
- App freezing or crashing on startup
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Cloud sync and backup options
- Customizable themes and layouts
- Improved cursor and text selection controls
- Folder-level password protection
- Keyword search


### Penned

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penned-private-notes/id1480653765)

A minimalist handwriting app designed for privacy, keeping all your notes securely on your device. It features natural writing with Apple Pencil, on-device AI text recognition, and smart tagging for easy searching. Export your notes as PDFs in a clean, distraction-free interface.

**Highlights:** Natural Apple Pencil writing, On-device AI text recognition, 100% private, no cloud, Export beautiful PDFs, Smart tagging and search, Distraction-free interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Safety Note+ Pro free?

Safety Note+ Pro costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Penned free?

Penned costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Safety Note+ Pro or Penned?

Safety Note+ Pro is rated higher. Safety Note+ Pro averages 4.8 out of 5 from 743 ratings, while Penned averages 4.6 from 87 ratings.

### Do Safety Note+ Pro or Penned have ads?

Neither Safety Note+ Pro nor Penned shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Safety Note+ Pro or Penned?

Safety Note+ Pro ships an update fortnightly, and Penned every 2 months. Most recently, Safety Note+ Pro was updated on October 14, 2026 and Penned on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*