# ZoomNotes vs Pencil Planner

The clearest difference is price: Pencil Planner at Free against ZoomNotes's $7.99. Pencil Planner also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). ZoomNotes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (915 vs 34). On rating, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Pencil Planner is free to download; ZoomNotes costs $7.99 up front. Pencil Planner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. ZoomNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for ZoomNotes against 4.6 for Pencil Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZoomNotes has 915 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of ZoomNotes's written reviews are positive against 80% of Pencil Planner's.

ZoomNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, Pencil Planner every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ZoomNotes | Pencil Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (915 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoomnotes/id462234530/reviews) | **[4.6 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-penciltime/id6743547785/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **915** | 34 |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 149 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Deliverance Software Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/374494333) | [Semore Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551678206) |

## What reviewers say

### ZoomNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zoomnotes/id462234530)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

This comprehensive visual note-taking app offers extensive zoom capabilities for creating handwritten notes and sketches on various digital surfaces. It supports PDF annotation, digital planning with calendar integration, and advanced features like sub-pages and bookmarks for organized visual files.

**Highlights:** Extensive zoom range for notes and sketches, Write over PDF and Office documents, Digital planner creation and calendar integration, Sub-pages for hierarchical organization, Bookmarks with presentation playback, Handwriting recognition for search, Layers for content control

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Customizable interface
- 🖋 Smooth handwriting
- 🗓 Calendar integration
- 🔗 Linking capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 📚 Steep learning curve
- 🖥 Outdated user interface
- 🔍 Cluttered menus
- 🔀 Inconsistent page navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Randomly deleted text and input
- Syncing issues with cloud storage
- Unstable performance after updates
- Compatibility problems with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Handwriting to text conversion
- Improved page management
- Smoother page transitions
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Better integration with cloud services


### Pencil Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-penciltime/id6743547785)

This app offers a handwritten digital planner with calendar, notebook, and reminder features. It allows natural writing with a stylus, visual planning using stickers, and easy navigation between linked pages. Organize notes, set timed reminders, and plan across daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly views.

**Highlights:** Handwritten digital planner, Calendar views (Day, Week, Month, Year), Note pages with templates, Stickers for visual planning, Reminder Label Stickers, Link Stickers for navigation, Bookmarks for quick access

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ZoomNotes free?

ZoomNotes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pencil Planner free?

Pencil Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ZoomNotes or Pencil Planner?

Pencil Planner is rated higher. ZoomNotes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 915 ratings, while Pencil Planner averages 4.6 from 34 ratings.

### Do ZoomNotes or Pencil Planner have ads?

Neither ZoomNotes nor Pencil Planner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ZoomNotes or Pencil Planner?

ZoomNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pencil Planner every 8 days. Most recently, ZoomNotes was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pencil Planner on October 30, 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.*