Comparison

Inkflow Visual Notebook vs Pencil Journaling

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

Head to head
About

Inkflow Visual Notebook

This app offers a fluid digital writing and sketching experience, allowing users to easily capture, resize, and reorganize ideas. It supports high-resolution zooming for detailed work and integrates text, photos, and custom paper backgrounds. Users can share their creations in various formats.

Highlights
  • Fluid digital ink for writing and sketching
  • Resize and reorganize content with touch gestures
  • High-resolution zoom for precision detail
  • Insert text, photos, and custom paper backgrounds
  • Export to PDF, JPEG, and PNG
  • Inkport for scanning real-world notes
Features
Read full description

Inkflow is a note-taking and brainstorming experience unlike any other! Capture your ideas as easily as with pen and paper, then resize and reorganize them with your fingers. DIGITAL WRITING DONE RIGHT Inkflow's ink feels like a really smooth fountain pen. Great for expressive writing or sketching. Effortlessly scale or move anything you select. This will change the way you think about ink: Jot down a list of concepts then rearrange them to fit into the bigger picture. literally move your thoughts around the page, and assemble big ideas with your fingers. This works great for brainstorming and planning. It's also perfect for prototyping layouts, sketching, and drawing. FULL RESOLUTION ZOOM Zoom and pan with two fingers. Inkflow's ink stays sharp no matter how much you zoom in, so you can add fine details at full quality. It's also lightning fast and lag free. This allows writing and drawing with incredible precision, with or without a stylus. TEXT, PHOTOS, and PAPER BACKGROUNDS TOO Insert text boxes and photos anywhere on the page and resize them seamlessly with the ink. You can also choose from a selection of different paper backgrounds. EASILY CREATE and SHARE Inkflow let's you export your books to PDF, high-resolution JPEG, and share them via Twitter, Email, or with other Apps. TRY INKFLOW FOR FREE Rather than just read about Inkflow, go ahead and try it out: We've decided to make the Basic Edition of Inkflow completely FREE. The Basic Edition is a full featured note-taking and sketching app. It comes with the Fountain Pen with black ink, photos, and a standard set of 5 popular fonts for text. Books max out at 20 pages each, but you can create as many as you like. *** NOTE: To delete ink, tap on the selection then tap delete. Tap on the book name to delete a book. If you're looking for more, there is... INKFLOW PLUS Upgrade instantly at any time to the Plus Edition to get: - Inkport - A customizable, full color palette, - Pencil, Eraser, and Paint Brush tools, - The Write-Behind Hilighter tool, - Rotate, Cut, Copy, Paste Ink, and Page Management, - Export as PNG with transparent backgrounds, - Notebooks with unlimited pages, - Custom paper backgrounds, - An additional 50+ fonts, - And more! The Plus Edition lets you do even more things such as: Painting, cartooning, page layouts, and brainstorming in full color. Learn more in the in-App Quickstart Guide. INKPORT: COPY AND PASTE FROM THE REAL WORLD Only Inkflow Plus includes the revolutionary Inkport tool. Inkport uses your iPad's camera to instantly convert your written notes and sketches into Inkflow's native vector ink. Easily pull in materials from multiple sources and go from paper to iPad without missing a beat. Inkport is going to change the way you use paper in your workflow. Universal App for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch: Upgrade once and get Inkflow Plus on all your compatible devices connected to your iTunes account! EDUCATORS: Inkflow Plus is also available as a standalone App, and qualifies for Apple's Volume Purchase Program. A PLATFORM FOR CREATIVITY We strongly believe that the iPad is not just a consumption device. It's a creativity device. Check out our whole range of creativity Apps on our website. Keep on creating!

About

Pencil Journaling

This app offers a focused journaling experience with a pen-compatible notebook and a built-in timer. Choose from over 50 themes and set daily reminders to cultivate a writing habit. Its minimalist interface helps you concentrate on your thoughts and clear your mind.

Highlights
  • Pen-compatible notebook
  • Focus timer
  • Over 50 journaling themes
  • Daily habit notifications
  • Minimalist UI
  • Page sharing options
Read full description

A simple notebook with a timer that allows you to choose a theme and write in pen. It also includes features for journaling, such as a list of over 50 themes and app notifications that can be made into a daily habit. This is recommended when you want to concentrate on your thoughts and clear your head. * Notebooks that are compatible with Apple Pencil and other pens * Timer that allows you to focus on a certain time * Minimal UI that doesn't interfere with thinking * A list of topics about work, yourself, etc. that you don't have to worry about what to write about * App notifications to encourage habit formation Usage: - Decide on the device orientation (i.e. page orientation) and press the Add button. - Decide on a theme or title. - Set the time for the timer. - Choose your favorite pen. - Start the timer. - Now let's focus on writing! - While the timer is running, you can switch between pen, eraser, and lasso in the lower left corner of the screen. - The thumbnails in the page list can be resized by pinching in and out. Version 1.3: Page sharing (copy/print/save image, etc.) is now supported. Tap the Share button at the bottom right of the page and select the sharing option (sharing to external applications may not work properly). Version 1.2: Skipped Version 1.1: Double-tap of the Apple Pencil is now supported. If you enable "Use Apple Pencil Double Tap" in the settings, you can switch between pen and eraser by double-tapping the Apple Pencil while the timer is running (the toolbar in the lower left corner of the screen will be hidden and the lasso tool will not be available).

Screenshots

Inkflow Visual Notebook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pencil Journaling at none against Inkflow Visual Notebook's 1. Pencil Journaling also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). Inkflow Visual Notebook's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.6 vs 4.1). 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. Inkflow Visual Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pencil Journaling asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Inkflow Visual Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Inkflow Visual Notebook has 1.9K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Inkflow Visual Notebook's written reviews are positive against 50% of Pencil Journaling's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Inkflow Visual Notebook ships an update every 5 months, Pencil Journaling every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
Inkflow Visual Notebook versus Pencil Journaling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInkflow Visual NotebookPencil Journaling
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.9K ratings) — better4.1 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews71.2% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.9K — better7
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.1 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQrayon, LLCMasaru Suzuki

Customer experience

Inkflow Visual Notebook

All ratings1,865 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews378 reviews
Positive71.2%
Neutral8.2%
Negative20.6%

Pencil Journaling

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Inkflow Visual Notebook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and data loss
  • Unreliable auto-save and syncing
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices/OS
  • Pen/input lag and inconsistent responsiveness

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more pen/brush options and customization
  • Implement layers and advanced drawing tools
  • Improve page management (insert, delete, reorder)
  • Integrate cloud sync and cross-device access
  • Add password protection and locking features

Pencil Journaling

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Inkflow Visual Notebook

One-time1
  • Inkflow Plus$12.99
None

Pencil Journaling

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Inkflow Visual Notebook free?
Inkflow Visual Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pencil Journaling free?
Pencil Journaling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Inkflow Visual Notebook or Pencil Journaling?
Inkflow Visual Notebook is rated higher. Inkflow Visual Notebook averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Pencil Journaling averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.
Do Inkflow Visual Notebook or Pencil Journaling have ads?
Pencil Journaling shows ads; Inkflow Visual Notebook does not.
Which is updated more often, Inkflow Visual Notebook or Pencil Journaling?
Inkflow Visual Notebook ships an update every 5 months, and Pencil Journaling every 6 weeks. Most recently, Inkflow Visual Notebook was updated on October 15, 2026 and Pencil Journaling on September 30, 2026.

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