# Calendars vs Pencil Planner

Calendars and Pencil Planner both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Pencil Planner's written reviews are positive against 56% of Calendars's. Pencil Planner also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.2). Calendars's advantage is ratings volume (123K vs 12) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Calendars sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Pencil Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Calendars against 4.6 for Pencil Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calendars has 123K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Calendars's written reviews are positive against 84% of Pencil Planner's.

Calendars ships an update weekly, Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calendars | Pencil Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (123K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendars-schedule-planner/id608834326/reviews)** | [4.6 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-stift/id1661094074/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **123K** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#139** | — |
| Size | 413 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [TNX Apps UG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1270694783) |

## What reviewers say

### Calendars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendars-schedule-planner/id608834326)

**Currently charting:** #139 Top Grossing · Productivity, #147 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app combines calendar, task management, and habit tracking to boost productivity and organization. It offers seamless syncing across Apple devices and integrates with popular services like Google Calendar. Plan your day, manage tasks, and build routines with customizable views and features.

**Highlights:** Calendar and task management, Habit tracking and routine building, Cross-device syncing, Natural language event creation, Integration with Google Calendar and Zoom, Customizable views and widgets

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calendars PRO 1 Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Calendars by Readdle: Interesting Calendars | $3.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $19.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $21.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| Calendars PRO Lifetime | Free | one-time |
| Invites & Attendees Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Smart Input Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |
| Full Upgrade | $4.99 | one-time |
| Interesting Calendars | $5.99 | one-time |
| My schedule planner, Organizer | $6.99 | one-time |
| Full Pack | $12.99 | one-time |
| Reminders & Calendars | $19.99 | one-time |
| Recurring Events | $31.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Excellent calendar app
- 👍 Easy to use and organize
- 🎨 Helpful color-coding
- 📆 Seamless integration with other calendars
- 🗓️ Detailed monthly/weekly views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and data loss
- 💰 Concerns over subscription model
- 🕰️ Cumbersome date/time selection process
- 🔍 Limited location search functionality
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing events and appointments
- Upgrade process causing data loss
- Freezing and crashing on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Recurring events for free users
- Customizable widgets and app icons
- Ability to archive/restore past events
- Improved Apple Watch integration
- Shared calendars and family management


### Pencil Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-planner-stift/id1661094074)

This app allows users to visually plan their schedules by drawing appointments directly onto a calendar. It offers an intuitive, pen-on-paper experience for effortless scheduling, making it ideal for families and couples to coordinate activities and boost overall productivity.

**Highlights:** Draw appointments directly on calendar, Intuitive pen-on-paper planning, Visual family planner, Couple calendar for shared planning, Boost productivity and organization, Supports iPad stylus input

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quarterly Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly Pro | $7.99 | per year |
| Pro | $12.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calendars free?

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

### Is Pencil Planner free?

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

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

Calendars is rated higher. Calendars averages 4.7 out of 5 from 123K ratings, while Pencil Planner averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.

### Do Calendars or Pencil Planner have ads?

Neither Calendars nor Pencil Planner shows ads.

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

Calendars ships an update weekly, and Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, Calendars was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pencil Planner on October 24, 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.*