Comparison

BossNote vs Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro

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

Head to head
About

BossNote

This app combines notepad, calendar, and cloud storage features to help you organize notes, events, photos, voice recordings, and more. Access your information offline and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Integrated notepad and calendar
  • Cloud storage synchronization
  • Offline access to all services
  • Time-and-date recognition
  • Attachment support (photos, voice, sketches, files)
Features
Read full description

BossNote is your personal assistant in the Cloud available on iPhone, iPad and Web. Organize and keep your information together with BossNote - it is a simple application that combines the functions of Notepad, Calendar, and Cloud Storage. BossNote allows you to create notes, set alarms for important events, store photos, you can make sketches and drawings, voice recordings and locations, regardless of the Internet connection it can easily provide an access to your information. FEATURES: • Unique combination of Notepad and Calendar • Synchronization with Cloud Storage and Web Client • All Services are Available Offline • Time-and-Date Recognition System • Attachments: Photos, Locations, Sketches, Voice Recordings and other Files of any format. www.twitter.com/bossnote_online www.facebook.com/bossnoteonline

About

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro

This app merges your digital calendar with a handwritten planner experience. Use your stylus to write directly over digital events, offering the best of both worlds for scheduling and note-taking. Plan your days, weeks, and months with a natural writing feel.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes over digital calendar events
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning
  • Syncs with device calendars and reminders
  • Natural writing experience with stylus
  • Customizable pen colors, thickness, and styles
  • Undo/Redo and smart eraser tools
  • Cloud backup and sync
Features
Read full description

Write on your calendar with Apple Pencil. Pencil Planner brings the freedom of a paper planner to your digital calendar, so you can handwrite plans, highlight appointments, and take notes around the events already in your schedule. Plan on iPad, then check your calendar and handwritten plans on iPhone. Cloud backup and sync keep your planner and notes connected across devices. YOUR CALENDAR, WITH ROOM TO WRITE * See events from the calendars you use with Apple's Calendar app * Write directly over and around your calendar events * Bring tasks into your planner with Apple Reminders integration * Add handwritten priorities, time blocks, and sketches PLAN YOUR DAY, WEEK, MONTH, AND YEAR * Bring your schedule, tasks, and linked notes together in Day view * Plan your week, highlight important dates, and see the year ahead * With Version 2 layouts, schedule handwriting is shared between Day and Week, and daily highlights appear in Day, Week, and Month KEEP NOTES WITH YOUR PLANS * Create handwritten or typed notes for meetings, classes, projects, and ideas * Link notes to dates or calendar events and open them alongside your day * Organize notes into folders and pin your favorites * Add pages to handwritten notes with blank, lined, or dot-grid paper MAKE IT YOUR OWN * Write with Apple Pencil, Logitech Crayon, or your finger * Choose pens, pencils, and highlighters with adjustable colors and thickness * Move handwriting, erase whole strokes or parts of them, and undo or redo changes * Pinch to zoom for precise writing * Use light or dark mode in portrait, landscape, or Split View PRO ACCESS Unlock all planner features with a monthly or annual Pro Access subscription, including unlimited entries, storage, and devices, plus cloud backup and sync. Subscription prices and any available trial offers are shown in the app. QUESTIONS? Contact support@pencilplanner.app with questions or feature requests. Terms of use: https://pencilplanner.app/terms-of-use/

Screenshots

BossNote4 screens
Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro at 4.6 against BossNote's 4.0. Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 16) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). BossNote's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (68% vs 43%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. BossNote sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro has 13K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of BossNote's written reviews are positive against 43% of Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BossNote ships an update every 2 months, Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BossNote versus Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBossNotePencil Planner & Calendar Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (16 ratings)4.6 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews — better42.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1613K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB47 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperRuslan ShigabutdinovWasdesign, LLC

Customer experience

BossNote

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative26.1%

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro

All ratings12,576 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews516 reviews
Positive42.6%
Neutral10.9%
Negative46.5%

Bugs and requests

BossNote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Pen/eraser functionality bugs
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Layout/UI issues (overlapping elements, unresponsive controls)

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more customization options (themes, fonts, etc.)
  • Integrate with Reminders app
  • Allow typed text input in addition to handwriting
  • Improve syncing and backup functionality
  • Add ability to insert images, PDFs, and other files

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BossNote

One-time5
  • Improve your account$0.99
  • Advanced Attachments$0.99
  • Color notes$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Mark as "Done!"$0.99
  • Advanced Security$1.99
3 purchases

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Pro Yearly1 Year trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is BossNote free?
BossNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro free?
Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BossNote or Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro?
Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro is rated higher. BossNote averages 4.0 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro averages 4.6 from 13K ratings.
Do BossNote or Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro have ads?
Neither BossNote nor Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BossNote or Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro?
BossNote ships an update every 2 months, and Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro every 2 weeks. Most recently, BossNote was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro on November 6, 2026.

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