# Element Note vs PenPro

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Element Note at 17.0 against PenPro's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Element Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year and PenPro sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, PenPro weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Element Note | PenPro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (2.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Soysauce Lab](https://appshunter.io/developer/598496583) | [HADRIAN TECHNOLOGIES](https://appshunter.io/developer/6826627718) |

## What reviewers say

### Element Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/element-note/id6444015673)

This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Unique handwriting brushes, Smooth drawing engine, PDF annotation, Text, shape, and image attachments, On-device OCR search, Smart dark mode, iCloud sync and collaboration

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Element Note Yearly | $3.49 | per year |
| Element Note Yearly | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors

**Requested features**

- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once


### PenPro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penpro-notes-and-handwriting/id6820674653)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF notebooks | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sync on every device | $2.99 | one-time |
| AI features | $2.99 | one-time |
| All features offer | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Element Note free?

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

### Is PenPro free?

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

### Do Element Note or PenPro have ads?

Neither Element Note nor PenPro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Element Note or PenPro?

Element Note ships an update fortnightly, and PenPro weekly. Most recently, Element Note was updated on November 3, 2026 and PenPro on November 6, 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.*