# Pencil vs Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pencil at 25% against Notes's 0%. Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pencil ships an update every 8 days, Notes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-pdf-notes-with-pencil/id6466286421/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | **25.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 465 MB | 180 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Lutech-DN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1700646669) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-pdf-notes-with-pencil/id6466286421)

Create beautiful notes, sketch ideas, and annotate PDFs with advanced ink tools and AI assistance. Convert handwriting to text, scan documents, and organize files seamlessly across cloud services. Enjoy a realistic ink-on-paper feel with stylus support.

**Highlights:** Advanced ink tools for writing and sketching, AI Assistant for summarization and translation, Handwritten notes to editable text conversion, Document scanning with automatic frame recognition, Cloud service integration for file management, Full-text search for PDFs, PDF reader with highlighting and read aloud

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All and AI Assistant | $2.99 | per month |
| GoodPencil Upgrade | $3.99 | one-time |


### Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-note-taking-and-writing/id6502620869)

Capture ideas, create to-do lists, and sketch designs with a versatile digital notebook. Customize your notes with various paper templates, stickers, fonts, and colors. Effortlessly organize and share your work as PDFs.

**Highlights:** Customizable paper covers and templates, Multimedia tools: pencil, text, photos, Vector-based digital pencil for drawing, Hundreds of font and color options, Organize notes with custom titles and covers, Export notes as PDF

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| quarterly | $2.49 | per 3 months |
| Premium Year | $3.49 | per year |
| Loyalty member | $3.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil free?

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

### Is Notes free?

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

### Do Pencil or Notes have ads?

Neither Pencil nor Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil or Notes?

Pencil ships an update every 8 days, and Notes every 2 days. Most recently, Pencil was updated on October 11, 2026 and Notes on October 7, 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.*