Pencil vs FoxNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pencil
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.
- 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
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Pencil brings handwriting, sketching, PDF annotation and watercolor painting to iPad and iPhone. Designed especially for Apple Pencil on iPad, it also works with other compatible styluses and your finger. Take notes in class, mark up a document, plan your week or paint an idea while it is still fresh. • Write and sketch your way. Use Apple Pencil on iPad, or write and draw with a compatible stylus or your finger on iPad and iPhone. Start a PDF note from a paper template, choose your ink colors and add typed text, images and shapes. Use lined or grid backgrounds to give your notes structure. • Make your PDFs useful. Highlight passages, add comments, write in the margins and insert your signature. Search inside a document, bookmark important pages and rearrange, duplicate or rotate pages as your work develops. • Keep the conversation with your notes. Record audio directly in a PDF note and play it back alongside the page. Revisit a lecture, meeting or explanation without separating the recording from your written notes. • Type when words come first. Create formatted Text Notes with fonts, colors, lists, checklists, tables and images. Turn a quick thought into a clear set of notes, a plan or a longer draft, then export it as a PDF to share. • Explore watercolor painting. Open a dedicated painting workspace, choose your paper and experiment with brushes, mixed colors and washes. Paint from a reference photo, try guided practice lessons and export your painting as an image or PDF. • Bring paper into your notebook. Scan documents with the camera, import files through the Files app and add photos to your work. Keep notes, PDFs and paintings organized in folders, ready to return to when you need them. • Get help from AI. Ask questions about your documents, summarize a passage, explain an unfamiliar concept or translate selected text. Use AI Chat to work through an idea alongside your notes. Privacy Policy: https://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
FoxNotes
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Journal & Digital Planner App help you to write, and draw to take notes with more than +100 templates. The App is considered a very effective method for individuals to take notes on tasks that need to be done and ensure that they are completed on time. 4:29 #Journal & Digital Planner offers auto-renewing subscription options: •$2.99 per week •$19.99 per year • You can subscribe for unlimited access to all features and content offered for purchases within Intro.Maker • Subscriptions are billed monthly on the subscription plan • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Terms of Use: https://tos.asiancomputingapps.com Privacy Policy: https://privacy.asiancomputingapps.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: FoxNotes at 16.0 against Pencil's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and FoxNotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pencil ships an update every 8 days, FoxNotes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pencil | FoxNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 465 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kairoos Solutions SL | Do Anh |
In-app purchases
Pencil
- Unlock All and AI Assistant3 Days trial$2.991 Month
- GoodPencil Upgrade$3.99
FoxNotes
- Journal Planner Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
- Journal Planner Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
- Journal Premium Lifetime$29.99









