# Pencil vs Scriba.study

The clearest difference is update cadence: Scriba.study at every 3 days against Pencil's every 8 days. Scriba.study also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pencil sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Scriba.study sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pencil ships an update every 8 days, Scriba.study every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil | Scriba.study |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 465 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Riccardo Castiglioni](https://appshunter.io/developer/6805892636) |

## 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 |


### Scriba.study

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scribastudy/id6805892634)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CHILL 40 | $4.99 | per month |
| BOOST 80 | $8.99 | per month |
| MEGA ULTRA PRO MAX 160 | $12.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil free?

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

### Is Scriba.study free?

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

### Do Pencil or Scriba.study have ads?

Neither Pencil nor Scriba.study shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil or Scriba.study?

Pencil ships an update every 8 days, and Scriba.study every 3 days. Most recently, Pencil was updated on October 11, 2026 and Scriba.study on October 16, 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.*