Comparison

Lines | Beyond Notes vs Pencil Notes

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

Head to head
About

Lines | Beyond Notes

This app offers a comprehensive knowledge management system, allowing users to create rich text notes with media, capture web content, and record voice memos. It provides powerful organization tools like tags, folders, and linking, along with secure biometric authentication for privacy.

Highlights
  • Rich text and media note creation
  • Web page capture
  • Camera and voice note recording
  • Tag and folder organization
  • Note linking
  • Biometric authentication
Read full description

Lines goal is to go beyond traditional note-taking, aspiring to be your one-stop solution for knowledge management. With Lines, you can: - Write expressively using rich text and media attachments - Capture information instantly with your camera - Share web pages from your browser and store them as notes - Retrieve information instantly with search - Organize with tags and folders - Keep what’s important close with pinned notes - Connect your thoughts by linking between notes - Record voice notes - Keep notes private using biometric authentication - And much more.

About

Pencil Notes

Features
Read full description

# Pencil Notes — Your Simple Apple Pencil Notebook Turn your iPad into a simple, distraction-free notebook designed for Apple Pencil. Write naturally, organize your ideas, annotate documents, and export your work — all without subscriptions or complicated setup. ## WRITE NATURALLY Pencil Notes is built around the feeling of writing on real paper. • Write with Apple Pencil • Create unlimited notebooks and pages • Choose blank, lined, dotted, or grid paper • Use a pressure-sensitive pen • Highlight important ideas • Undo and redo with ease • Zoom and pan while writing Whether you're taking notes, planning your day, journaling, brainstorming, or simply sketching, Pencil Notes keeps things simple. ## WRITE ON PDFs Import a PDF and write directly on it with Apple Pencil. Highlight text, add handwritten notes, draw, underline, circle important information, and mark up documents naturally. Perfect for: • Study materials • Lecture notes • Work documents • Forms and worksheets • Research papers • Presentations • Personal documents ## ANNOTATE IMAGES Import an image and use your Apple Pencil to write, draw, mark up, or add notes directly on it. ## EXPORT YOUR WORK When you're finished, export your handwritten pages, PDF annotations, or marked-up images and share them wherever you need. ## PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your notes stay on your iPad. No account required. No subscription. No cloud storage. No ads. Just open the app and start writing. ## MADE FOR EVERYDAY USE Use Pencil Notes for: • Class and lecture notes • Meetings • To-do lists • Journaling • Planning • Brainstorming • Sketching • PDF annotation • Document markup • Personal notes ## SIMPLE BY CHOICE Pencil Notes isn't trying to replace every app on your iPad. It's a simple place to write. Open it. Pick a page. Grab your Apple Pencil. Start writing. **Pencil Notes is available for a one-time purchase — no recurring subscription.**

Screenshots

Lines | Beyond Notes4 screens
Pencil Notes3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lines | Beyond Notes at Free against Pencil Notes's $0.99. Pencil Notes's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On 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

Lines | Beyond Notes is free to download; Pencil Notes costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lines | Beyond Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, Pencil Notes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lines | Beyond Notes versus Pencil Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLines | Beyond NotesPencil Notes
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndres Portillo ChaconKliv Spahiu

In-app purchases

None

Lines | Beyond Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Pencil Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lines | Beyond Notes free?
Lines | Beyond Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pencil Notes free?
Pencil Notes costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lines | Beyond Notes or Pencil Notes have ads?
Neither Lines | Beyond Notes nor Pencil Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lines | Beyond Notes or Pencil Notes?
Lines | Beyond Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, and Pencil Notes fortnightly. Most recently, Lines | Beyond Notes was updated on July 6, 2026 and Pencil Notes on September 25, 2026.

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