Comparison

TakeNote vs Time Pencil

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

Head to head
About

TakeNote

Capture ideas effortlessly with a distraction-free, minimalist note-taking app. It supports Markdown, organizes notes with folders and tags, and syncs across Apple devices. Optional local AI features enhance formatting and search.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free minimalist design
  • Full Markdown support with live rendering
  • Organize with Folders, Tags, and Inbox
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Private by design, no data collection
  • Optional local AI for formatting and search
Read full description

TakeNote is a fast, elegant, and distraction-free way to capture your ideas. Built exclusively for Apple platforms with SwiftUI and SwiftData, it feels right at home on macOS and iOS. Why TakeNote? • Beautifully simple: A clean, minimal design that lets your words take center stage. • Markdown first: Write naturally in plain text with full Markdown support and live rendering. • Stay organized: Quickly sort notes into Folders, Tags, or your Inbox. Star, move, and search with ease. • Syncs with iCloud: Your notes are instantly available across all your Apple devices. • Private by design: TakeNote collects nothing and tracks nothing. Your notes are yours alone. • Power features: Use AI-powered formatting and smart search (macOS) when you want a boost—always optional, always local first. Perfect for Writers, thinkers, students, developers, or anyone who wants a fast, modern, and private note-taking app that just works. TakeNote is the notebook you’ll actually want to use every day.

About

Time Pencil

Visualize your day with a unique clock interface that displays calendar events as colored arcs. Easily block out focus time or activities by drawing directly on the dial. Access your schedule at a glance with home screen widgets and Apple Watch support.

Highlights
  • Calendar events visualized as arcs on a clock
  • Draw custom time blocks and add notes
  • Home screen and lock screen widgets
  • Live Activity countdown for Dynamic Island
  • Apple Watch support
  • Customizable clock faces (Sky mode, Zen mode)
Features
Read full description

Time Pencil is a clock with some markers to visualize your day at a glance YOUR CALENDAR, AROUND THE DIAL Time Pencil reads your existing calendars and lays each event as a colored arc on the clock. Overlaps, gaps, the shape of a busy afternoon, it's all visible at once, the way time actually feels. DRAW YOUR DAY Block out focus time, a workout, a break, or "leave for the airport" by drawing an arc right onto the clock. Drop a note sticker anywhere. Planning becomes a one-second gesture instead of a form to fill in. ALWAYS IN VIEW • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep today's clock a glance away. • A Live Activity counts down your next block in the Dynamic Island. • Apple Watch support to carry your day on your wrist. MAKE IT YOURS • 12-hour or 24-hour dial. • Sky mode paints the clock with the real sky: dawn, daylight, dusk and night, as the day moves. • Zen mode strips everything back to the essentials. • Marker colors, hourly chimes, and more. Time Pencil speaks 20 languages, and no account is required to get started. TIME PENCIL PRO Pro is available as an auto-renewing subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://vineetkl.github.io/time-pencil-legal/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://vineetkl.github.io/time-pencil-legal/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

TakeNote4 screens
Time Pencil4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Time Pencil at 5.0 against TakeNote's 4.0. Time Pencil also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.1 vs 26.0). TakeNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Both are free to download. Time Pencil sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. TakeNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Time Pencil holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TakeNote ships an update every 5 weeks, Time Pencil every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TakeNote versus Time Pencil: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTakeNoteTime Pencil
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.016.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam DrewVineet Kapil

Customer experience

TakeNote

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Time Pencil

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

TakeNote

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Time Pencil

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Time Pencil Full7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is TakeNote free?
TakeNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Time Pencil free?
Time Pencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TakeNote or Time Pencil?
Time Pencil is rated higher. TakeNote averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Time Pencil averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do TakeNote or Time Pencil have ads?
Neither TakeNote nor Time Pencil shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TakeNote or Time Pencil?
TakeNote ships an update every 5 weeks, and Time Pencil every 10 days. Most recently, TakeNote was updated on October 30, 2026 and Time Pencil on November 5, 2026.

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