Comparison

Time Pencil vs Chat Notes

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

Head to head
About

Time Pencil

This app visualizes your schedule on an analog clock face, showing what's next, what's done, and how much time is left. It allows for time blocking, integrates with your existing calendars, and offers widgets for quick glances. Designed for visual thinkers, it helps manage your day at a glance.

Highlights
  • Visual schedule on an analog clock
  • Time blocking with colored arcs
  • Calendar integration
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch app
  • Mac menu bar app
  • Week and Year planning views
Features
Read full description

Plan your day on a clock. Time Pencil turns your schedule into colored arcs around a real analog dial, so one glance shows what is next, what is done, and how much of today is left. A VISUAL DAY PLANNER THAT LOOKS LIKE TIME A list hides the shape of a day. A clock shows it. Your morning, your meetings and your evening sit where they happen, and past hours fade so "now" always stands out. TIME BLOCKING IN ONE STROKE Draw an arc around the dial to block out focus time, a workout, a commute or dinner. Drag it to move it, stretch it to change the time, give it a name and a marker color. Add sticky notes and stickers for everything loose. YOUR CALENDAR, AROUND THE DIAL Time Pencil reads the calendars already on your iPhone and lays every event on the clock. Blocks you draw can be saved to your calendar, with an alarm when you want a nudge. ALWAYS A GLANCE AWAY • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • A Live Activity that counts down to your next block • StandBy turns a charging iPhone into a bedside day clock • Apple Watch app and complication • A Mac menu bar app with the same clock, on the same purchase PLAN THE WEEK AND THE YEAR Switch to Week to plan the days ahead, or to Year to mark trips, deadlines and birthdays across the months. MAKE IT YOURS A 12-hour or 24-hour dial, tinted and ruled paper, a live sky that follows the sun where you are, Zen mode, other time zones on the dial, and numerals you can shape. MADE FOR VISUAL THINKERS If to-do lists slide past you, a day you can see is easier to keep. Many people who time block, and many people with ADHD, plan with visual schedules for exactly this reason. SIMPLE AND PRIVATE No account needed to start. Sign in only if you want your clock on all your devices. Time Pencil speaks 20 languages. FREE AND PRO Free forever: your calendar around the clock, drawing on today, widgets and Apple Watch. Pro adds drawing on any other day, Week and Year views, themes, the 24-hour dial, time zones, templates, sticky notes and more stickers. Pick a yearly plan, or pay once for Lifetime. One purchase covers your iPhone, iPad and Mac. 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

About

Chat Notes

Capture thoughts and ideas in a conversational, chat-like interface. Organize notes into threads and stacks, attach media, and enjoy fast, local storage. Personalize your experience with themes and fonts.

Highlights
  • Conversational note interface
  • Attach images and voice memos
  • Organize notes into Stacks
  • Create threaded replies
  • Local device storage
  • Link previews
  • Customizable themes and fonts
Features
Read full description

Tired of rigid, formal note-taking apps? Say hello to Chat Notes, the refreshingly simple way to capture your thoughts, ideas, and memories as if you were messaging yourself. Our unique chat-style interface makes jotting down notes feel as natural and fluid as a conversation. Chat Notes is designed for speed and simplicity. Whether you're capturing a fleeting idea, saving a link, recording a quick voice memo, or snapping a photo, everything is organized into a beautiful, reverse-chronological timeline. It’s your personal thought stream, made visual and interactive. KEY FEATURES: Fluid Conversational Notes: Write notes that appear like chat bubbles. This intuitive format makes it easy to follow your train of thought and review your ideas at a glance. More Than Just Words: Why limit your thoughts? Attach images from your photo library to add visual context, or record high-quality voice memos on the fly. All attachments are stored securely on your device. Powerful Organization, Made Simple: Stacks: Group related notes into "Stacks" – perfect for organizing projects, trip plans, or different areas of your life. Threading: Reply to any note to create a focused thread. Keep follow-up ideas and discussions neatly bundled with the original thought. Fast & Local: All your notes are stored locally on your device, ensuring your data is private and accessible instantly, even without an internet connection. Link Previews: Paste a link and Chat Notes will automatically generate a beautiful preview, giving you context without having to open the browser. Make It Yours: Customize your experience with a variety of beautiful built-in themes and professional fonts. Find the look and feel that helps you think best. Instant Search: Find any note, reply, or stack in seconds with a powerful and easy-to-use search. Download Chat Notes today and start a better conversation with yourself!

Screenshots

Time Pencil4 screens
Chat Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chat Notes at none against Time Pencil's 3. Chat Notes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.1). Time Pencil's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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 $3.99 per month. Chat Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Time Pencil against 5.0 for Chat Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Time Pencil ships an update every 3 days, Chat Notes every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Time Pencil versus Chat Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTime PencilChat Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVineet KapilMuhammed Mukhthar CM

Customer experience

Time Pencil

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

Chat Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Time Pencil

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99
None

Chat Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Time Pencil free?
Time Pencil is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chat Notes free?
Chat Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Time Pencil or Chat Notes?
Time Pencil and Chat Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Time Pencil or Chat Notes have ads?
Neither Time Pencil nor Chat Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Time Pencil or Chat Notes?
Time Pencil ships an update every 3 days, and Chat Notes every 10 days. Most recently, Time Pencil was updated on November 8, 2026 and Chat Notes on November 5, 2026.

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