Pearba vs Pencil Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Pearba
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TIME TRACKING BY VOICE Tell Siri to start a timer or log time you have worked. Pearba captures the project, client, and narrative. MAGIC WORDS Expand a short word into a full narrative with built-in templates or your own. Type entries with tags for duration, timers, and billable status. FRCP RULE 6 DEADLINE CALCULATOR Calculate deadlines using Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Save a calculation as a time-sensitive project. PROJECTS & CLIENTS - Organize projects by urgency and review hours by period, client, or project. - Track billable hours and export your records. - Paste text to import clients, projects, time entries, and Magic Words. STORAGE & SYNC Keep your work on your device or sync projects, their time entries, clients, and custom Magic Words through iCloud or Google Drive. Access your synced work on devices using the same service and account.
Pencil Notes
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# Pencil Notes ā 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 ā 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. Your notes stay on your iPad. 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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pearba at Free against Pencil Notes's $1.99. On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Pearba is free to download; Pencil Notes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pearba ships an update every 2 weeks, Pencil Notes every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pearba | Pencil Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free ā better | $1.99 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks ā better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac ā better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.4 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Braveyo LLC | Kliv Spahiu |
In-app purchases
Pearba
No in-app purchases
Pencil Notes
No in-app purchases









