Comparison

Nib vs ScribblePad

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

Head to head
About

Nib

Features
Read full description

■ Where thoughts unfold Nib is a warm handwritten diary for iPad and Apple Pencil. The feeling of writing with a fountain pen on paper — captured in digital form. For anyone who wants to record today, organize class notes, or let ideas flow freely on the page. ■ Features ▸ Natural handwriting - Fountain pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso — optimized for Apple Pencil - 21 colors to express yourself - Blank, lined, and grid backgrounds ▸ Write directly on PDFs - Import textbooks, handouts, papers and annotate right away - Import from iCloud Drive, Files app, or anywhere - Select page ranges to import only what you need - Your annotations save separately — the original PDF stays intact ▸ Daily journal - End the day with a short note - Five moods (Heavy · Quiet · Even · Bloom · Radiant) to capture the feeling - Browse past days in the calendar ▸ Recording + auto-transcription - Record lectures or meetings while you write - Automatic transcription in Korean, English, and Japanese - Notes and audio live side-by-side on the same page ▸ Organize by subject - Create subjects with 31 icons or draw your own - Tag notes with subjects - Browse by subject in the Shelf ▸ Three languages supported - 한국어 · English · 日本語 - Switch language directly in the app ■ Made for - People who want a handwritten journal on iPad - Students annotating PDF textbooks - Anyone recording lectures while taking notes - Those looking for a beautifully-designed diary app - Digital note-takers who miss the feel of paper ■ What's coming Nib is actively being improved. Dark mode, iCloud sync (across devices), and more transcription languages are on the way. Feedback and suggestions welcome at stockhub.kr@gmail.com ■ About the developer Nib is crafted by an independent developer. stockhub.kr

About

ScribblePad

A private, free note-taking and PDF annotation app for Apple devices. It offers natural handwriting, organization tools, and optional cloud backup to your own storage. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Organize notes with subjects and notebooks
  • On-device handwriting search (OCR)
  • Audio recording synced to notes
  • Optional Google Drive/iCloud backup
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

The free, private note app for iPhone, iPad & Mac. No subscription, no account, no tracking — just fast handwriting, PDF markup, and backup to YOUR own cloud. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, organize notes into colorful subjects, and keep everything synced to your own Google Drive or iCloud. Nothing lives on our servers — your notes stay yours. WRITING & TOOLS • Smooth, low-latency ink (PencilKit) — pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso • Pinch to zoom, palm rejection, and ruler • Add text boxes, shapes, images, and stickers on top of your ink ORGANIZE • Subjects → notebooks → pages, drag to reorder • Templates: blank, ruled, grid, dotted + your own custom pages • Search your handwriting instantly with on-device OCR PDF & IMPORT/EXPORT • Import and annotate PDFs • Export as PDF, PNG, or the native .scribble format • Share notes with other ScribblePad users AUDIO • Record audio synced to your strokes — replay your notes in time PRIVATE BACKUP & SYNC (OPTIONAL) • Back up to your own Google Drive (the app only sees files it creates) or iCloud • Works fully offline — the cloud is yours, not ours No sign-up. No ads. No data collection. Just a beautiful place to think.

Screenshots

Nib4 screens
ScribblePad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nib at every 2 days against ScribblePad's every 4 days. On price, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nib ships an update every 2 days, ScribblePad every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Nib versus ScribblePad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNibScribblePad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYONGGYU KIMSagar Seth

In-app purchases

None

Nib

No in-app purchases

None

ScribblePad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nib free?
Nib is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScribblePad free?
ScribblePad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nib or ScribblePad have ads?
Neither Nib nor ScribblePad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nib or ScribblePad?
Nib ships an update every 2 days, and ScribblePad every 4 days. Most recently, Nib was updated on September 21, 2026 and ScribblePad on September 7, 2026.

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