Comparison

Acto|Handwritten Planner vs Pencilo

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

Head to head
About

Acto|Handwritten Planner

Features
Read full description

Acto is a handwritten planner built for iPad. Open it like a paper notebook, write your goals, plan your week by hand, and find what you wrote later — across every page(premium). WHAT IS ACTO? A digital planner where every page is yours to draw on. Five sections work together: a Cover you sign yourself, a Projects index, one Detail page per project, a weekly two-page spread that updates with your calendar, and free Notes pages you can add anywhere. DESIGNED FOR APPLE PENCIL ・Pressure, tilt, and hover support ・Markup tool picker appears the moment your Pencil touches the page ・Palm rejection follows your iPadOS system setting ・Pencil 2 double-tap and Pencil Pro squeeze respect your system shortcut ・Undo, redo, lasso select, and clear page from the toolbar YOUR PLANNER, FOR YEARS The Cover and weekly spreads read your device's date, so the same planner carries from 2026 into 2027 and beyond. No yearly re-purchase, no migration, no "2026 edition" expiring on you. SEARCH YOUR HANDWRITING (PREMIUM) On-device OCR reads Japanese and English handwriting after you leave a page, then lets you search by word, date range, or section. Even rough notes become findable. Recognition runs locally with Apple's Vision framework — your handwriting never leaves your device. ICLOUD SYNC Sign in to iCloud and your planner appears on every iPad with the same Apple ID. Your data stays in your own iCloud — only you can see it. FOUR LIQUID GLASS THEMES (PREMIUM) Sand, Fog, Graphite, and Linen. Free users start with one theme; Premium unlocks all four to match your week or your room. EXPORT WHEN YOU NEED TO PDF export collects every page in order. Single pages export as PNG. Share via Files, Mail, AirDrop, or any Share Sheet target. PLANS ・Free: 3 projects, 10 pages, one theme, PDF / PNG export, every handwriting tool. ・Premium (¥600/month or ¥4,800/year): unlimited pages, all themes, Monthly View, OCR search, every sticker. ・Content Store: stickers WHO IS ACTO FOR? ・People who plan and journal by hand and want their iPad to feel like paper ・Founders, freelancers, and students tracking several projects in parallel ・Apple Pencil users who want a structured planner alongside the note-taking apps they already use ・Bullet journal practitioners who want digital search and sync on top of paper-style layouts PRIVACY Handwriting recognition runs on-device. iCloud sync uses your own iCloud account — only you can access your notes. Acto does not collect, sell, or analyze your notes. REQUIREMENTS iPad running iPadOS 18 or later. Apple Pencil recommended (1st generation, 2nd generation, USB-C, or Pencil Pro). LANGUAGES Japanese, English. TERMS OF USE (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Pencilo

Features
Read full description

Pencilo is a developer-focused task workspace built for iPad. Capture ideas instantly with Apple Pencil, keep handwritten notes next to tasks, and stay in flow from planning to execution. What you can do with Pencilo: • Capture tasks your way Create tasks by typing, drawing, or pasting text. Pencil capture helps you jot down work quickly when ideas arrive. • Organize projects with clarity Use project workspaces with list and board views to manage open, completed, and skipped tasks at a glance. • Keep notes close to execution Open a dedicated notepad for each project, write naturally with Apple Pencil, and keep task context where you need it. • Track focus and progress Start, pause, and resume active work sessions with built-in time tracking so you always know where your time goes. • Use AI as a practical teammate Generate daily plans, summarize notepad content, and convert action items into tasks you can apply with review-first control. • Move fast with quick actions Use shortcuts for capture, timer control, and smart multi-task creation from pasted content. Pencilo is designed for builders, students, and professionals who think better with handwriting but still need a structured workflow. No clutter. Just capture, prioritize, and ship.

Screenshots

Acto|Handwritten Planner4 screens
Pencilo1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pencilo at none against Acto|Handwritten Planner's 4. Acto|Handwritten Planner's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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. Acto|Handwritten Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Pencilo asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Acto|Handwritten Planner versus Pencilo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActo|Handwritten PlannerPencilo
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatsu LLC.Pooja Kumari

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Acto|Handwritten Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Acto Premium - monthly$3.991 Month
  • Acto Premium - yearly$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Basic Stickers$1.99
  • Monthly View$1.99
None

Pencilo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Acto|Handwritten Planner free?
Acto|Handwritten Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pencilo free?
Pencilo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Acto|Handwritten Planner or Pencilo have ads?
Neither Acto|Handwritten Planner nor Pencilo shows ads.

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