Comparison

Acto|Handwritten Planner vs Pencil Grades

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

Pencil Grades

Features
Read full description

Pencil Grades is a focused reference and practice companion for graphite drawing — from 9H precision lines all the way to a velvety 9B. A clean grade chart, paired techniques and a simple session log on a single stage. No clutter, no popups, no upsells. KEY FEATURES • Complete 9H to 9B grade chart with darkness, hardness and tonal range • Each grade lists ideal use cases — drafting, underdrawing, portrait, expressive shading • Curated drawing techniques: parallel hatch, cross-hatch, stippling, smooth blend, scumble, sgraffito, frottage and more • Each technique paired with the grades that suit it best • Session log to track what you practiced, which grade you used and for how long • Italian-paper aesthetic with quiet typography — built to stay out of the way BUILT FOR PRACTICE Whether you are blocking in an architectural drawing, working a tonal portrait, or pushing a quick gesture sketch, Pencil Grades helps you pick the right pencil and the right mark. PRIVACY No tracking. No accounts. Your session log lives on your device.

Screenshots

Acto|Handwritten Planner4 screens
Pencil Grades3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pencil Grades at none against Acto|Handwritten Planner's 4. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Pencil Grades asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Acto|Handwritten Planner versus Pencil Grades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActo|Handwritten PlannerPencil Grades
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatsu LLC.Linh Phan Nhat Khanh

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

Pencil Grades

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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