Comparison

PenDate Notes vs Notes Den

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

Head to head
About

PenDate Notes

Features
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A digital planner, calendar notes and journal in one app. Plan by date, write by hand, and keep every note with the day it matters. PenDate Notes brings your calendar, notes, to-do lists and handwritten pages together. Keep a meeting note with the day it happened, a packing list with your trip, or a sketch beside the date you want to come back to. PLAN BY DATE Move between year, month, week and day views. Add events with times, repeats and reminders, and see your PenDate events in your phone's calendar app if you choose. WRITE, CHECK OFF OR SKETCH Choose a text note, a checklist or a handwriting canvas. Take study notes, plan meals, sketch ideas or keep a shopping list with quantities and totals. Write with a stylus or your finger, with pens, highlighters and a smooth eraser. FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS Sort notes and tasks into Do now, Plan, Handle and Later. Drag them between categories, switch between Cards and Compact views, and use filters to see one folder, tag or kind of note at a time. DIGITAL PLANNERS AND JOURNALS Write in beautiful planner and journal pages for every part of life: everyday planning, daily life, work sprints, study, wellness and habits, budget and savings, fitness, travel, gratitude, creative work, home and meals. Tappable links jump straight to the page you need. FIND IT AGAIN Search your notes, checklists and canvas text. Organise with folders, tags, covers and Archive, and restore deleted notes from the Recycle Bin. SYNC AND BACK UP Turn on optional Google Drive sync to keep your library on your other devices. Prefer to stay offline? PenDate works fully without an account. SHARE AND EXPORT Export notes and planner pages as PDF or images to print or share. FREE EVERYDAY NOTES, OPTIONAL PRO Everyday notes, checklists, the calendar and handwriting are free. PenDate Pro, a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription or a one-time Lifetime purchase, adds every planner and journal family, Signature stickers and covers, saved Focus views, Split Workspace for two notes side by side on tablets and wide screens, and selected-page PDF export. Individual planners and Signature packs are also available as one-time purchases. Subscription prices and billing periods are shown in the app before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before that period ends. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Canceling renewal keeps access until the end of the paid period. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pendatenotes.com/privacy-policy.html

About

Notes Den

Features
Read full description

Notes Den is a fast, local-first markdown notebook for ideas, tasks, files, and connected notes. Write with live markdown, organize notes into folders, connect ideas with wiki-links, find context with backlinks and tags, and keep attachments alongside your notes. Everything works offline on your device first. When you sign in, Notes Den can sync notes, folders, and attachments through your account so your workspace follows you. Features: - Local-first notes backed by on-device storage - Live markdown editing with checklists, headings, code, quotes, and formatting - Wiki-links, backlinks, tags, and fast search - Folder organization with quick switching - Attachments for photos, PDFs, and files - Optional cloud sync with account sign-in - Optional end-to-end encrypted sync for note and attachment content - Import/export tools for keeping your notes portable Notes Den is built for simple, focused note taking without ads or tracking.

Screenshots

PenDate Notes4 screens
Notes Den4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes Den at none against PenDate Notes's 10. Notes Den also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). 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. PenDate Notes sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Notes Den asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PenDate Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Notes Den fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
PenDate Notes versus Notes Den: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenDate NotesNotes Den
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Mac
Requires iOS15.5 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAMUEL NANA ESHUNDen Digital LLC

In-app purchases

10 purchases

PenDate Notes

Subscriptions2
  • PenDate Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • PenDate Pro Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time8
  • Signature Stickers$2.99
  • Signature Covers$2.99
  • Gratitude Journal$5.99
Show 5 more
  • Student Planner$6.99
  • Travel Memory Journal$6.99
  • Home & Meal Planner$6.99
  • Budget & Wealth Journal$7.99
  • Creative Studio Journal$7.99
None

Notes Den

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PenDate Notes free?
PenDate Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes Den free?
Notes Den is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PenDate Notes or Notes Den have ads?
Neither PenDate Notes nor Notes Den shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PenDate Notes or Notes Den?
PenDate Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notes Den fortnightly. Most recently, PenDate Notes was updated on November 13, 2026 and Notes Den on November 10, 2026.

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