Comparison

Pencil Notes vs Days Since & Countdown

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

Head to head
About

Pencil Notes

Features
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# Pencil Notes — 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 — 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.

About

Days Since & Countdown

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Whenly makes time visible. It answers three questions: • How long have you stayed away from an unwanted habit or addiction? • How long until an important date? • When did you last do something? PROTECT YOUR PROGRESS A Without counter shows how long it has been since you stopped or last had a setback, and keeps every attempt in history. Examples: going without smoking, alcohol, sugar, social media, gaming, or impulse purchases. COUNT DOWN TO WHAT MATTERS An Until counter shows how much time remains until a future date or repeating event. Examples: birthdays, anniversaries, trips, exams, deadlines, meetings, and holidays. REMEMBER THE LAST TIME A Since counter remembers when you last did something and keeps the history of every completion. Examples: calling family, working out, watering plants, changing a filter, visiting a doctor, or returning to a favorite place. FEATURES • Goals, thresholds, groups, and history • Calendar, statistics, widgets, and custom reminders • Optional iCloud sync and Face ID app lock • Full JSON export and conflict-safe import • Native iPhone and iPad experience PRIVATE AND FREE Whenly works without an account or internet connection. Data stays on your device unless you enable iCloud Sync or choose to export it. No ads, tracking, subscriptions, or paid limits.

Screenshots

Pencil Notes3 screens
Days Since & Countdown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Days Since & Countdown at Free against Pencil Notes's $1.99. Pencil Notes's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). 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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Days Since & Countdown is free to download; Pencil Notes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pencil Notes ships an update every 4 weeks, Days Since & Countdown every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Pencil Notes versus Days Since & Countdown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPencil NotesDays Since & Countdown
Price$1.99Free — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKliv SpahiuIgor Bogdanov

In-app purchases

None

Pencil Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Days Since & Countdown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pencil Notes free?
Pencil Notes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Days Since & Countdown free?
Days Since & Countdown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pencil Notes or Days Since & Countdown have ads?
Neither Pencil Notes nor Days Since & Countdown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pencil Notes or Days Since & Countdown?
Pencil Notes ships an update every 4 weeks, and Days Since & Countdown every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pencil Notes was updated on October 25, 2026 and Days Since & Countdown on October 13, 2026.

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