# Pencil Notes vs Days Since & Countdown

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Notes | Days Since & Countdown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Size | 50 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kliv Spahiu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867066303) | [Igor Bogdanov](https://appshunter.io/developer/6773527328) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-notes-handwriting/id6787762712)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Days Since & Countdown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/days-since-and-countdown-whenly/id6796975382)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*