# Pencil Notes vs Whenly

The clearest difference is price: Whenly 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.

Whenly 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, Whenly every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Notes | Whenly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Size | 50 MB | 16 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


### Whenly

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Notes free?

Pencil Notes costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Whenly free?

Whenly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pencil Notes or Whenly have ads?

Neither Pencil Notes nor Whenly shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil Notes or Whenly?

Pencil Notes ships an update every 4 weeks, and Whenly every 2 months. Most recently, Pencil Notes was updated on November 10, 2026 and Whenly on November 10, 2026.

---

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