# Pencil Box vs CollaNote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: CollaNote at 74% against Pencil Box's 0%. CollaNote also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 1) and update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). Pencil Box's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CollaNote sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Pencil Box asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pencil Box holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CollaNote has 15K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Pencil Box's written reviews are positive against 74% of CollaNote's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Pencil Box ships an update fortnightly, CollaNote every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Box | CollaNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-box/id790309003/reviews)** | [4.7 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collanote-notes-and-pdf-markup/id1540956268/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **15K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **73.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 229 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fays Lane Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/430181334) | [Zauberberg Lab Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1693142923) |

## What reviewers say

### Pencil Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-box/id790309003)

Unleash your creativity with a versatile drawing tool. Select from various brushes, pens, and shapes, customize their properties, and utilize layers for complex designs. Import and export your artwork seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Multiple drawing tools (airbrush, pen, pencil, line, shapes), Adjustable tool color, size, and transparency, Layer support with transparency and visibility control, Import drawings from Mail and iTunes, Export drawings via iTunes, Sync tool preferences with iCloud

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### CollaNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/collanote-notes-and-pdf-markup/id1540956268)

This powerful note-taking app offers a rich set of tools for writing, PDF markup, and digital planning. Enhance your notes with over 25 pens, handwriting stabilization, and AI assistance. Collaborate in real-time and organize your work with unlimited papers and notebooks.

**Highlights:** 25+ pens and brushes, Handwriting stabilizer, PDF import and markup, Flashcard creation, Real-time collaboration, AI-powered tools, Unlimited papers and notebooks

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Premium Loyal Users | $6.95 | one-time |
| Premium: Time Limited Sale | $6.95 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Welcome Offer | $9.69 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium | $13.90 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Very good writing app
- 🚀 Great app and easy to navigate
- 🚀 Excellent note taking app
- 👍 Amazing free note taking app
- 👍 Fantastic for teaching

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitching, crashing, and issues with writing tools
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with PDF annotations and exports
- 🐛 Problems with organization and navigation
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss

**Reported bugs**

- Pen and eraser issues after updates
- Freezing and crashing when deleting or moving notes
- Inconsistent behavior of favorite pen settings
- Incompatibility with older devices
- Login screen freezes

**Requested features**

- Add landscape mode support
- Improve text editing and formatting
- Enhance organization with nested folders
- Implement better backup and sync options
- Add more pen/pencil customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Box free?

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

### Is CollaNote free?

CollaNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pencil Box or CollaNote?

Pencil Box is rated higher. Pencil Box averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while CollaNote averages 4.7 from 15K ratings.

### Do Pencil Box or CollaNote have ads?

Neither Pencil Box nor CollaNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pencil Box or CollaNote?

Pencil Box ships an update fortnightly, and CollaNote every 6 days. Most recently, Pencil Box was updated on November 6, 2026 and CollaNote on November 11, 2026.

---

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