# Pencil Box vs Wellnote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wellnote at 77% against Pencil Box's 0%. Wellnote also leads on ratings volume (914 vs 1). Pencil Box's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wellnote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. 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: Wellnote has 914 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 77% of Wellnote's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pencil Box | Wellnote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-box/id790309003/reviews)** | [4.7 (914 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wellnote-ai-notes-pdf-docs/id6450023979/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **914** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **77.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 15 MB | 445 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fays Lane Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/430181334) | [MAXEYE US INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1804912173) |

## 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


### Wellnote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wellnote-ai-notes-pdf-docs/id6450023979)

Experience natural handwriting with a stylus for note-taking and document annotation. Organize your thoughts with categorization and search, and study more effectively using split-screen and custom templates. Import and mark up PDFs, Word, and PPT files for interactive learning.

**Highlights:** Real handwriting experience with stylus, Categorize and search notes, Import and annotate PDFs, Word, PPT, Split-screen for multitasking, Customizable templates, Masking tape feature for memorization

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI+VIP | $1.99 | per month |
| AI+VIP | $10.99 | per year |
| AI Pro VIP | $99.99 | per year |
| AI Credits | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pencil Box free?

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

### Is Wellnote free?

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

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

Pencil Box is rated higher. Pencil Box averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Wellnote averages 4.7 from 914 ratings.

### Do Pencil Box or Wellnote have ads?

Neither Pencil Box nor Wellnote shows ads.

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

Pencil Box ships an update fortnightly, and Wellnote fortnightly. Most recently, Pencil Box was updated on October 4, 2026 and Wellnote on October 16, 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.*