Comparison

ParkerPlanner vs Pencil Planner

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

Head to head
About

ParkerPlanner

This app combines your calendar, to-do lists, and notes into a single, organized platform. Syncs with native iOS Reminders and Notes, allowing for tag-based organization and multiple view options for your tasks.

Highlights
  • Syncs with iOS Reminders
  • Syncs notes across devices
  • Organize notes with tags
  • View todos on Month, Day, List
  • Create and organize todo lists
  • Syncs with native iPhone calendar
Features
Read full description

Welcome to the all-new Parker Planner! You can now: - Sync all todos with the Reminders iOS app - Sync Notes across devices - Organize notes via tags - See todos with due dates on Month, Day, and List View - Create and organize todo lists by name - Tons more! Needless to say we're crazy excited about all these new features. Also keep in mind we're going to be updating this app regularly and making consistent improvements all the time. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Parker Planners began in 2006 as a paper planner company. Ethan Parker was a student at BYU and didn't like any of the planners at the Bookstore so he created his own. Not really intending on starting a business, he began selling planners to interested classmates until the BYU Bookstore took interest. Our products started out as pocket-sized paper planners and that’s why it converted to iPhone so well! “It’s in the day view that everything comes together, literally.” — Appadvice "To-do list, calendar, and notes app in one." — PCMag “A handy all-in-one organizational tool to make life easier.” — 148Apps *Your native iPhone calendar easily syncs with Google, Outlook, and many others. The Parker Planner will display any Calendar or Reminder that you have synced to your phone. The app now has a subscription model so we can keep and serve loyal customers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Details on Subscription: You can choose between monthly ($1.99) or annual ($19.99) subscription. Annual gets you 17% off the cost! This subscription will auto-renew through your iTunes account. We display in the settings of the app what type of subscription you have. A link is provided to manage your subscription. You may cancel the subscription or disable auto-renew at any time. There is a trial period of 7 days (non-consecutive!) for the subscription to make sure you find Parker Planner useful. All features are available during the trial. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the original subscription price. Privacy Policy - http://www.parkerplanners.com/privacy-policy.html EULA - http://www.parkerplanners.com/eula.html If you have any questions please email us at plannerlove@parkerplanners.com instead of leaving a bad review on iTunes. It'll help tons more.

About

Pencil Planner

This app allows users to visually plan their schedules by drawing appointments directly onto a calendar. It offers an intuitive, pen-on-paper experience for effortless scheduling, making it ideal for families and couples to coordinate activities and boost overall productivity.

Highlights
  • Draw appointments directly on calendar
  • Intuitive pen-on-paper planning
  • Visual family planner
  • Couple calendar for shared planning
  • Boost productivity and organization
  • Supports iPad stylus input
Features
Read full description

Ditch the Text, Draw Your Schedule with Stift! Tired of typing appointments? Stift lets you unleash the power of your tablet pen. Draw your schedule directly on the calendar! Why Stift? Effortless Scheduling: Draw appointments for any day, week, or month. It's that simple! Natural Planning: Forget the keyboard frustration. Stift feels intuitive, just like using a pen on paper. Perfect for Families: Coordinate everyone's activities with a visual, fun family planner. Keep track of soccer practice, music lessons, and movie nights - all in one place! Boost Productivity: Manage your time visually and stay organized with Stift. Work together: Use the calendar as a couple calendar and plan your year together. Stift: The fun and easy way to schedule your life. Please read the licensed application end user license agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ And our Terms of Service: https://www.s5t.app/terms

Screenshots

ParkerPlanner4 screens
Pencil Planner3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Pencil Planner at freemium against ParkerPlanner's subscription. Pencil Planner also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ParkerPlanner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Pencil Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pencil Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of ParkerPlanner's written reviews are positive against 84% of Pencil Planner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ParkerPlanner ships an update every 6 weeks, Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ParkerPlanner versus Pencil Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParkerPlannerPencil Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (34 ratings)4.6 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.5% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatraexTNX Apps UG

Customer experience

ParkerPlanner

All ratings34 ratings
Positive70.6%
Neutral8.8%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive78.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative20.0%

Pencil Planner

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative10.5%

Bugs and requests

ParkerPlanner

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Events not appearing consistently
  • Cannot sync with Google nor Calengoo (historical)
  • Deleting a list in Parker Planner also deletes in Reminders
  • Cannot choose which reminder lists to hide/show
  • Glitch with to-dos: won't let me delete a subject
Show 2 more
  • Jump To Icon doesn't work (closes app)
  • App crashes, freezes, and does not let me access information (historical)

Requested features

7 requests
  • More color options for themes
  • Web platform
  • Notes integration (historical)
  • Calendar view with more detail (like Fantastical 2)
  • Option to hide to-dos
Show 2 more
  • Todo list by day and option to keep until completed
  • Make app free instead of subscription

Pencil Planner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ParkerPlanner

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access14 Days trial$19.991 Year
3 purchases

Pencil Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Quarterly Pro$2.993 Months
  • Yearly Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro$12.99

Questions

Is ParkerPlanner free?
ParkerPlanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pencil Planner free?
Pencil Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ParkerPlanner or Pencil Planner?
Pencil Planner is rated higher. ParkerPlanner averages 4.1 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Pencil Planner averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.
Do ParkerPlanner or Pencil Planner have ads?
Neither ParkerPlanner nor Pencil Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ParkerPlanner or Pencil Planner?
ParkerPlanner ships an update every 6 weeks, and Pencil Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, ParkerPlanner was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pencil Planner on October 24, 2026.

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