Artful Agenda vs Pencil Planner
We give Artful Agenda a 3.4 GPA and Pencil Planner a 3.0, out of 4.0. Artful Agenda grades higher on platforms. Pencil Planner grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Artful Agenda
Digital planner styled like a paper agenda, synced to your calendars
Pencil Planner
Handwritten planner for iPad and iPhone layered over your calendar
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAArtful AgendaVery good | 3.0GPAPencil PlannerVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$39.99 a year, when a typical planner asks about $7.99 every month. That covers calendar sync, tasks, lists, meal planning, covers and stickers. Artful Plus is $49.99. It's annual only, and the US App Store shows the standard plan at $44.99 as well. | APro is $19.99 a year on the US App Store, or $4.99 a month. A typical planner asks about $7.99 every month, so the yearly plan is a fraction of that. One wrinkle: the vendor's own upgrade page quotes $24.99 a year. There's no lifetime purchase. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. New users get a free trial, which the App Store listing gives as two weeks, and our listing doesn't say whether it wants a card. After that it's $39.99 for the year. | BA limited version is free to use, but the vendor doesn't publish which features or how many entries it includes. Pro is described as unlimited entries, storage and devices with cloud backup and sync, so expect caps on those. |
| Features | BThree calendars on monthly, weekly and daily pages, task lists that repeat, roll over and snooze, meal planning, a water tracker and custom lists. Solid, and nicely dressed. But Exchange calendars can't be synced, and the habit tracker and drawing mode need Artful Plus. | BIt does one thing and does it properly: handwriting over your calendar in day, week, month and year layouts, with pens, highlighters, partial erasing and notes linked to dates. But Apple Reminders lists are only shown here, not edited, and backup is to the vendor's own cloud alone. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 15,300 App Store ratings. It's laid out like the paper agenda you already know: pick a cover, drag your tasks into order and cross them off. | A4.6 from about 12,500 App Store ratings. If you can use a paper planner you can use this: pick up the Pencil and write. Your events are already there from the calendars on your device. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android, which is everywhere most people work. It syncs with Google Calendar, Apple iCloud and Outlook. Stylus drawing on iPad and Android tablets is a Plus feature. | DiPhone and iPad only, which we grade the same as an app that's Android only. A Mac app is on the vendor's roadmap as upcoming. It shows iCloud, Google, Outlook and Yahoo calendars once they're added in the device's Calendar settings, plus Apple Reminders lists. |
| Best for | paper-planner fans who want stickers that sync | handwriting your plans on an iPad |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Artful Agenda and Pencil Planner. How we grade
Where they differ
- Artful Agenda starts at $39.99 per year. Pencil Planner starts at $4.99 per month, or $19.99 per year.
- Pencil Planner has a free plan. Artful Agenda does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Artful Agenda lists a web app.
- Only Artful Agenda lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
- Artful Agenda also covers habit tracking.
- Pencil Planner also covers notes.
At a glance
| Artful Agenda | Pencil Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39.99 per year | $4.99 per month, or $19.99 per year |
| Free plan | None | A limited version of the app is free to use. The vendor's pages do not list the limits; Pro Access is described as unlimited entries, storage and devices with cloud backup and sync. |
| Free trial | Free trial for new users. The App Store listing gives its length as two weeks. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Artful, LLC | Wasdesign, LLC |
| Price read from | artfulagenda.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Artful Agenda
- Paper-planner fans who want covers, stickers and fonts on a digital calendar
- Seeing Google, iCloud and Outlook calendars in one decorated planner
- Planning meals, lists and tasks next to the week's events
Pencil Planner
- iPad users who want to handwrite a planner with Apple Pencil
- People who want handwriting layered over a digital calendar
- Paper-planner users moving to a tablet
Worth knowing
Artful Agenda
- There is no free plan. After the trial it costs $39.99 a year, and only annual subscriptions are offered.
- The habit tracker, drawing mode, sticker uploads and custom color palette require Artful Plus at $49.99 a year.
- Microsoft Exchange calendars cannot be synced, and calendar sharing is set up in Google, iCloud or Outlook, not in the app.
- The US App Store listing shows the standard plan at both $39.99 and $44.99, so in-app pricing may differ from the website.
Pencil Planner
- iPhone and iPad only. The vendor's roadmap lists a Mac app as an upcoming feature.
- The free version is limited and the vendor does not say where the limits fall. There is no lifetime purchase, only monthly and yearly plans.
- Planner data is stored on the vendor's own Pencil Planner Cloud. There is no iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive backup option.
- The vendor's upgrade page quotes $24.99 a year for Pro, while the US App Store lists Pro Yearly at $19.99.
Key features
Artful Agenda
- Calendar sync
- Shows Google Calendar, Apple iCloud and Outlook calendars together in monthly, weekly and daily views, with repeating events and push reminders.
- Paper-planner styling
- Pick a cover design and a handwriting-style font, color code calendars and decorate pages with sticker packs. Some premium covers are sold in the app for $1.99.
- Tasks and priorities
- Monthly, weekly and daily task lists can be reordered by drag and drop and crossed off, with repeat, rollover and snooze options and task alarms.
- Daily page extras
- The day view includes meal planning, a water intake tracker and custom categories for tasks, notes or journaling, and it stays in step with the weekly and monthly views.
- Custom lists
- A lists section holds things like groceries, packing and gift ideas, with headings, check-off items and drag-and-drop ordering.
- Artful Plus tools
- The higher tier adds a habit tracker with streaks, uploads of your own sticker images, a saved color palette and stylus drawing on iPad and Android tablets.
Pencil Planner
- Handwriting on the calendar
- Plans are written directly over and around calendar events with Apple Pencil, Logitech Crayon or a finger, including priorities, time blocks and sketches.
- Day, week, month and year layouts
- With the Version 2 layouts, schedule handwriting is shared between the Day and Week views, and a day's highlights also appear in the Week and Month views.
- Calendar events from the device
- Events come from the accounts connected in the iPad or iPhone Calendar settings, so iCloud, Google, Outlook and Yahoo calendars appear once added there.
- Apple Reminders lists
- The Version 2 Day tab shows lists from Apple Reminders next to the schedule. Lists are still added and edited in the Reminders app.
- Linked notes
- Handwritten or typed notes can be linked to a date or a calendar event, organized in folders and pinned. Handwritten notes take blank, lined or dot-grid pages.
- Drawing tools
- Pens, pencils and highlighters have adjustable colors and thickness. Handwriting can be moved, erased by whole stroke or in part, and zoomed for precise writing.
Plans
Artful Agenda
Artful Agenda$39.99
per year, annual subscription only
The standard plan: calendar sync, monthly, weekly and daily views, tasks, lists, meal planning, covers and stickers.
Artful Plus$49.99
per year, annual subscription only
Everything in the standard plan, plus a habit tracker, your own uploaded stickers, a custom color palette and drawing mode on tablets.
Pencil Planner
Free$0
A limited version of the planner. The vendor does not publish exactly which features or how many entries it includes.
Pro Monthly$4.99
per month
Pro Access to all planner features, with unlimited entries, storage and devices plus cloud backup and sync.
Pro Yearly$19.99
per year
The same Pro Access billed once a year, as listed among the in-app purchases on the US App Store.
Ways to pay less
Artful Agenda
- Other savings
Referral credit of 10%
Sharing your referral code earns you 10% of each referred friend's first payment as credit toward future subscription fees paid through the website.
Pencil Planner
- Annual discount
About 67% less on the yearly plan
The US App Store lists Pro Monthly at $4.99 and Pro Yearly at $19.99. Twelve monthly payments come to $59.88, so the yearly plan costs about 67% less.
- Other savings
$10 off the first year for buyers of the original app
People who bought the earlier Pencil Planner & Draw Calendar app can email support for a promo code worth $10 off their first year of Pro.
