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The Penbook Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Penbook in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Penbook

The Insider’s Guide

Handwriting notebooks and live planners for iPad and iPhone

Penbook, as pictured on penbook.app

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among note-taking apps, read from Penbook’s own pages.

Made by Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.) · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.4GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Penbook’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Penbook’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.4

GPA, above 22 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade

Penbook is a handwriting notebook and planner app for iPad and iPhone from Pencil Research. Notebooks are built from more than 400 kinds of stationery, including Live Paper planners that show the current date, time and connected calendars, and PDFs can be imported for annotation. One notebook is free for as long as you like; Penbook Premium, sold as a yearly subscription or a lifetime purchase, removes that limit.

To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Penbook, taken from its own pages and our grades.

You pick a paper and write, with a Pencil, a stylus or a finger.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for paper-style planners and notebooks on an iPad

    The free version is one notebook with no exports.

  2. 2

    What it costs

    Paid plans start at $4.99 - $39.99 per in-app item (basis not shown); $49.99 lifetime.

  3. 3

    There is a free plan

    All of Penbook's stationery and writing features in a single notebook, free for as long as you like. More notebooks and exports need Penbook Premium.

  4. 4

    It runs on iOS

    iOS.

  5. 5

    Live Paper planners

    Stationery that updates itself: a day planner with a live timeline, a weekly planner that shows connected calendars, and monthly and yearly planners that track the current date.

  6. 6

    Over 400 stationery types

    Ruled, graph, dot, Cornell, music staff, chemistry, storyboard and engineering paper among others, with adjustable density, margins and layout. Each page of a notebook can differ.

  7. 7

    Apple Pencil inking

    Writing with Apple Pencil, a stylus or a finger, with shape recognition and a lasso that resizes, recolors, reflows and straightens ink or copies handwriting out as text.

  8. 8

    A 2.4 GPA, above 22 of 147

    That is against the other note-taking apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  9. 9

    Your call

    A notes app at its plainest is text in folders with a search box.

Penbook at a glance

Pricing
Free plan, from $4.99 - $39.99 per in-app item (basis not shown); $49.99 lifetime
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
7-day free trial when upgrading with the yearly Penbook Premium subscription.
Runs on
iOS
Made by
Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.)
Category
Note-Taking Apps
Our grade
2.4 GPA, fair
Store rating
4.6 on the App Store, 45,437 ratings

The report card

Best for paper-style planners and notebooks on an iPad

Penbook is a handwriting notebook and planner app for iPhone and iPad, with more than 400 paper types and Live Paper planners that fill in the date and your calendar. The free version is one notebook with no exports. The store lists Premium from $4.99 to $39.99 without saying what period each covers, Live Paper needs iOS 27 and only works in new books, and there's no Android, Windows or web version.

ToolGPA report cardPenbookGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyAPremium for life is $49.99 once on the US App Store, where a year of the middle note app here costs $72. So one payment, under a year of a typical rival, and it never renews. The yearly option is murkier: the store lists Premium from $4.99 to $39.99 without saying what period each covers.
Free plan and trialCEvery paper type and writing feature is free, but in one notebook. One. That's a wall you'll hit in a week if you keep a planner and anything else, and exports need Premium too. The 7-day trial sits on the yearly plan.
FeaturesCIt does handwritten planners fully: 400-odd papers, planners that pull in the live date and your calendars, shape recognition, searchable handwriting, PDF import. But that's a smaller job than note-taking, and the listing flags that the new Live Paper engine only appears on iOS 27 and only in newly made books.
Ease of useB4.55 from about 45,000 App Store ratings, which is the B band and short of the 4.7 an A wants. You pick a paper and write, with a Pencil, a stylus or a finger.
Platforms and integrationsDOne operating system: iPhone and iPad. No Android, Windows or web version, and the App Store marks the Mac build as not verified for macOS. It does tie into iCloud, Reminders and Siri.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Penbook is for

  • Fits if you keep a planner or bullet journal on an iPad with an Apple Pencil
  • Works for people who'd rather pay $49.99 once than subscribe

Who it is not for

  • Tight if you're staying free, because you get a single notebook and no exports
  • Skip it if you want your notes on Android, Windows or the web, as it's iPhone and iPad only
  • Not for you if you want to see the yearly price before you install, since the store shows $4.99 to $39.99 without periods
  • Watch out: Live Paper needs iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 and only shows up in newly made books
  • Watch out: the App Store marks the Mac build as not verified for macOS, and the 7-day trial is only on the yearly plan

Good to know

Good for

  • People who keep planners, journals or bullet journals on an iPad
  • Students who want subject paper such as Cornell, graph or chemistry
  • Annotating PDF planners and worksheets with Apple Pencil

Worth knowing

  • The free version is limited to a single notebook; unlimited notebooks and exports need Penbook Premium.
  • The US App Store lists Penbook Premium at several amounts from $4.99 to $39.99 without stating the billing period for each.
  • Penbook is built for iPhone and iPad. There is no Android, Windows or web version, and the App Store marks the Mac build as not verified for macOS.
  • The Penbook 8 Live Paper engine appears only on iOS 27 or iPadOS 27, and only in newly created books.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$4.99

To start. There is a free plan too

Penbook has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4.99 - $39.99 per in-app item (basis not shown); $49.99 lifetime.

So one payment, under a year of a typical rival, and it never renews.
From our grade for value for money

  • Free

    $0

    Every stationery type and writing feature in one notebook, with no time limit.

  • Penbook Premium

    $4.99 - $39.99

    per item on the US App Store; billing basis not shown

    Unlimited notebooks and exports plus new stationery and covers. Described as a yearly subscription, but the listing shows several amounts without periods.

  • Penbook Premium Lifetime

    $49.99

    one-time in-app purchase on the US App Store

    The same Premium features as a single purchase with no renewal.

The free plan

All of Penbook's stationery and writing features in a single notebook, free for as long as you like. More notebooks and exports need Penbook Premium.

Trying it first

7-day free trial when upgrading with the yearly Penbook Premium subscription.

Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 9, 2026.

Ways to pay less

  • Lifetime license

    Penbook Premium as a lifetime purchase

    Penbook Premium can be bought as a one-time in-app purchase in place of the yearly subscription. The US App Store lists Penbook Premium Lifetime at $49.99.

    Stated on apps.apple.com

What the app costs elsewhere

Each country’s App Store price for “Penbook Premium”, against $19.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.

CountryPrice thereIn dollarsAgainst the US
Philippines₱ 99.00$1.5892% less
South AfricaR49.99$3.0285% less
BrazilR$ 19,90$3.9880% less
Turkey₺299,99$6.1069% less
Australia$30.99$21.638% more
United Kingdom£18.99$25.1126% more
Germany22,49 €$25.2026% more
Mexico$469.00$25.7729% more

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

1

Place it runs: iOS

Handwriting notebooks and live planners for iPad and iPhone. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, notes, daily notes, templates.

No Android, Windows or web version, and the App Store marks the Mac build as not verified for macOS.
From our grade for platforms and integrations
Live Paper planners
Stationery that updates itself: a day planner with a live timeline, a weekly planner that shows connected calendars, and monthly and yearly planners that track the current date.
Over 400 stationery types
Ruled, graph, dot, Cornell, music staff, chemistry, storyboard and engineering paper among others, with adjustable density, margins and layout. Each page of a notebook can differ.
Apple Pencil inking
Writing with Apple Pencil, a stylus or a finger, with shape recognition and a lasso that resizes, recolors, reflows and straightens ink or copies handwriting out as text.
PDF import and export
PDFs import as notebooks or as custom stationery, selected pages can be dropped into notes, and a notebook or the whole library exports as vector PDF.
Handwriting search and Siri
Handwritten notes can be searched for words or phrases. Siri can find something in a notebook or take a note that lands in the Inbox notebook.
On-device AI and page history
With Apple Intelligence, to-dos written on a page become Reminders without notes leaving the device, and each page keeps a local history that can be rewound.

Where it runs

  • iOS

What it works with

  • iCloud
  • Apple Reminders
  • Siri

Penbook is made by Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.).

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

22/147

Other note-taking apps it is graded above

Penbook's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 22 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 27.

It stands best on value for money (A, above 62 of 147) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 148 note-taking apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Penbook’s own letter is outlined.

  • AValue for moneyAbove 62 of 147
  • CFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 147
  • CFeaturesAbove 2 of 147
  • BEase of useAbove 47 of 147
  • DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 147

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Your call

A notes app at its plainest is text in folders with a search box.

You could make the core of Penbook for yourself: notes, templates and daily notes. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call.

What you could make

  • Notes, templates and daily notes: an app builder makes these well.

What you could not

  • A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
  • Hooks into the device itself: Siri, Apple Pencil and handwriting.

What this rests on. Penbook’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Goodnotes, Notability, Noteshelf, Noteful and CollaNote

The 5 tools Penbook is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

  • 3.6GPA

    Goodnotes

    Free plan · from $11.99/yr

    Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant.

    • Only Goodnotes lists a web app.
    • Only Goodnotes lists macOS, Android and Windows apps.
    • Penbook also covers daily notes and templates.
    Penbook and Goodnotes compared in full
  • 3.4GPA

    Notability

    Free plan · from $14.99/yr

    Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools.

    • Only Notability lists a web app.
    • Only Notability lists macOS, Windows and Android apps.
    • Penbook also covers daily notes.
    Penbook and Notability compared in full
  • 2.8GPA

    Noteshelf

    Free plan · from $7.99 one-time

    Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation for stylus devices.

    • Only Noteshelf lists macOS, Android and Windows apps.
    • Penbook also covers daily notes.
    Penbook and Noteshelf compared in full
  • 2.8GPA

    Noteful

    Free plan · from $6.99 one-time

    Handwritten notes and PDF markup for iPad, with tags and layers.

    • Penbook also covers daily notes and templates.
    Penbook and Noteful compared in full
  • 3.0GPA

    CollaNote

    Free plan · from $13.90 one-time

    Handwriting and PDF markup notes for iPad, iPhone and Mac.

    • Only CollaNote lists a macOS app.
    • Penbook also covers daily notes.
    • CollaNote also covers transcription.
    Penbook and CollaNote compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

14

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Penbook free?

Penbook has a free plan. All of Penbook's stationery and writing features in a single notebook, free for as long as you like.

How much does Penbook cost?

Penbook lists 3 plans. Free: $0.

What platforms does Penbook work on?

Penbook is available on iOS.

Does Penbook offer any discounts?

Penbook publicly lists the following: Penbook Premium as a lifetime purchase.

How is Penbook rated?

Penbook's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 45,437 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 9, 2026.

Does Penbook have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Penbook is listed for iOS.

Does Penbook have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Penbook is listed for iOS.

Is Penbook open source?

Penbook is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.

What does Penbook integrate with?

Penbook's listing names iCloud, Apple Reminders and Siri. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Does Penbook have a free trial?

Yes. 7-day free trial when upgrading with the yearly Penbook Premium subscription.

Who makes Penbook?

Penbook is made by Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.).

What are the alternatives to Penbook?

The closest alternatives to Penbook in our directory are Goodnotes, Notability, Noteshelf, Noteful and CollaNote.

How does Penbook compare with other note-taking apps?

Penbook's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 22 of the 147 other note-taking apps we grade, and level with 27.

Could I make my own version of Penbook?

A notes app at its plainest is text in folders with a search box. You could make the core of Penbook for yourself: notes, templates and daily notes.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Penbook’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Penbook's own pages on 9 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-11.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.). Prices change, so check penbook.app before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Penbook: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/penbook

Know someone choosing between note-taking apps?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/penbook/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded note-taking apps after Penbook, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Penbook’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Penbook is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Pencil Research (User Camp Inc.). Prices and plans change: check penbook.app before you buy.