Pencora vs Apple Notes — handwriting notes for iPad, compared

Where Pencora is ahead of Apple Notes

Pencora compared with Apple Notes
Feature	Pencora	Apple Notes
Typed text in your handwriting	YesTeach it your letters once, then type or paste a whole Markdown document — lists, formulas — and it’s written in your own hand. Russian and English, on the iPad	PartlyPaste as Handwriting writes pasted text in your style — Russian isn’t among its listed languages
Graphs on the page	YesFunctions, implicit curves, points and tables — typed, imported from CSV or read from a hand-drawn table; ink on the plane sticks to its coordinates	PartlyMath Notes graphs equations of the form y = f(x) — no implicit curves
Geometry constructions	YesBisectors, perpendiculars, tangents, reflections, triangle centres — drag a point and everything built on it follows, in real millimetres	NoA ruler and shape snapping — no constructions
PDFs from other apps	YesHandwriting comes in as real, editable strokes on the right paper — lasso, recolour or erase any of it	NoA PDF is an attachment you mark up
Infinite board	YesAn endless canvas with a minimap behind every notebook	NoA note scrolls down; the infinite canvas is a separate app, Freeform
Paper	YesLined, grid, dotted and more — or any PDF page as your paper	PartlyA fixed set of lines and grids

Moving over from Apple Notes

In Apple Notes, export each note as a PDF (Share → Export as PDF).
Open the PDF with Pencora — from the Share sheet, or with Import inside a notebook — and choose to bring it in as editable ink.
Pencora detects the paper ruling and turns the handwriting into real strokes, page by page. Long notebooks open at once and finish converting as you go.

Other comparisons

Compared with what Apple Notes says about itself on its own website and App Store page, checked September 2026. Apps change — if something here is out of date, tell me and I’ll fix it. Apple Notes is a trademark of its owner; Pencora is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.