Penly review
A paid Android app for stylus notes, PDF annotation, and digital planners.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Penly is an Android app for handwritten note-taking, journaling, and digital planning, aimed at people who want to write with a Bluetooth stylus and work with planner pages or PDFs. It supports handwriting and typed notes, with controls for pen color, thickness, and style. Highlighting, underlining, and a smart eraser cover common markup needs, while automatic handwriting-to-text conversion offers another way to work with written notes. The app is a fit for individual Android users; it is not positioned for people who need a desktop or cross-platform notes workspace.
Planning and document markup are central to Penly's scope. Included hyperlinked digital planners and paper templates can be used alongside imported PDFs, which users can annotate and export. Links can point to pages or websites, and folders and subfolders help organize documents. Stickers and images can be imported, organized, and reused, supporting more visual planner layouts. This combination makes Penly broader than a basic handwriting pad, though its focus remains personal notes and planning rather than collaborative work.
Penly is paid-only, with a single plan named Penly that includes full app access; there is no free plan. Google Drive sync is available between Android devices, and support channels include email and community. The published description says the app is sold as a one-time purchase through Google Play and advertises a seven-day refund window. Choose Penly if you use Android and want stylus writing, PDF markup, and planner tools in one app. Consider another product if you need access beyond Android or a free tier.
Questions about Penly
What does Penly run on? Android. It runs as a mobile app.
What does Penly integrate with? 1 integration: Google Drive.
Does Penly offer a money-back guarantee? Yes: 7 days.
Who is Penly built for? Solo users and small businesses (our editorial estimate).
Penly pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Annotate imported PDFs and export documents as PDFs.
- Includes hyperlinked digital planners and paper templates.
- Converts handwriting to text and syncs through Google Drive.
- Where it doesn't
- Available only on Android.
- Requires a paid purchase; there is no free plan.
- Google Drive syncing is limited to Android devices.
Penly fact sheet, pricing and score →
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