Pro vs Original

Pencil Planner Pro was built as the latest and greatest version of our original app Pencil Planner & Draw Calendar.

Which app am I using?

Pencil Planner & Calendar Pro (Pro)

Pencil Planner & Draw Calendar (Original)

Why a second app instead of adding those features to the first app?

As we tried to design the ideal planner, we quickly found that the features we wanted in Pro were impossible with the templates from v1. So, we totally redesigned it from the ground up! This allowed us to provide several amazing features we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, including:

  1. A week view with the schedule for each day
  2. Calendar event integration across day, week, month
  3. A main event cell displayed on each day which also shows on the week and month
  4. Much better support for iPhone and split screen
  5. A more reliable storage mechanism
  6. User accounts which will make it possible to share calendars between users in the future (see our Roadmap)

What features does Pro have that Original does not?

Here is the main functional list of features that Pro currently has which Original does not:

  1. Calendar event integration
  2. Content entered in the day view is also displayed in the week and month views
  3. Better layout on small devices
  4. And many more! Plus a Feature Roadmap of more upcoming features

What features does Original have that Pro does not?

The Pro version of the app has all the features of Original, plus many more as shown above.

The only key difference to note (not necessarily a “feature”) is the Original version stores data in your iCloud while Pro stores data securely on our data servers to provide fast and reliable storage & syncronization. It is not currently on our development plan to include iCloud as a storage option for Pro.

Will the Original version get new features going forward?

Most likely not. It will continue to get maintenance updates as needed to keep it running. With maintenance updates we may make small changes to improve the experience but it likely won’t get any significant features.

Development is primarily focused on Pencil Planner Pro as shown on our Feature Roadmap.

Why has the Original app not been removed from the App Store?

We have users who enjoy the original app, and we have left it on the App Store because:

  1. The existing users continue to need access
  2. Some people prefer the simplicity of the original app (no calendar syncing, simple page templates)

What if I paid for the original version already? Can my purchase count towards the subscription with Pro?

Yes, please see instructions here.