Which Stylus is the Best for the iPad
While the iPad was designed to be used with your finger, there are definitely times when having a stylus can be a big benefit. This can be especially true when taking notes or drawing. There are apps designed specially for these activities, but using your finger is uncomfortable for most users. So what are your options?
There are numerous low cost options for styluses that range in cost from $10 - $20. These are okay but don’t offer any special functionality. For people who are going to be using a stylus on a frequent basis, they may want a better one. There are two styluses that are marketed as high performance and come with high end price tags. The styluses are the Jot Script ($75) and the Pencil ($60). Do either of the styluses live up to their marketing claims and hefty price tags?
There are numerous low cost options for styluses that range in cost from $10 - $20. These are okay but don’t offer any special functionality. For people who are going to be using a stylus on a frequent basis, they may want a better one. There are two styluses that are marketed as high performance and come with high end price tags. The styluses are the Jot Script ($75) and the Pencil ($60). Do either of the styluses live up to their marketing claims and hefty price tags?
The Jot Script stylus is shaped like a traditional ball point pen and has a very comfortable feel. It is battery powered and takes 1 AAA battery. The stylus comes with bluetooth connectivity. When using the Penultimate app, Bluetooth provides palm rejection. This means that the app can detect where the stylus is touching the screen and only accepts input from the stylus. If your palm touches the screen, the app ignores this as an input. This allows for accurate writing.
Overall, the Jot Script works well. In most cases, the palm rejection performs as expected, although it will still occasionally end up inputting marks on the screen where your palm is resting. It’s important to note that the palm rejection only works with the specific app that goes with the stylus (in this case Penultimate). When using the stylus with other apps, it works just like a normal stylus.
But the Jot Script disappoints in a couple of areas. It has a hard tip on the end of the stylus. This causes a clicking noise as you write on the screen. If sitting in a quiet place or in a meeting, this clicking noise can be distracting. Aside from the palm rejection, the accuracy of the stylus is no more accurate than a standard stylus.
The Pencil stylus works well too. Pencil is shaped like a carpenter pencil and has a magnetic strip allowing it to attach to the magnets embedded in iPad bezel. This helps keep track of your stylus. Pencil is battery powered and comes with a rechargeable battery that can be plugged directly into a USB port to be recharged. The tip of the pencil is a soft nub with a hard inner point. This makes Pencil quiet while writing on the screen and also gives it a realistic feel making it feel very natural to use.
Pencil comes with a companion app called Paper. Pencil will work as a typical stylus with any app but there are a few special features that you get when using Paper. Paper is primarily designed as a drawing app. It can be used as a note taking app, but it’s designed for drawing. When using Pencil with Paper, there is a rubber nub on the top of the stylus that works like an eraser. You can simply flip the stylus around and use the nub just like an eraser on a real pencil. Also, when Pencil is paired with Paper, the app can tell the difference between the stylus and your finger. This allows you to use your finger as a smudge or blur tool and use the stylus to draw. Artists will love the creativity when using Paper and Pencil.
Jot is smaller and shaped like a traditional pen. Users with smaller hands may find this to be a better fit for them. You also get palm rejection when using the Penultimate app which is the better app for dedicated note taking. The downside is the higher price tag and the hard tip which can create an annoying clicking noise when using the stylus.
Pencil has the most natural (ie most like a real pencil) feel of any stylus I’ve used. It has high quality construction although some users may not like the large size of the stylus. The soft nub with hard point underneath will also wear out over time. The manufacturer does sell replacement nubs at a reasonable cost, but it is an added expense. Handwriting recognition using Penultimate is as good as Jot, but you don’t get the additional palm rejection.
Overall, for the cheaper cost, added features when using the Paper app and silent operation when writing, we recommend Pencil as the best iPad stylus on the market today.
Overall, the Jot Script works well. In most cases, the palm rejection performs as expected, although it will still occasionally end up inputting marks on the screen where your palm is resting. It’s important to note that the palm rejection only works with the specific app that goes with the stylus (in this case Penultimate). When using the stylus with other apps, it works just like a normal stylus.
But the Jot Script disappoints in a couple of areas. It has a hard tip on the end of the stylus. This causes a clicking noise as you write on the screen. If sitting in a quiet place or in a meeting, this clicking noise can be distracting. Aside from the palm rejection, the accuracy of the stylus is no more accurate than a standard stylus.
The Pencil stylus works well too. Pencil is shaped like a carpenter pencil and has a magnetic strip allowing it to attach to the magnets embedded in iPad bezel. This helps keep track of your stylus. Pencil is battery powered and comes with a rechargeable battery that can be plugged directly into a USB port to be recharged. The tip of the pencil is a soft nub with a hard inner point. This makes Pencil quiet while writing on the screen and also gives it a realistic feel making it feel very natural to use.
Pencil comes with a companion app called Paper. Pencil will work as a typical stylus with any app but there are a few special features that you get when using Paper. Paper is primarily designed as a drawing app. It can be used as a note taking app, but it’s designed for drawing. When using Pencil with Paper, there is a rubber nub on the top of the stylus that works like an eraser. You can simply flip the stylus around and use the nub just like an eraser on a real pencil. Also, when Pencil is paired with Paper, the app can tell the difference between the stylus and your finger. This allows you to use your finger as a smudge or blur tool and use the stylus to draw. Artists will love the creativity when using Paper and Pencil.
Jot is smaller and shaped like a traditional pen. Users with smaller hands may find this to be a better fit for them. You also get palm rejection when using the Penultimate app which is the better app for dedicated note taking. The downside is the higher price tag and the hard tip which can create an annoying clicking noise when using the stylus.
Pencil has the most natural (ie most like a real pencil) feel of any stylus I’ve used. It has high quality construction although some users may not like the large size of the stylus. The soft nub with hard point underneath will also wear out over time. The manufacturer does sell replacement nubs at a reasonable cost, but it is an added expense. Handwriting recognition using Penultimate is as good as Jot, but you don’t get the additional palm rejection.
Overall, for the cheaper cost, added features when using the Paper app and silent operation when writing, we recommend Pencil as the best iPad stylus on the market today.