Best S Pen Apps: What Samsung Includes and What to Add

Most of what an S Pen is good for is already on your Galaxy. Samsung Notes covers handwriting and PDFs, PENUP covers drawing and colouring, and the Air command menu covers screenshots, translation and quick notes. A third-party app earns its place when you want layers and brushes for finished artwork, or notes that also open on a device Samsung did not make.

We went through Samsung’s own pages for the built-in features, then the Google Play listings for everything else. Two of the ten apps this article listed in 2019 have left the store, and a third survives only as a paid edition.

Which Galaxy devices take an S Pen

This article used to be about the Galaxy Note. The newest Note on Samsung’s S Pen compatibility list is the Note20. In 2022 Samsung announced the Galaxy S22 Ultra as a merger of the Note and S series, with the pen built in, and the S Pen has lived in the Ultra phones since.

• Galaxy S Ultra phones: Samsung’s product page says the Galaxy S26 Ultra has a built-in S Pen, and the S25 Ultra keeps one inside the phone too. The compatibility list runs back to the S21 Ultra.
• Galaxy Z Fold: only the Z Fold3, Z Fold4, Z Fold5 and Z Fold6, with the optional S Pen Fold Edition or S Pen Pro, and only on the inner screen. Samsung’s product pages say the Z Fold7, Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra do not support the S Pen, and its support site says the same of the Z TriFold.
• Galaxy Tab S tablets: the list covers the Tab S6 to the Tab S11. Samsung’s pages for the Tab S11 series and the Tab S10 FE say the S Pen is included.
• Older Notes: the Note10 and Note20 are still on the list.

One difference affects apps. Samsung says the pens that come with the S26 Ultra, S25 Ultra and Tab S11 have no Bluetooth. Writing and drawing do not need it, and those pens never need charging. What you lose is Air actions, the gestures that turn the pen into a remote control. Samsung’s page for the S24 Ultra says its pen still has them.

What Samsung already gives you

Air command

Take the pen out and the Air command menu opens. On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung’s support page lists these shortcuts:

• Create note: starts a new note in Samsung Notes.
• AI Select: select something on screen, then draw on it, generate an image or make a GIF.
• Screen write: write or draw directly on the screen.
• Translate: translates text on the screen.
• Magnify: hover the pen to zoom in on what is under it.
• Creative Studio: turns sketches into artwork and Gallery photos into cartoons.
• Write on Calendar: write straight onto the Calendar app.
• PENUP: opens Samsung’s drawing app.

You can add shortcuts to your own apps at the bottom of the menu. Samsung notes that the menu varies by device and software version. The S25 Ultra’s has Drawing assist where the S26 Ultra has Creative Studio.

Samsung Notes

Samsung Notes is the note app the pen’s shortcuts open. Its listing describes handwritten and typed notes, voice recordings inside a note, PDF annotation with the S Pen, locked notes, and editing on phone, tablet or PC. It is free, and Google Play shows no ads or in-app purchases.

Several pen features feed into it. Screen off memo lets you pull the pen out and write on the dark screen, then save the memo to Samsung Notes. Quick notes opens a new note when you hold the pen button and tap the screen twice. On Galaxy tablets, Samsung’s guide also describes converting handwriting to text, straightening crooked handwriting, and Note Assist tools that format, summarise, spell-check and translate.

PENUP

PENUP is Samsung’s drawing app and community. The listing offers colouring pages, templates, Live Drawing videos you draw along with, Photo Drawing over a picture, and drawing challenges. It is free, with no ads or in-app purchases shown.

Three settings worth switching on

All three are under Settings, Advanced features, S Pen.

• S Pen to text: write in a search field, address bar or text box and the handwriting is converted to typed text.
• Screen off memo: described above. It can also pin a memo to the Always On Display.
• Warn if S Pen is left behind: under More S Pen settings. The phone notifies you if the pen stays out for a while after the screen turns off.

S Pen apps compared

Samsung’s S Pen page names Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint as professional apps the pen works with, and its Tab S11 page advertises perks for Clip Studio Paint and Goodnotes. The other apps here describe pen or stylus use in their own listings.

Note-taking apps

Squid is the closest to paper. Its listing says that on a Samsung device with an S Pen you write with the pen and erase with a finger. Notes stay on your device with no sign-in. Importing and marking up PDFs is part of Squid Premium, the in-app purchase, along with extra paper backgrounds and tools.

Microsoft OneNote suits anyone whose notes need to appear on a work laptop. It needs a free Microsoft account, and its listing now mentions Samsung Notes integration, so the two can live side by side.

Goodnotes syncs handwritten notebooks and annotated PDFs across Android, Windows and the web. The listing is open about the catch. Unlimited notebooks, sharing and collaboration need a subscription after a 7-day trial, and it warns that performance may be limited on tablets with 4 GB of RAM or less.

Noteshelf 3 charges differently. It is free with limits, and a one-time fee unlocks unlimited notebooks and handwriting search. MyScript Notes is built around turning handwriting into typed text and tidy diagrams. Its Google Play address still says Nebo. It starts with a 7-day trial, then drops to a limited free version unless you pay.

Drawing apps

Sketchbook is the app this article used to call Autodesk’s Sketchbook. The listing now carries the developer name Sketchbook. It describes a clean interface that keeps out of the way, with customisable brushes, layers with blend modes, and guides and rulers.

Clip Studio Paint is the heavyweight, with up to 10,000 layers and 3D models you can pose for reference. Read the terms in its listing before you start a big piece. On a tablet you need a monthly or annual plan to save or export your work. On a phone you get 30 free hours of full use each month.

Infinite Painter says it is designed for stylus devices with full pressure and tilt support. Concepts is vector-based, so every stroke stays editable, which suits diagrams and product sketches better than painting.

Krita is a full painting program with animation and comic tools. Its developers say in the listing that this is a beta not yet suitable for real work, and that it is offered for tablets and Chromebooks, not phones. Few apps are that frank about themselves.

A game for the pen

Scribble Racer is still here from the old list. You follow a hand-drawn track as it scrolls faster, collecting fruit on the way. The listing says it was made for the Galaxy Note’s S Pen and also plays with a finger. Scribble Racer 2 adds a colouring book. Both show ads.

Which one to pick

• Everyday notes and writing on a PDF: Samsung Notes. It is already installed and tied into the pen’s shortcuts.
• Notes you must reach from a Windows PC or the web: OneNote if you live in Microsoft’s apps, Goodnotes if you want notebooks and will pay the subscription.
• Private notes with no account: Squid.
• Doodling and colouring: PENUP. It is free and shows no ads.
• Artwork you want to finish: Sketchbook to begin with, then Clip Studio Paint or Infinite Painter once you know you will pay for one.

If the pen is on a Tab S, our guide to tablet-optimised apps for Android covers what else makes use of the bigger screen.

What happened to the old list

Google Handwriting Input and Adobe Fill & Sign no longer turn up on Google Play. Handwriting is now a feature of Gboard, and Samsung’s own S Pen to text does the same job without changing keyboard. For signing, Adobe Acrobat Reader is on the store, free with ads and in-app purchases.

The free edition of INKredible has gone. INKredible PRO remains as a paid app.

S Pen Keeper is still listed, but its page shows it has gone years without an update, and the phone’s own “Warn if S Pen is left behind” setting does what it did. Colorfy is still on the store too, with ads and in-app purchases. PENUP’s colouring pages have neither.

Quick answers

Which Samsung phones have an S Pen?

The Galaxy S Ultra phones. Samsung says the Galaxy S26 Ultra has one built in, and the S25 Ultra keeps its pen inside the phone as well. The Z Fold3 to Z Fold6 work with an optional pen sold separately.

Does the Galaxy Z Fold7 support the S Pen?

No. Samsung’s own product page says the Galaxy Z Fold7 does not support S Pen, and its pages for the Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra say the same.

What is the best free S Pen app for drawing?

PENUP, because it is free with no ads or in-app purchases shown on Google Play. Sketchbook is free to install and sells extras inside the app.

Do S Pen apps need Bluetooth?

Not for writing or drawing. Samsung says the S26 Ultra’s pen does not rely on Bluetooth and needs no pairing or charging. Air actions are the part that needs a Bluetooth pen.

Do I need an app to turn handwriting into text?

No. Switch on S Pen to text under Settings, Advanced features, S Pen, and the phone converts what you write in a text field.