Penzu

Penzu - Free Diary & Private Journal (Write notes, take photos, and more)

Penzu · com.penzu.android

4.0 out of 5 (1 rating) 500K+ downloads v4.0.1 30.1 MB Android 9+ PEGI 3 · Everyone

Download APK 30.1 MB All versions

Signature matches the Google Play version Details

At a glance

Latest version: v4.0.1 (113)
Updated: Aug 28, 2026 (1 month ago)
APK size: 30.1 MB
Requires: Android 9+ (API 28)
CPU support: Any (no native code)
Category: Lifestyle (app)
Listed since: Sep 4, 2022 (at least)
Permissions: 17 (3 sensitive)
Website: penzu.com
Developer contact: [email protected]
Privacy: Developer's privacy policy

About this APK

Penzu is an app by Penzu in the Lifestyle category, listed since at least September 2022. It has no native code, so it runs on any Android processor.

It asks for 17 permissions, 3 of them sensitive: read contacts, read shared storage and modify shared storage. It asks for the same permissions as version 4.0.0. The app offers in-app purchases through Google Play and can read the advertising ID that ad and analytics services use.

What's new in v4.0.1

Fixed a bug where opening an entry could show a blank editor even though the entries list still showed the snippet. This showed up on newer Android WebView/Chrome versions.

Description

From the listing uploaded by “appupdater”.

Penzu * Used by over 1 million people around the world * Best free journal in any app store * Syncs to the web and other mobile platforms for free Penzu is the most popular free diary, journal and notepad. It’s the best place to keep your most private thoughts safe and secure. Sync your journals to Penzu where your notes are accessible from almost any device in the world. So simple and fun that you’ll leave your paper diary behind! FEATURES * Unlimited journaling * Sync journals with Penzu cloud for free * Customize your journal covers * Receive reminders to write * Lock journals with a password * Encrypt your journals * Add photos * Lock app with a PIN * Search journals * Add tags * Write offline and more... WHY PENZU? Penzu is a diary and personal journal that is focused on privacy. With a unique and compelling user experience, it makes writing online as easy and intuitive as writing on a pad of paper. PRIVACY Your journal and your thoughts aren’t always meant to be shared — some things are supposed to be private! Use Penzu to jot down whatever you want. Then lock your journal with a password (or even encryption) so no one can read it but you! Furthermore, you can lock the entire app with a PIN in the event that someone gets access to your mobile device. PENZU Unlike other journal apps, Penzu has a web-based counterpart. So you can access your journals and diary from any web browser and other devices. Penzu is constantly being updated and improved so that the writing experience is effortless and reliable. SUBSCRIPTION INFO This app is free to download but requires a free Penzu account in order to start writing. Upgrading to Penzu Pro costs $4.99 per month or $19.99 per year. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel manually.

Version history

4 versions are listed, going back to v3.9.8.

v4.0.1 LATEST Aug 28, 2026 30.1 MB TRUSTED v4.0.0 Apr 9, 2026 30.1 MB TRUSTED v3.9.9 Mar 28, 2026 29.5 MB TRUSTED v3.9.8 Mar 9, 2026 29.5 MB TRUSTED

All 4 versions

Security & authenticity

Security rating: Trusted

Signing certificate

Signature matches the Google Play version Checked by the source store on Aug 28, 2026.
Certificate issued to “Penzu” This is the certificate of the Google Play version.
Same certificate as the 2 other versions checked

Store checks and file details

Developer signature not checked yet Aug 28, 2026
Validated against Google Play Aug 28, 2026
Signed byCN=Penzu
Signing certificate (SHA-1)F7:F3:7B:CC:14:4D:96:5E:8B:6C:A3:7D:32:8A:6D:83:B7:6B:58:0A
File MD5f443e7f13f230beab585ebbab3801456
Uploaded by “appupdater” Gold tier · 117,810 followers · uploading since 2020

Scans and ratings come from the source store; the certificate comparisons are AAPKs's own, made from the files' published signatures (2 other versions compared). AAPKs doesn't scan files itself — compare the MD5 and signer after downloading.

Permissions (17)

Penzu requests 17 permissions, 3 of them sensitive.

Modify shared storage Sensitive android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
Read contacts Sensitive android.permission.READ_CONTACTS
Read shared storage Sensitive android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
Access adservices ad id android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID
Access adservices attribution android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION
Advertising ID com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID
Full network access android.permission.INTERNET
Google Play install referrer com.google.android.finsky.permission.BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE
In-app purchases (Google Play Billing) com.android.vending.BILLING
Internal broadcast protection (app-defined) com.penzu.android.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION
Prevent the device from sleeping android.permission.WAKE_LOCK
Receive push notifications com.google.android.c2dm.permission.RECEIVE
Run at startup android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
Run foreground services android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE
Show notifications android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS
View Wi-Fi connections android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE
View network connections android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE

Required hardware & features

Basic touch input android.hardware.faketouch
Portrait screen android.hardware.screen.portrait
Wi-Fi android.hardware.wifi

Penzu APK: questions and answers

Can I install this APK over the version I already have?

Yes, if your installed copy is older. It is signed like the Google Play version, so Android installs it as an update and keeps your data.

Is Penzu free?

The APK is free to download, but the app offers in-app purchases through Google Play.

Is the Penzu APK safe?

No one can promise that a file is safe, but some things can be checked. The source store rates this file Trusted. Its signature matches the Google Play version. It is signed with the same certificate as the 2 other versions checked. After downloading, check that the file's MD5 is f443e7f13f230beab585ebbab3801456.