The Best GoodNotes AlternativesTop Note-taking Tools & Todo List Managers like GoodNotes
GoodNotes is described as 'Easily take notes on mobile devices, annotate PDFs, and organize in folders. Handwritten notes are searchable and sync across devices with iCloud' and is a popular Note-taking tool in the office & productivity category. There are more than 50 alternatives to GoodNotes for a variety of platforms, including iPad, iPhone, Windows, Android and Mac apps. The best GoodNotes alternative is Obsidian, which is free. Other great apps like GoodNotes are Microsoft OneNote, Xournal++, xournal and MyScript Nebo.
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GoodNotes alternatives are mainly Note-taking Tools, but if you're looking for Todo List Managers or Digital Painting Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include iPad + Free and Android + Journaling. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to GoodNotes.- Note-taking Tool
- Freemium • Proprietary
- 111 Obsidian alternatives
Privacy-oriented note-taking app for non-linear thinking, blending knowledge graph creation with wiki-style linking. Supports Markdown, end-to-end encryption, and plugins for customization. Offers distraction-free mode, tags, themes, syntax highlighting, and operates offline without tracking.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
Canada
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Snapcraft
- Microsoft Edge
- Google Chrome
- Flathub
- Safari
- Mozilla Firefox
Top Obsidian Features
- 103 Microsoft OneNote alternatives
Comprehensive digital notebook offering organizers, shared notes, multi-device syncing, and optical character recognition, plus cloud-based data management for efficient information handling and accessibility.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Chrome OS
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Android Wear
- Kindle Fire
Top Microsoft OneNote Features
Comments about Microsoft OneNote as an Alternative to GoodNotes
Top Positive CommentTop Negative CommentOneNote for Android does not have as much functionality, especially for journaling. The Android app does not have any template function, which is one of my main needs. OneNote for iOS, Windows, and Mac has this, but the Android app is very behind.
Most Recent CommentJonathan JewellBasically winning because Microsoft Office overall is so ubiquitous. Has a long way to go with the emergence of alternatives like Zettlr, Roam and Obsidian, but still, an excellent tool in itself and where it is up to now. But seriously, why have to install OneNote for Desktop and for Office if you are running it on desktop Windows OS and you own Office too - and not having all the functionality of both in either?!?!
- 51 Xournal++ alternatives
Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation using pen input and pressure sensitivity, shape drawing, customizable toolbar layouts, image insertion, audio recording, multi-language options, LaTeX integration, and complete export in PDF or PNG formats across all platforms.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
Comments about Xournal++ as an Alternative to GoodNotes
Most Recent CommentvioloncelloIt allows you to store your notes wherever you want and doesn't force you to use whatever cloud synchronisation
LinuxDogecross platform, not invasive
OSS alternative with many great features.
- 50 xournal alternatives
Xournal is an application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal using a stylus. It is free software (GNU GPL) and runs on Linux (recent distributions), Windows and other GTK+/Gnome platforms.
DiscontinuedIt hasn't been updated since 2017, but there is an active fork
Xournal++
xournal Features
- 13 MyScript Nebo alternatives
Powered by the highly acclaimed MyScript Interactive Ink, Nebo® is the ultimate way to take notes. Designed specifically for iPad Pro and modern Windows devices in conjunction with advanced writing styluses like Apple Pencil, it lets you easily hand write, draw, edit and...
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application type
Country of Origin
France
EU
Platforms
- Windows
- Android
- Chrome OS
- Android Tablet
- iPad
MyScript Nebo Features
Comments about MyScript Nebo as an Alternative to GoodNotes
Smooth interface, handwriting recognition, high quality pdf export, cloud sync with gdrivd and dropbox
Nothing is like Goodnotes!
- 23 Squid alternatives
Take handwritten notes naturally on your Android tablet, phone, or Chromebook supporting Android apps! With Squid you can write just like you would on paper using an active pen, passive stylus, or your finger.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Android
- Chrome OS
- Android Tablet
- Kindle Fire
Squid Features
- 20 Rnote alternatives
Rnote aims to be a simple but functional note taking application for freehand drawing or annotating pictures or documents. It eventually should be able to import / export various media file formats.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Austria
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Flathub
- Flatpak
Butterfly is a note-taking app where your ideas come first. You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device. This app works on android, windows, linux, and in the web.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Self-Hosted
- Snapcraft
- AltStore
- Flathub
- F-Droid
FiiNote is the most convenient note app for android.
The app is compatible with Android 2.0 ~ Android 4.3(and later). It is designed for both Phone and Pad.
Feature list: 1, Unique hybrid model for combined handwriting and keyboard. 2, Text,paint,voice,photo,video...Note everyt.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
China
Platforms
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- Android Tablet
FiiNote Features
Comments about FiiNote as an Alternative to GoodNotes
Did not like the way it handles manuscript summaries.
RemovedUserMore a text recognition app than handwrite note app
- 87 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives
OpenBoard is a cross-platform (Linux / Windows / macOS) interactive whiteboard application. It is currently maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the Canton of Geneva in Switzerland.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Perfect for everything- iPad and mobile apps are free