GoodNotes icon
GoodNotes icon

GoodNotes

Experience "digital paper" with seamless note-taking on iOS devices. Annotate PDFs, PowerPoint, and Word, plus organize notes in unlimited folders. Enjoy searchable handwritten notes that sync across devices with iCloud, intuitive QuickNote feature, and customizable templates.

GoodNotes screenshot 1
GoodNotes screenshot 2
+3
GoodNotes screenshot 3

Cost / License

  • Freemium (Pay once)
  • Proprietary

Platforms

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Online
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Android Tablet
  • iPad
3.6
Good7 reviews
77likes
11comments

Features

Suggest and vote on features
  1.  Handwriting
  2.  PDF annotation
  3.  Pressure Sensitivity
  4.  Integrated Search
  5.  Apple Pencil support
  6.  Drag and Drop
  7.  OCR
  8.  Handwritten Notes
  9.  Support for Gestures
  10.  Folders
  11.  Handwriting recognition
  12.  Import PDF
  13.  AI-Powered
  14.  Sync with iCloud
  15.  Freehand Writing
  16.  Indexed search

 Tags

GoodNotes News & Activities

Highlights All activities

Recent News

Show more news

Recent activities

  • Samsung Notes icon
    ATShields934 added GoodNotes as alternative to Samsung Notes
  • Noteastic icon
    Noteastic added GoodNotes as alternative to Noteastic
  • Prodrafts icon
    martin9876543 added GoodNotes as alternative to Prodrafts
  • luk15 reviewed GoodNotes  

    Unfortunately the app has bugs over bugs. Every update breaks a feature and it seems like there is no QA testing going on. Some bugs even caused full pages to disappear, which is the last thing on needs for studying. Additionally, a lifetime purchase is not really a lifetime purchase. I would not buy it again.

  • Rhyolite icon
    OpenSourceSoftware added GoodNotes as alternative to Rhyolite
  • benjiedcully liked GoodNotes
  • Quick Scrap Note icon
    POX added GoodNotes as alternative to Quick Scrap Note
  • xylopire liked GoodNotes
  • Minimo Notes icon
    UniqueGo added GoodNotes as alternative to Minimo Notes
Show all activities

Comments and Reviews

   
 Post comment/review
Comment summary: GoodNotes receives praise for its paper-like functionality, ease of use, and frequent updates, making note-taking enjoyable. Users appreciate the smooth operation on iPads but express disappointment over its limited availability on Android, lack of desktop features, and subpar Turkish OCR. Concerns also arise regarding persistent bugs and misleading lifetime purchase claims, marking areas for improvement.
Top Positive Comment
ushabuntu
3

the best in the business. too bad it is not available for Android tablets

Top Negative Comment
Lukas Müller
0

Unfortunately the app has bugs over bugs. Every update breaks a feature and it seems like there is no QA testing going on. Some bugs even caused full pages to disappear, which is the last thing on needs for studying. Additionally, a lifetime purchase is not really a lifetime purchase. I would not buy it again.

ugurozturk
0

Almost perfect but main usage OCR terrible for my native language (Turkish). It was my first note taking app and used it almost 1 year. I though my handwriting so bad and unique so it can't convert. Then used gived a try to Notability, it was perfect. It did get almost all my handwriting. Even when I did not write carefully. Then I gave a chance to OneNote. OneNote does so much better ocr than GoodNotes. I hope they improve Turkish OCR.

coffee-brew
-1

Only for Samsung tablets

Review by a new / low-activity user.
ArnoldTuck
0

I like Goodnotes, because it provides a really nice user-friendly environment.

Review by a new / low-activity user.
emba_charly
0

This software is perfect for taking notes and it is a lot of fun to read and structure texts with it. New features are also added regularly, so it is always evolving.

Review by a new / low-activity user.
TGM_Guy
-1

Simple, touch focused, digital note-taking. For a while, there was no competition. Now, open-source competition is out-pacing this apps development when it comes to the actual note-taking experience on desktop. For one, this app is STILL locked onto apple systems. The Mac App needs desktop features such as proper keyboard shortcuts for more than the basic tools.

Show more comments
7 of 11 comments

Featured in Lists

Currently using great apps

List by jierfjwio with 35 apps, updated

What is GoodNotes?

GoodNotes is a notetaking app with the theme of "digital paper." It's usable for all your handwritten notes and formerly paper-based information. Take handwritten notes in digital, multi-media notebooks or annotate PDF, PowerPoint, and Word documents. All notes are searchable.

Enjoy the freedom of handwriting: Write and sketch with your finger or a stylus on digital paper & imported documents. You can add images, typed text, and shapes to the page and reorder and resize them.

GoodNotes is usable as a centralized home for all of your documents. Quickly import PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files to annotate them or create a new blank notebook to take notes.

Organize and manage them with ease: Organize your notebooks and documents in folders and use favorites star icon for favorites feature for lightning-fast access whenever you need them.

GoodNotes lets you search and find information from your whole library and open it right away. You can also search in an open document and jump to the search result with a single tap.

Import documents without ever leaving the app or copy them to GoodNotes from your browser or another source. In GoodNotes, you can import PDFs as new files or add them to existing documents.

Create a structure with unlimited folders and subfolders to organize your documents and notebooks. Pages, documents, and folders can be marked as "Favorites" for fast access no matter where they're stored in your library.

GoodNotes comes with preset covers for your library as well as paper templates for every occasion. Additionally, you can import own templates.

QuickNote: A new blank note can be created with a double tap. Jot down thoughts or important information within seconds. To keep your library clean, you decide whether to save or discard a QuickNote when you're done.

iCloud Sync: Thanks to iCloud, your documents and notes will be in sync across your devices and will be secured in the cloud.

Official Links

GoodNotes information

  • Developed by

    HK flagTime Base Technology Limited
  • Licensing

    Proprietary and Freemium product.
  • Pricing

    One time purchase (perpetual license) that costs $8 + free version with limited functionality.
  • Rating

    Average rating of 3.6
  • Alternatives

    66 alternatives listed
  • Supported Languages

    • English
    • Dutch
    • French
    • German
    • Italian
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Portuguese
    • Russian
    • Chinese
    • Spanish
    • Thai
    • Turkish

AlternativeTo Categories

Office & ProductivityPhotos & GraphicsOS & Utilities

Apple AppStore

  •   Updated 
  •   4.72 avg rating

Our users have written 11 comments and reviews about GoodNotes, and it has gotten 77 likes

GoodNotes was added to AlternativeTo by chasedeluca on and this page was last updated .