Notability
Truly integrated iOS app combining handwriting, PDF annotation, and text for seamless note-taking. Auto Sync backs up notes. Customize themes, library, and toolbars for a personalized experience with robust features.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
Features
Notability News & Activities
Recent News
- POX published news article about Notability
Notability unveils major update with a refreshed look, enhanced accessibility, and free tools for all usersNotability, the widely-used note-taking application for macOS and iOS, has unveiled a major update,...
Recent activities
POX added Notability as alternative to Quick Scrap Note- braky updated Notability
UniqueGo added Notability as alternative to Minimo Notes
Sylwek added Notability as alternative to Obsidian
Sylwek added Notability as alternative to Notestudio- Maoholguin updated Notability
Danilo_Venom added Notability as alternative to UPDF- vitaprimo reviewed Notability
This was literally the only app I'd purchase an iPad for, it was really good. iPad-justifyingly good.
But that's in the past. Since then it changed its pricing model without making it a new app, meaning existing users were converted to some sort of grandfathered tier which has less features than before and who know have to deal with so much noise from integrated sales and cloud nonsense in the app. Reading through reviews, nobody seems to be asking for this, quite the opposite. It has become...
- y2kay liked Notability
RemovedUser added Notability as alternative to Samsung Notes
What is Notability?
Notability Videos
Notability information
Developed by
Ginger Labs Licensing
Proprietary and Freemium product.Pricing
Subscription that costs up to $1 per month + free version with limited functionality.Rating
Average rating of 2.8Alternatives
51 alternatives listedSupported Languages
AlternativeTo Categories
Office & Productivity, Photos & Graphics, Audio & MusicApple AppStore
- Updated Jun 23, 2025
- 4.76 avg rating
Comments and Reviews
Whole screen just for note taking increases my productivity
This was literally the only app I'd purchase an iPad for, it was really good. iPad-justifyingly good.
But that's in the past. Since then it changed its pricing model without making it a new app, meaning existing users were converted to some sort of grandfathered tier which has less features than before and who know have to deal with so much noise from integrated sales and cloud nonsense in the app. Reading through reviews, nobody seems to be asking for this, quite the opposite. It has become one of those apps you can never fully own because there always will be something else to purchase which itself is so shallow they can use its optionality as a scapegoat for it inclusion.
It's very annoying, distracting, busy and just y'know…tacky; I'm pretty sure they know it because they have those long marketing/tips/helpful/it's-really-an-ad/"non-sponsored" blog posts about distractions and zen and all bs-itty problems caused by apps that in astoundingly lack of self-awareness they "fix".
In my experience so far, when a dev/company pulls that move on you, there's no reason to trust they won't do it again.
They backstabbed they customers which they had already been treating like test users in previous versions of the app that were like a long crashy beta, and in my experience, if it (the company) did it once, there's nothing keeping it from doing it again.
BTW, the selling point of subscriptions is that you get a consistent stream of new features, right? Why would you keep paying for the same dev work already done again and again otherwise. Well, since I've had access to pre-, and post-subscription model, I can tell you there's not been a single feature worth paying any upgrade for. It's just bloat— And the built-in Notes app has pretty much closed the gap it had plus it can sync among other backends with Exchange too. BUILT-IN. With this one you can back up to WebDAV and that's it, you need to purchase the desktop version and a public cloud service to sync.
Missing notes in data sync-up.
because you can right anything you want its just freedom
By far the closest, this is
MetaMoJi Note . You can edit PDFs, make notes and edit existing documents.
[Edited by Venom88, December 27]
Exactly! MetaMoJi Note is the real alternative to Notability in Android.
If you are a student and own and iPad you need this app. Unfortunately there is no Android alternative available. I swear on my life if you are a student GET THIS APP. It automatically converts documents to PDFs syncs to your Google Drive (or other cloud account). Allows you to draw/take notes on Powerpoints/Word Docx/PDFs spend the 4$ or whatever it is the last notebook you will ever buy. You'll never spend money on paper again with this app.