Goodnotes vs LiquidText

Goodnotes

• Handwritten notes on an iPad with Apple Pencil
• Marking up PDFs such as contracts, reports and lecture slides
• Students who want audio synced to their lecture notes
• K-12 schools using iPads, where Goodnotes Education is free

LiquidText

• Lawyers and analysts reviewing long documents
• Researchers comparing passages across several papers
• Pen-and-tablet users who want notes tied back to their sources

Goodnotes

• The Free plan stops at 3 files in total, 100 MB of storage and 20 minutes of audio recording, and its exports carry a watermark.
• Keeping one library in sync between Apple and non-Apple devices needs Goodnotes Cloud, which is included only from Pro.
• Goodnotes says the Android, Windows and web versions do not offer the full range of features available on iPad.
• Essential, Pro and Teams are priced per year, and AI Pass is a separate $9.99 per month add-on for more AI credits.

LiquidText

• The apps cover iPadOS, macOS and Windows only.
• The free Basic version leaves out multi-document projects, inking, tagging and OCR.
• Pro 2023 is licensed for one platform; syncing between devices or working across operating systems needs a LIVE subscription.
• LIVE includes 1 GB of storage and sharing with one colleague; more of either needs an Unlimited tier.

Goodnotes

Handwritten notebooks

Notebooks mix handwriting, typed text, images and stickers on customizable paper templates. Handwriting stays searchable and can be converted to text.

PDF annotation

Imported PDFs are highlighted and marked up by hand, searched alongside notes, and keep their table of contents for navigating long documents.

Whiteboards and text documents

An infinite-canvas whiteboard for diagrams and mind maps and typed text documents with inline blocks sit in the same library as notebooks.

Audio recording and meeting notes

Audio is recorded in sync with what you write. On Pro, Goodnotes AI for Meetings transcribes and summarizes discussions and links notes to calendar events.

Goodnotes AI

An in-app assistant answers questions from handwriting, typed text and PDFs, with citations back to the source page. AI credits vary by plan; AI Pass adds about 12 times more.

Sharing and real-time collaboration

Every plan can share documents by link. Essential can join real-time collaborative documents, and Pro can host them and share by private link.

LiquidText

Unified workspace

Source documents and notes share one screen. Excerpts dragged out of a document stay linked to their original location and return to it with one tap.

Pinch to compare and search

A pinch gesture collapses a document so distant pages, search results or highlights sit together, with as much surrounding context as needed.

Ink links and freehand notes

Pro adds freehand inking anywhere and live links drawn as a line between any two objects, such as a page, an excerpt and a comment.

Multi-document projects

Pro projects hold any number of documents, show up to 3 in parallel (5 on PC) and search across all of them at once.

LIVE sync and collaboration

The LIVE subscription syncs projects across devices in real time, backs them up continuously and lets a colleague work in a shared project.

Export and reference managers

Notes and excerpts export to PDF and DOCX, and Pro integrates with the Zotero and Mendeley reference managers.

Goodnotes

• Free$0

  Up to 3 files, 100 MB of storage, 20 minutes of audio recording, limited sharing and limited Goodnotes AI usage.

• Essential$11.99

  per year

  Unlimited files and audio recording, 5 GB of storage, exports without a watermark, basic Goodnotes AI and Google Calendar integration.

• Pro$35.99

  per year

  Adds cross-platform library sync, private link sharing, hosting real-time collaboration, Drive integration and advanced AI including meeting notes.

• Special Edition$35.99

  one-time purchase, Apple devices only (US App Store)

  Unlimited note-taking on Apple devices without a subscription. Limited Goodnotes AI and not eligible for Goodnotes Cloud.

• Teams$120

  per seat / year

  Everything in Pro, plus SAML SSO, domain control, consolidated billing and user and admin management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For 25 seats and above: AI permissions, the Microsoft Intune App SDK, dedicated account support and custom contracts.

LiquidText

• Basic$0

  PDF reader with annotation, a unified workspace, excerpts linked back to the document, pinch search and notes export.

• Pro 2023$89.99

  one-time purchase, one platform

  Local app for a single platform: inking, multi-document projects, links across documents, tagging, OCR, and Zotero and Mendeley integration.

• LIVE$8.99

  per month, paid annually; $10.99 paid monthly

  Everything in Pro 2023 on all platforms, plus real-time sync, continuous backup, 1 GB of project storage and sharing with one colleague.

• LIVE Unlimited$15.99

  per month, paid annually; $18.99 paid monthly

  Adds unlimited storage, document replacement, enhanced search actions and priority support.

• LIVE Unlimited Plus$20.99

  per month, paid annually; $24.99 paid monthly

  Raises real-time collaboration from one colleague to nearly unlimited collaborators per project, with sharing and privacy controls.

• Enterprise EditionCustom

  Quoted on request, with a license management console, single sign-on, password-based file encryption and an on-premises server option.

Goodnotes

• Education

  Goodnotes Education is free for K-12 schools

  K-12 schools get Goodnotes Education at no cost, with no trial period, including its classroom tools for teachers and students. It currently works only on Apple devices.

• Lifetime license

  Special Edition one-time purchase on Apple devices

  Special Edition unlocks unlimited note-taking on Apple devices without a subscription and is listed at $35.99 on the US App Store. Availability varies by region.

LiquidText

• Annual discount

  Lower monthly rate when paid annually

  LIVE is $8.99 a month paid annually against $10.99 paid monthly; LIVE Unlimited is $15.99 against $18.99, and Unlimited Plus $20.99 against $24.99.

• Education

  Student pricing through in-app purchase

  The pricing page says student discounts are available only as in-app purchases in a LiquidText app downloaded from the app store. It gives no rate.

• Lifetime license

  Pro 2023 as a one-time purchase

  LiquidText Pro 2023 is paid once at $89.99 for a single platform and can run on up to 5 personal devices on that platform.