Goodnotes vs Notes Writer
We give Goodnotes a 3.8 GPA and Notes Writer a 3.0, out of 4.0. Goodnotes grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Goodnotes
Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant
Notes Writer
Handwriting, PDF annotation and document editing in one Apple app
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAGoodnotesExcellent | 3.0GPANotes WriterVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AEssential is $11.99 a year and Pro is $35.99 a year. That's about $1 and $3 a month, in a category where paid plans typically start at $5.99 a month. On Apple devices there's also a one-time Special Edition at $35.99. | BLifetime Pro Full Unlock is $14.99 once on the US App Store, which is small money next to a typical $5.99 a month. But the site doesn't itemise what Pro adds, so it gets the grade we give when a listing can't say. Give the $1.99 Weekly a miss: that's over $100 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever, but tight: 3 files in total, 100 MB of storage, 20 minutes of audio recording and a watermark on exports. Enough to see if you like the pen feel, not enough for a term of lectures. Essential and Pro have a 7-day trial. | BIt's a free download, and the site calls Pro, Lifetime Pro and the AI options optional upgrades. What it doesn't do is list what the free version leaves out. So we can't tell you where free stops. |
| Features | AHandwritten notebooks you can search, PDF markup, an infinite whiteboard, typed documents and audio recorded in sync with what you write. An AI assistant answers from your handwriting and PDFs and cites the page. Several happy reviewers do call the typed text tool clunky. | AApple Pencil handwriting, PDF markup with form filling, redaction and measuring to scale, and editors for DOCX, RTF, Markdown and LaTeX. It records lectures with searchable transcripts, organises a subject in a tree-style binder, and runs Python in Math Notebooks. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 460,000 App Store ratings. Writing by hand and still being able to search it is the thing reviewers keep naming. | B4.5 from about 7,300 App Store ratings, which lands in our B band. With this many kinds of document in one app, expect to spend a while finding your way around. |
| Platforms and integrations | AiPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows and the web, with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Calendar hooked in. Two catches: syncing one library between Apple and non-Apple devices needs Pro, and the non-iPad versions don't have every feature. | CiPad, iPhone and Apple silicon Macs, where it runs as the iPad app. It works with iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive. No Android, Windows or web version is offered. |
| Best for | handwritten notes and PDF markup on an iPad | handwriting, PDFs and real documents in one iPad app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Goodnotes and Notes Writer. How we grade
Where they differ
- Goodnotes starts at $11.99 per year (Essential). Notes Writer starts at $1.99 per week; Lifetime Pro Full Unlock is $14.99 one-time.
- Only Goodnotes lists a web app.
- Only Goodnotes lists Android and Windows apps.
- Goodnotes also covers transcription.
- Notes Writer also covers Markdown, documents and long-form writing.
At a glance
| Goodnotes | Notes Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11.99 per year (Essential) | $1.99 per week; Lifetime Pro Full Unlock is $14.99 one-time |
| Free plan | Free forever: up to 3 files in total across notebooks, whiteboards and text documents, 100 MB of storage, a 5 MB import limit, 20 minutes of audio recording and watermarked exports. | Free to download, with optional in-app purchases for Pro and AI-inclusive options. The site does not list what the free download leaves out. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on Essential and Pro; 30-day free trial on Teams. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Goodnotes Limited | Kairoos Solutions |
| Price read from | goodnotes.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Notes Writer
- Students who record lectures and annotate course PDFs on an iPad
- Writers and researchers drafting in Word, Markdown or LaTeX beside their notes
- People who want a one-time Pro unlock in place of a subscription
Worth knowing
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.
Notes Writer
- The site publishes no prices. The US App Store lists Notes Writer Unlock All and AI at $3.99 and $14.99 without a billing period.
- On a Mac it runs as the iPad app and needs Apple silicon; no Android, Windows or web version is offered.
- The AI Assistant is optional, needs an internet connection, and its included usage depends on the plan.
- A separate paid app, Notes Writer Pro: Beyond PDFs, is listed at $14.99 on the US App Store with its own AI Assistant add-on at $3.99.
Key features
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.
Notes Writer
- Handwriting with Apple Pencil
- Pens, pencils, fountain pens, markers and watercolor tools with an eraser, lasso and ruler, plus shapes, typed text and images alongside handwriting.
- PDF annotation
- Highlights, ink, comments, signatures and audio on PDFs, with form filling, page organization, text redaction in supported PDFs and measurement of distance and area to scale.
- Document editors
- Creates and edits DOCX, RTF, Markdown, LaTeX and plain text documents. LaTeX compiles to a typeset PDF with a preview beside the source.
- Voice notes with transcripts
- Records lectures, interviews or meetings, generates transcripts that can be searched, and attaches recordings to PDF notes and whiteboards.
- Study Projects
- A tree-like Binder organizes subjects, sources and drafts, a Corkboard plans sections, and selected parts compile into a finished document or ebook.
- Math Notebooks and charts
- Math Notebooks mix explanations and calculations with Python cells and plot output, and Chart documents turn a data table into column, line, pie or scatter charts.
Plans
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.
Notes Writer
Free$0
The free download. The site describes Pro, Lifetime Pro and AI-inclusive options as optional upgrades without listing the free limits.
Weekly$1.99
per week, as labelled on the US App Store
An in-app subscription listed only as Weekly; the listing does not say which upgrade it covers.
Notes Writer Unlock All and AI$3.99 - $14.99
per item on the US App Store; billing basis not shown
Listed twice, at $3.99 and $14.99, with no period for either. The site says included AI usage depends on the plan.
Lifetime Pro Full Unlock$14.99
one-time in-app purchase on the US App Store
One-time Pro unlock. The site presents Lifetime Pro and the AI-inclusive options as separate choices.
Ways to pay less
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.
Notes Writer
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Pro as a one-time purchase
The site lists a Lifetime Pro option among its in-app upgrades, and the US App Store shows Lifetime Pro Full Unlock at $14.99.
