Notability
Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools
What is Notability?
Notability is a note-taking app for handwriting, typing and marking up documents, with audio recording that stays in sync with what you write. Paid plans add transcription and AI tools that turn notes into summaries, flashcards and quizzes. It runs on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and the web, with a free Starter plan limited to 5 notes and a one-time Classic purchase offered alongside the subscriptions.
Notability has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite). See every plan
Good for
- Students recording lectures alongside handwritten notes
- Turning class notes into flashcards and quizzes
- Annotating PDFs, slides and forms with a stylus
- Schools that manage devices, where Notability for Education is free
Worth knowing
- The free Starter plan is limited to 5 notes.
- Audio transcription and the AI quiz and flashcard tools start at Plus; real-time summaries, note chat and unlimited transcription are listed under Pro.
- Third-party backups are iOS only, and YouTube link-to-note conversion works on the web only.
- The plan comparison marks handwriting recognition, math conversion and audio playback sync as iOS and Android only.
Key features
- Handwriting, typing and document markup
- Notes combine handwriting, typed text, images and sketches on one page, and PDFs, documents and slides can be imported and written on.
- Audio recording with transcripts
- Lectures and meetings are recorded alongside your notes and transcribed, and playback follows the moment each note was written. Live transcription is unlimited on Pro.
- AI flashcards and quizzes
- Practice questions, quizzes and flashcards are generated from your notes: up to 400 questions a month on Plus and unlimited on Pro.
- Summaries and chat with your notes
- Pro generates real-time summaries of notes, imported documents and recordings and answers questions about a note in a chat. Meeting notes can also yield action-item checklists.
- YouTube link-to-note
- On the web, a YouTube link is converted into a note with a transcript and summary: 100 conversions a month on Plus, unlimited on Pro.
- Collaboration and shared libraries
- Notes can be shared by link and edited together live. Business plans add shared note libraries, centralized user admin and admin-based feature controls.
Notability pricing
- Starts at
- $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite)
- Free plan
- Starter plan: 5 notes with all editing tools, PDF and document import, access to 20,000+ templates and 7-day version history.
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial on the Business and Business Pro plans.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | 5 notes with all editing tools, PDF and document import, 20,000+ templates and 7-day version history. |
| Lite | $4.99per month, or $14.99 per year | Unlimited notes and third-party backups (iOS only), with 7-day version history. |
| Plus | $7.99per month, or $19.99 per year | Adds audio recording and transcription, handwriting search, up to 400 AI quiz and flashcard questions and 100 YouTube conversions a month. |
| Pro | $19.99per month, or $99.99 per year | Unlimited live transcription, real-time AI summaries, quizzes, flashcards and YouTube conversions, chat with your notes and 90-day version history. |
| Classic | $49.99one-time purchase | Unlimited notes with handwriting recognition and search, math conversion to LaTeX, live collaboration and Notability Cloud sync. |
| Business | $6per user / month, or $60 per user / year | Shared note libraries, central admin and billing, AI summaries and transcription. Business Pro is $18 per user / month or $180 per year. |
Read from notability.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Notability before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountYearly plans cost far less than paying monthly
Lite is $14.99 per year against $4.99 per month ($59.88 over a year), Plus $19.99 against $7.99 per month and Pro $99.99 against $19.99 per month. Business is $60 per user yearly or $6 monthly.
Stated on notability.com - Lifetime licenseClassic one-time purchase
The Classic plan is a one-time purchase, regularly $49.99, with unlimited notes, handwriting recognition, live collaboration and Notability Cloud sync and no subscription.
Stated on notability.com - EducationFree for schools that manage devices
Schools managing devices through an MDM such as Jamf or Mosyle can use Notability for Education at no cost. It is similar to the Plus subscription and configurable by administrators.
Stated on notability.com - Other savingsBack-to-school sale: up to 20% off all plans
At the time of checking, the pricing page showed sale prices of $11.99 (Lite), $15.99 (Plus) and $79.99 (Pro) per year and $39.99 for Classic. No end date is stated.
Stated on notability.com
How people rate the Notability app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars88%
- 4 stars6%
- 3 stars1%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star3%
457,460 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Notability alternatives
- Notability vs Goodnotes
Free plan · from $11.99/yr
- Notability vs Noteshelf
Free plan · from $7.99 one-time
- Notability vs CollaNote
Free plan · from $13.90 one-time
- Notability vs Microsoft OneNote
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Common questions
Is Notability free?
Notability has a free plan. Starter plan: 5 notes with all editing tools, PDF and document import, access to 20,000+ templates and 7-day version history. Paid plans start at $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite).
How much does Notability cost?
Notability lists 6 plans. Starter: $0. Lite: $4.99 per month, or $14.99 per year. Plus: $7.99 per month, or $19.99 per year. Pro: $19.99 per month, or $99.99 per year. Classic: $49.99 one-time purchase. Business: $6 per user / month, or $60 per user / year. Prices were read from notability.com on Oct 5, 2026.
What platforms does Notability work on?
Notability is available on iOS, macOS, Windows, Android and Web.
Does Notability offer any discounts?
Notability publicly lists the following: Yearly plans cost far less than paying monthly; Classic one-time purchase; Free for schools that manage devices; Back-to-school sale: up to 20% off all plans.
How is Notability rated?
Notability's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457,460 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 7, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Notability have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Notability is listed for iOS, macOS, Windows, Android and Web.
Is Notability open source?
Notability is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
What does Notability integrate with?
Notability's listing names iCloud, YouTube, Jamf, Mosyle and Microsoft Intune. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Notability have a student discount?
Free for schools that manage devices. Schools managing devices through an MDM such as Jamf or Mosyle can use Notability for Education at no cost. It is similar to the Plus subscription and configurable by administrators.
Does Notability have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial on the Business and Business Pro plans.
Who makes Notability?
Notability is made by Ginger Labs.
What are the alternatives to Notability?
The closest alternatives to Notability in our directory are Goodnotes, Noteshelf, CollaNote, Microsoft OneNote and Apple Notes. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Notability.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.