# Notebooks

> Writing, documents and tasks organized in nested books

Notebooks is a writing and note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows from developer Alfons Schmid. Plain text, Markdown and formatted documents sit alongside PDFs and other files in nested books, any of which can be turned into a task list with due dates. Everything is stored as regular files in standard formats and synced through iCloud, Dropbox or WebDAV. Each platform's app is a separate one-time purchase with no subscription.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Alfons Schmid (since 2008)
- **Website:** https://www.notebooksapp.com
- **Runs on:** iOS, macOS, Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Notebooks is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $17.99 one-time for iPhone and iPad; $43.99 one-time for Mac.

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** Free trial versions for Mac and Windows; the Windows trial expires after 30 days.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notebooks for iPhone and iPad | $17.99 one-time purchase (US App Store) | The iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch app. Custom Storage Locations is a $2.99 in-app purchase, and optional tips are offered. |
| Notebooks for Windows | $19 one-time license | A license file for the Windows app, which shares its files with the iPhone and iPad app through iCloud Drive, Dropbox or WebDAV. |
| Notebooks for Mac | $43.99 one-time purchase | Sold directly, with activation on up to five Macs, or through the Mac App Store at the same price. There are no recurring fees. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1449826029?mt=12 on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Notebooks before buying.

## Key features

- **Text, Markdown and formatted documents:** Write in plain text, Markdown or formatted text with styles, tables, checklists, images and attachments, and convert between the formats at any time.
- **Nested books:** Documents and imported files live in books that nest into hierarchies and can be reordered freely. Smart Books collect recent items, favorites and tasks.
- **Task lists inside books:** Any book can become a task list and nested books become nested projects, with due dates, alerts and recurring tasks. Tasks can be extracted from documents.
- **Links, backlinks and search:** Wiki-style links connect documents, backlinks show where a document is referenced, and full-text search covers documents, PDFs and attachments.
- **PDF and eBook export:** Compile one or more documents into a PDF or an eBook at any time; the developer's own handbooks are produced this way.
- **Regular files and flexible sync:** Documents are regular files in standard formats, synced through iCloud Drive, Dropbox or WebDAV, or directly between devices over a local Wi-Fi network.

## Good for

- Writers who want notes, long documents and tasks in one app
- People who prefer one-time purchases to subscriptions
- Users who want their documents kept as regular files they can reach from other apps

## Worth knowing

- Each platform is a separate purchase: $17.99 for iPhone and iPad, $19 for Windows and $43.99 for Mac.
- The site offers no Android, Linux or web version.
- On iPhone and iPad, Custom Storage Locations is a $2.99 in-app purchase on top of the app price.
- WebDAV sync has no automatic mode and has to be triggered manually.

## Works with

iCloud Drive, Dropbox

**Tags:** One-time purchase, Local-first, Notes, Markdown, Linked notes, Tasks, Long-form writing

## Alternatives

- [DEVONthink](https://toolgpa.com/tools/devonthink): Document and information manager for Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/devonthink-vs-notebooks)
- [Keep It](https://toolgpa.com/tools/keep-it): Notebook and document organizer for Mac, iPhone and iPad. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/keep-it-vs-notebooks)
- [Obsidian](https://toolgpa.com/tools/obsidian): Markdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notebooks-vs-obsidian)
- [Bear](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bear): Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bear-vs-notebooks)
- [NotePlan](https://toolgpa.com/tools/noteplan): Markdown notes, tasks and calendar in one daily note. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notebooks-vs-noteplan)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1449826029?mt=12
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1490084838
- https://checkout.paddle.com/api/2.0/prices?product_ids=546055,864533&customer_country=US
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/mac/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/ios/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/pc/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/download/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/faq/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/ios/sync-between-devices/
- https://www.notebooksapp.com/task-management/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/notebooks
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).