# Noteful

> Handwritten notes and PDF markup for iPad, with tags and layers

Noteful is a handwriting and PDF annotation app for iPad and iPhone from Noteful Technologies. It pairs a vector ink engine built for Apple Pencil with tags, layers and audio recording that stays in step with what was written. The app is free to use with no time limit, and a one-time Noteful Pro purchase unlocks layers and sync between devices.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Noteful Technologies Limited
- **Website:** https://www.getnoteful.com
- **Runs on:** iOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Noteful has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6.99 one-time purchase (Noteful Pro, Lifetime).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Free with no time limit: handwriting, PDF and Office import, tags, audio recording and PDF export. Layers and sync between iPhone and iPad need Noteful Pro.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Noteful | $0 | Free to use without a time limit, minus the features the App Store listing marks as Pro: layers and sync across iPhone and iPad. |
| Noteful Pro, Lifetime | $6.99 one-time in-app purchase on the US App Store | Unlocks the Pro features for good, including layers and sync to all of a user's iPhone and iPad devices. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noteful-notes-pdf-markup/id1587904334 on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Noteful before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Noteful Pro as a one-time purchase** (Lifetime license): The App Store listing says Noteful Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks its features forever, listed in the US as Noteful Pro, Lifetime at $6.99. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noteful-notes-pdf-markup/id1587904334

## App Store prices by country

"Noteful Pro, Lifetime", as each country's App Store showed it on Oct 9, 2026. These are the app's prices, not the website's.

| Country | Price | In US dollars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | $6.99 | |
| United Kingdom | £6.99 | about $9.23 (32% more) |
| Germany | 7,99 € | about $8.94 (28% more) |
| Canada | $9.99 | about $7.00 (about the same) |
| Australia | $9.99 | about $6.94 (about the same) |
| India | ₹ 699 | about $7.22 (about the same) |
| Brazil | R$ 49,90 | about $9.95 (42% more) |
| Mexico | $149.00 | about $8.27 (18% more) |
| Turkey | ₺399,99 | about $8.13 (16% more) |
| Indonesia | Rp 149ribu | about $8.31 (19% more) |
| Philippines | ₱ 449.00 | about $7.13 (about the same) |
| South Africa | R149.99 | about $9.01 (29% more) |

## Key features

- **Vector ink for Apple Pencil:** A custom ink engine turns strokes into high-resolution vector ink, with ballpoint pen, fountain pen and highlighter brushes and recognition of geometric shapes.
- **PDF and document markup:** PDFs and Microsoft Office documents import into a notebook for annotation alongside images, shapes and typed text, and the annotated pages export as PDF.
- **Tags and nested tags:** Writing #tag or #nested/tag anywhere in a notebook files it. Notebooks and pages can be browsed by tag, and tags can be renamed, deleted or reassigned.
- **Layers:** Annotations can sit on separate layers that are hidden, shown and rearranged independently, leaving the original content unchanged. Layers are a Noteful Pro feature.
- **Audio recording:** Audio can be recorded while taking notes, and the playback position is synced with the notes written at that moment.
- **Sync across iPhone and iPad:** Noteful Pro syncs notebooks between a user's iPhone and iPad devices. The listing says notebooks synced with iCloud are encrypted via account-based keys.

## Good for

- iPad users who write with Apple Pencil and prefer to pay once
- Annotating PDFs, slides and textbooks on separate layers
- Organizing handwritten notes by tag as well as by folder

## Worth knowing

- Made for iPad and iPhone only. The App Store shows it as "Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS", and no Android, Windows or web version is offered.
- Layers and sync between devices are locked until the Noteful Pro upgrade is bought.
- The App Store listing requires iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 23,910 ratings in the United States, read Oct 9, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1587904334

## Works with

iCloud

**Tags:** Notes, One-time purchase

## Alternatives

- [Goodnotes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/goodnotes): Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/goodnotes-vs-noteful)
- [Notability](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notability): Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notability-vs-noteful)
- [CollaNote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/collanote): Handwriting and PDF markup notes for iPad, iPhone and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/collanote-vs-noteful)
- [Noteshelf](https://toolgpa.com/tools/noteshelf): Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation for stylus devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/noteful-vs-noteshelf)
- [Flexcil](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flexcil): PDF reader and handwriting notebook built around pen gestures. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flexcil-vs-noteful)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://www.getnoteful.com/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noteful-notes-pdf-markup/id1587904334
- https://www.getnoteful.com/TermsOfUse.html
- https://www.getnoteful.com/privacy

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