# Squid

> Handwritten notes and PDF markup for Android and Chromebooks

Squid is a handwriting app for Android tablets, phones and Chromebooks, made by Steadfast Innovation and first released under the name Papyrus. Notes are written with an active pen, a finger or a capacitive stylus on a vector ink engine, and are stored on the device with no account or sign-in. A Squid Premium subscription adds PDF markup, extra tools, premium paper backgrounds and cloud backup.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Steadfast Innovation, LLC (since 2012)
- **Website:** https://www.squidnotes.com
- **Runs on:** Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Squid has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Base features are free with no account: vector ink, blank, ruled and graph paper, the stroke eraser, image import, folders, and export to PDF, PNG, JPEG or Squid Note format.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Squid | $0 | Base features with no account: vector ink, blank, ruled and graph paper, stroke eraser, image import, folders and export to PDF, PNG or JPEG. |
| Squid Premium and in-app purchases | $1.00 - $14.99 per item on Google Play (US); billing basis not shown | Covers the monthly or yearly Squid Premium subscription and the one-time PDF Import and Tool Pack purchases. The listing does not price each item. |
| Education bulk license | Custom | Discounted bulk Squid Premium licenses for Google Workspace for Education accounts, quoted on request and assigned in the Google Admin console. |

Read from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.steadfastinnovation.android.projectpapyrus&hl=en_US&gl=US on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Squid before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Discounted bulk licensing for schools** (Education): Squid's help center offers discounted bulk licensing of Squid Premium for Google Workspace for Education accounts, by quote, with a trial available on request. Source: https://help.squidnotes.com/article/718-license-squid-for-my-classroom-school-district-or-organization
- **Discounted yearly subscription** (Annual discount): Squid Premium is sold monthly or yearly, and the help center describes the yearly option as the discounted price. It does not state the amounts. Source: https://help.squidnotes.com/article/743-how-do-i-redeem-the-squid-premium-chromebook-perk
- **6 months of Squid Premium on eligible Chromebooks** (Other savings): Eligible Chromebooks get 6 months of Squid Premium free through the Chromebook Perks page, redeemed against the monthly subscription option on Google Play. Source: https://help.squidnotes.com/article/743-how-do-i-redeem-the-squid-premium-chromebook-perk

## Key features

- **Vector ink engine:** Strokes stay sharp at any zoom level and can be selected, moved, resized, recolored and reweighted later. A stroke eraser removes whole letters or words at once.
- **Active pen support:** On devices with an active pen, such as Samsung devices with S Pen, the pen writes and a finger erases, with pressure sensitivity and quick actions on the pen's side button.
- **Paper types and sizes:** Pages are infinite by default or sized as letter, legal or A4. Blank, ruled and graph paper are free; math, engineering, music, sports and planning backgrounds need Squid Premium.
- **PDF markup:** A premium feature that imports a PDF as a note to annotate, fill in or sign, then exports the result as a new PDF. It is also sold on its own as an in-app purchase.
- **Presentation mode:** Casts a note to a TV or projector so a tablet works as a virtual whiteboard, or shows imported slides that can be written on during a talk.
- **Export and cloud backup:** Notes export to PDF, PNG, JPEG or Squid Note format. Squid Premium adds backup at set intervals and bulk PDF export to Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.

## Good for

- Students and teachers writing by hand on Android tablets or Chromebooks
- Marking up, grading or signing PDFs with a pen
- People who want notes kept on the device with no account

## Worth knowing

- Squid is an Android app only. It also runs on Chromebooks that have the Play Store; no iPhone, iPad, desktop or web version is offered.
- PDF import, the highlighter, true eraser, shapes, typed text, premium backgrounds and cloud backup are all paid features.
- Google Play gives in-app prices only as a range of $1.00 to $14.99 per item, without saying which is monthly, yearly or one-time.
- Purchases are tied to the app store account used to buy them and apply only on the same platform and app store.

## Works with

Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Google Classroom

**Tags:** Notes, Local-first, Whiteboard

## Alternatives

- [Samsung Notes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/samsung-notes): Samsung's free note app for Galaxy phones, tablets and Galaxy Book. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/samsung-notes-vs-squid)
- [Noteshelf](https://toolgpa.com/tools/noteshelf): Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation for stylus devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/noteshelf-vs-squid)
- [Notewise](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notewise): Handwriting canvas and AI notes for iPhone, iPad and Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notewise-vs-squid)
- [Notein](https://toolgpa.com/tools/notein): Handwriting notes, PDF markup and linked notes for Android tablets. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/notein-vs-squid)
- [Flexcil](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flexcil): PDF reader and handwriting notebook built around pen gestures. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flexcil-vs-squid)

## Sources

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

- https://www.squidnotes.com/
- https://www.squidnotes.com/about
- https://www.squidnotes.com/edu
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.steadfastinnovation.android.projectpapyrus&hl=en_US&gl=US
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/697-what-is-squid-premium
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/702-is-subscribing-to-squid-premium-the-only-way-to-get-the-premium-features
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/622-tool-pack
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/628-pdf-import
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/623-cloud-backup
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/718-license-squid-for-my-classroom-school-district-or-organization
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/743-how-do-i-redeem-the-squid-premium-chromebook-perk
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/630-do-i-have-to-purchase-the-premium-features-for-each-of-my-devices
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/710-is-squid-compatible-with-chromebooks-chrome-os
- https://help.squidnotes.com/article/775-is-squid-compatible-with-windows

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