17 years helping British businesses
choose better software

About Goodnotes

Goodnotes is a powerful note-taking app combining the simplicity of handwriting, the power of digital tools, and advanced AI features.

Learn more about Goodnotes

Pros:

Both the document creation and user interface are very well designed. Its easy to bookmark pages and refer back to it if you lose track of the writing.

Cons:

One thing I was uncomfortable with is that the shape tool in Goodnotes doesn't have pre-made shapes.

Goodnotes ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.5
Customer Service
4.1
Features
4.6
Value for Money
4.6

Likelihood to recommend

8.9/10

Goodnotes has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 56 user reviews on Capterra.

Have you used Goodnotes before?

Share your experiences with other software buyers.

Filter reviews (56)

Zoha
Zoha
Student in UK
Verified LinkedIn User
Writing & Editing, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Amazing note taking app

5.0 last year

Pros:

Various features that allow you to maintain and take effective notes such as different colour highlighters available

Cons:

I do not dislike anything about GoodNotes at all

Ian
Mechanical Engineer in US
Construction, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Goodnotes ROCKS!

5.0 3 months ago

Comments: Extremely positive. I believe it helped me get better grades in college.

Pros:

Goodnotes is the best note taking software on iPad. It was so helpful for note taking in college. The best part is you buy the app one time and only need to upgrade every couple years - NO SUBSCRIPTION.

Cons:

I have no complaints with goodnotes. It is fantastic in all ways.

Anjali
Student in Canada
Education Management, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alright product

3.0 2 years ago

Comments: Its alright

Pros:

Multiple functionalities and several options

Cons:

Complicated interface. Ability to sync is slow

Tucker
Financial planner in Canada
Financial Services, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Perfect for note taking, creativity, and organization

4.0 9 months ago

Comments: Excellent, a creative tool to keep organized, detailed notes and calendars

Pros:

Creative templates, easy to use UI, and organization abilities

Cons:

Most templates are not free to use for people

Angelica
University Intern in Ecuador
Verified LinkedIn User
Pharmaceuticals, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

Transforming Note-Taking for the Digital Era: GoodNotes in Focus

5.0 last year

Comments: I used GoodNotes frequently for note-taking and data organizing throughout my internship in the University's Department of Pharmaceutical Research and Development. The program was essential for preserving handwritten notes made during experiments and lectures and provided a seamless transition from paper notebooks to digital ones. I could easily annotate, highlight, and sketch using the GoodNotes' user-friendly interface, which allowed me to make detailed and well-organized notes. My notes were easily accessible on both my iPad and my iPhone thanks to the synchronization feature, making it simple to refer back to and review them. Overall, as an intern, using GoodNotes greatly improved my note-taking process by fostering effectiveness, organization, and seamless connection with my digital workflow.

Pros:

There are numerous benefits to taking notes digitally with GoodNotes. First off, creating, organizing, and annotating notes is simple thanks to its user-friendly design and intuitive layout. Users may naturally capture ideas because the software allows a variety of input techniques, including handwriting, typing, and sketching. Additionally, GoodNotes has a robust search feature that makes it simple for users to locate particular notes or phrases. Notes remain current and available across a variety of platforms thanks to their strong cross-device synchronization features. In order to increase efficiency and cooperation, the software offers PDF annotation, document scanning, and seamless interaction with cloud storage services. Overall, GoodNotes offers customers a complete and effective solution for collecting digital notes, enabling them to plan and streamline their workflows.

Cons:

Even though GoodNotes provides several advantages, it's important to take into account some restrictions. First off, only iOS devices can presently access the program, which makes it inaccessible to users of other platforms. Additionally, GoodNotes is unable to automatically translate handwriting into text, which may result in additional human work being required for note transcription. The initial setup procedure and learning curve could be a little difficult for some people. Despite the software's extensive functionality, other cloud-based note-taking platforms may have more advanced collaborative features than it does. Despite these factors, GoodNotes continues to be a dependable and feature-rich choice for people looking for an all-encompassing digital note-taking solution.

Laura
Managing Partner in US
Law Practice, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

It's A No-Brainer

5.0 last year

Comments: I use GoodNotes on a 12" iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. It's just as comfortable as a physical notepad but so much more versatile and easier to keep everything organized.

Pros:

GoodNotes is the best. I use it for literally everything -- meetings, phone calls, signing documents, and even brainstorming. It's so convenient to have all of the handwritten information for a client file in one place, rather than trying to chase around stray pages of notes all the time and inevitably losing half of them.

Cons:

There aren't a ton of bells and whistles. On the one hand maybe it would be nice to have the option to add some stuff, but to be honest you really don't need them and in some ways I think that would actually take away from this program.

Susan
Operations Manager in US
Facilities Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Much cheaper than others- Easy to use without lots of training!

5.0 last year

Pros:

I like that I can easily take a pdf into good notes, edit by typing on, highlighting, and then export back out into pdf or images.

Cons:

If you use an eraser to "hide" a portion of the document and then try to add text over it, you can't do it, it is not visible.

Luigi
militare in Italy
Military, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

excellent software for writing

5.0 last year

Comments: ideal software for students, those who need to take notes and create virtual notebooks.

Pros:

writing software that I use daily for work, taking notes, creating lists and memos, creating diaries and also used to prepare the degree thesis

Cons:

I don't really agree with the price of the software which I think is quite high

Gabriel
Student in US
Computer Software, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Goodnotes Review

4.0 last year

Comments: My overall experience with the application, like I said before, was good enough. It does a good job as a notetaker, which is what I used it for.

Pros:

I mostly liked how well it does the functionality it promises. My usage was simple, just taking notes for my classes, and overall it did a good enough job.

Cons:

Based on my limited usage, one thing I didnt like is having to copy and paste items between pages because I couldnt just drag them. I also noticed the application has trouble with palm rejection, leading me to accidentally move the page position.

Paulína
Paulína
PhD student in Czechia
Verified LinkedIn User
Biotechnology, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My go-to app for taking notes easily

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I purchased GoodNotes with a one-time payment at a reasonable price, which is absolutely adequate considering how much this app has simplified my life in many ways. I can genuinely recommend it. In combination with the iPad and Apple Pencil, it is the only "notebook" I need.

Pros:

I mainly use GoodNotes for reading scientific articles or for learning in any field. It greatly facilitates taking notes, which I have at hand anytime, anywhere, on various devices at one place and very organised. In addition to being able to write by hand in texts or presentations, it is also possible to search within them. I also heavily utilize the document scanning feature, which allows me to save important passages from books or process important official documents that I need to send someone.

Cons:

Honestly I can´t see any cons. I am a huge GoodNotes fan.

Aimen
Student in Germany
Primary/Secondary Education, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

GoodNotes- Your gateway to digital studying

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: As my daily driver at school, GoodNotes does its job well. Overall there are no big issues and the app makes digital learning a piece of cake. For approximately 10$ you’ll get iCloud synced notebooks, different templates, import/export of data, handwriting recognition, cooperative working and more. Not being tied to subscriptions, like Notability, convinced me to using GoodNotes

Pros:

GoodNotes has rich features and eases note-taking capabilities. Freely moving text and handwritten notes, converting handwriting into text, perfecting shapes when drawing etc. Another great point is the multi device support, which lets me as a student revise notes on the go. Lastly, being able to import and export images, pdfs, etc. eases my workflow and makes cooperating in class much much easier and all of that at a fair price.

Cons:

I noticed some bugs that sometimes creep in. For example the app crashing randomly or disabled buttons, I.e if you tap on a button nothing happens, so you’ll have to restart GoodNotes. I dislike the handwriting recognition, well of course if someone has really bad handwriting, recognition becomes hard, yet at least with a moderate handwriting , recognition should work flawlessly especially when searching.

Michael
Software Developer in Germany
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Software, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My digital notebook

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: It’s a pretty good tool to write down notes and find them again 😊 For me it’s currently the best solution on the market compared to the competitors.

Pros:

I use GoodNotes mainly for writing down notes on my iPad with the Apple Pencil, which works like a charm. The handwritten texts are indexed and can be searched through. Handwriting can also be converted into text.

Cons:

Sometimes it’s not really comfortable to get back to the main overview of quicknotes and documents, as long as there is a unsaved document opened. If other documents are at the same time open in other tabs you can switch between but if I want to open something I’m forced to save the previous document.

Daniel
Nurse in Australia
Hospital & Health Care, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Goodnotes review after 1 year

4.0 2 years ago

Pros:

Goodnotes has a great layout and it’s easy to use. The ability to annotate PDF files and organise your notes based on topics and customisation in general is fantastic.

Cons:

The text box feature could be better, the use lack of integration with a keyboard makes it frustrating to use. Overall the application is a positive.

Zhenjiao
Student in US
E-Learning, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

It is great app and nice developer team

5.0 2 years ago

Pros:

The existing functions are so far so nice. Meanwhile, the developer team does not stop further improvement. More interesting functions are added in. absolutely, I will continue using it for many many days.

Cons:

as an ipad user, some times i feel it is a little bit hard to manage the files when there are many of them consider the tag function? like macOS

Cheyenne
sales in US
Construction, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Take your sales productivity to the next level - Save time and stay organized

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Fantastic! I have version 5, I have already shared with people in my industry at a small workshop I attended yesterday. I think it is a good app both professionally and for personal uses. This will be at the top of my app list!

Pros:

The ease of use, and the amount of paper styles to choose from. Paying a one time fee of $8.99 is well worth it. I have set up a daily planner, and multiple notebooks for work. I am in customer's homes daily - this app allows me to take photos directly from the note app and create a customer file easily. I do in home measuring and the other fabulous thing - is being able to erase easily. If I sketch an area incorrectly it is a cinch to erase and redraw. Lastly once the drawing is complete - you can copy the drawing/page. This is great for figuring multiple options. I draw once create a few digital copies - annotate different options for the client - once they select an option - I email the selected option to myself and then move into our "in office" ordering and administration stage. The time I save has been crucial!

Cons:

Copy and paste feature for when you things have set up as a template - but you need to move it to a new page, with different information. Example set up a section in a daily planner and you just want to copy it to the next day with the same font, sizing etc.. It was a little more difficult then it should have been.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Government Relations, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

It's great to be able to take notes on pdf files

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Being able to take notes on the pdf document during meetings and lectures is the biggest benefit for me. This feature is not available in Zoom and Adobe Connect. however, I recommend the implementation team to reconsider the pricing policy for developing countries and students.

Pros:

Being able to take notes on pdf files is awesome, you can get this app just for using this feature. fast-stable running application. Having local language support increases the usability of the application. The design is simple, does not tire the eyes.

Cons:

I did not find any feature that I did not like in the application. however, it does not feel as corporate as evernote application. I have the feeling that one day I will receive news that the application has stopped support and that the files that it has been attacked are stolen.

Chariz
Student in Canada
Education Management, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Aesthetically Pleasing

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Very good, very easy, travels across multimedia devices and is very simple to use. There are no regrets with this app.

Pros:

It was easy to use, simple to make notebooks and the user interface is quite easy to navigate. Moreover, the colours and pens provided were exactly what I needed.

Cons:

Cannot colour my text boxes and save the colour I’ve chosen. It only recommends the presets. Also handwritten are a hassle to change to text.

Leonor
Leonor
Veterinarian in Portugal
Verified LinkedIn User
Medical Practice, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

App that I use to study and keep up with college

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Overall, I love this app. I use it every day and it has helped me a lot to get a rhythm to my work.

Pros:

For me, the best thing about this application is in fact that we can make annotations on existing files. I use it a lot for my studies and to keep track of all my classes at university. Apart from this, I also use this application since I am saving on paper. Lastly, I find it very intuitive and easy to use.

Cons:

What I liked least, is the fact that it can only be used on IOS, not to mention that when I want to search for a word in a document, I have trouble knowing which word was underlined

Nuno
Nuno
Animator in Portugal
Verified LinkedIn User
Animation, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

The best Note Taking app out there.

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Overall it's the best note taking out there by far. The drawing experience itself says it all and the big amount of gestures makes the workflow fast and efficient.

Pros:

The quality of the drawing and writing it's incredible, the best there is. Good Notes doesn't have an infinite amount of tools, but the ones that it have, work flawlessly.

Cons:

The main cons it's the simple fact that there's no GoodNotes on Windows or Android. It's also not possible to link notes between pages which can get a little disorganized in big files. It's also not possible to send images/text to back/front.

Yumi
Architect in United Arab Emirates
Architecture & Planning, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My forever asisstant

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I've been using Goodnotes for more than 5 years already. I started paperless note-taking when I was 2nd year college, and now I'm still using the app as a professional architect. Goodnotes is simple and easy but there are so many usages. I use this app to annotate architectural drawings, sketch and present in a client meeting. Never thought I would use this app this long. It's going to be my forever assistant in my career.

Pros:

Goodnotes has all the basic yet necessary features for digital note-taking & annotating. Even though there are many features, the user interface is very simple and refined so it's very easy and comfortable to use on daily basis. I stopped the typical paper & pen note-taking and started my paperless note-taking journey with Goodnotes, so ease & comfort of an app is a big factor for me. And also, the app is so affordable for a permanent license. I won't get mad if you increase the price or charge the users again when there's a new verison.

Cons:

One thing I was uncomfortable with is that the shape tool in Goodnotes doesn't have pre-made shapes. I thought it would automatically generate my desired shape and just let me position the shape on a page, but the reality is I still have to draw the shape manually and it will just "correct" or "refine" the shape. Also, I find the redo & undo reaction a bit delayed. There's always this time lag whenever I do the redo/undo gestures and it's becoming stressful especially when I have to use the app for a long time. I would like to see these fixed or improved.

Tom
Business Owner in US
Construction, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

GoodNotes should be BestNotes

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: I started using it years ago to replace my clipboard and paper system; I don't think anything will ever replace it.

Pros:

Its ease of use and unlimited expandability for note taking, management, organization etc.

Cons:

The desktop app sometimes is tedious with data entry or setting things up with a new notebook, but even that is so minor that it doesn't effect things much.

César
César
Computer engineer in Panama
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Hardware, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

An allied tool for students

4.0 3 years ago

Comments: GoodNotes is excellent, it is an essential tool if you are a student and want to optimize your money and time. The interface is great, the personalization in notes is excellent, the price is right, and the handwriting is exquisite. Overall GoodNotes is a 10/10 product, highly recommended.

Pros:

GoodNotes is excellent at what it does, it is a platform for writing notes and documents, but it also has many other features that make the GoodNotes experience even better, such as the ability to easily export from PDF, handwriting with the light pen, the subdivision of banks of notes as if they were notebooks, a large number of pencils and colors that there are, the variety of types and sizes of sheets. In addition, in terms of quality-price, it seems great to me, since, for just a single payment, you can access all the premium features. As a student, I highly recommend it because it is a new way of annotating and summarizing, without having to have many physical notebooks that take up space and cost money.

Cons:

I don't like that it's only exclusively for Apple products, that's my only complaint.

Tania
Student in Mexico
Computer Software, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

A great tool for short-memory students

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: I'm currently working with social behavior in rats and programming tools for their analysis. GoodNotes has helped me to write my observations in the experiments while watching rat behavior, and drawing this process to express them in an mathematical algorithm

Pros:

GoodNotes it's a great tool in classes, as you can write your thinks without get distracted as you do in traditional handwriting. You can modify the notes and the handwriting helps you to create aesthetic notes

Cons:

I don't like that it's a software just for Apple devices

Guadalupe
Graduate Student in Mexico
Research, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

GoodNotes, a great and simple notebook

4.0 3 years ago

Comments: I'm quite happy with it. Fulfills its function, with the plus of sharing and having all your information on all your devices in an easy and pretty way

Pros:

It is easy to understand and use, it keeps evolving and adding more tools. I have changed the way I've been taking notes with this app. It's pretty useful to keep everything organized and pretty.

Cons:

When adding too many images it gets slow. After 1 hour of use, the pen sensibility gets low. Some commands (like adding a photo) requires too many steps so it gets tiring and boring

Connie
Psychologist in Australia
Health, Wellness & Fitness, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Transforming note taking at work and study

4.0 2 years ago

Comments: It has been super handy. Wish it was around when I was studying. Don't foresee that I'll stop using it for a long time.

Pros:

It's endless paper and located all on one App. No longer have to carry bundles of notebooks. Information is accessible at all times, either on mobile or iPad. Love that I can forward on to others in PDF. Has made my business paperless. There are different pen options to suit the user. The color coding scheme is very helpful. I've had no issues with it so far.

Cons:

The convert to text feature is not that intuitive. In the cut and paste feature it would be good. If you could cut and paste more than just one page at a time.