GoodNotes
GoodNotes is a iPad focused note-taking application with AI and handwriting tools.
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GoodNotes Review (2024)
Pros, Cons, Features & Pricing
GoodNotes wants to manage your notes visually with handwriting notes and a popular amongst Apple users with Apple Pencils and iPads, but now comes on web, Android & Windows devices too.
What is GoodNotes?
GoodNotes is a digital note-taking app that allows you to handwrite or type notes on a virtual paper using Apple Pencil on iPad, or other iOS devices. It offers an intuitive and distraction-free environment to take organized notes for work, study, or personal use.
A studio for your mind | A place to make sense of the world and create amazing things.
Best For
It's free. No credit card required.
How does GoodNotes work?
GoodNotes is a little like Apple Freeform, however, it offers natural handwriting and organizing, whereas Apple Freeform provides a freeform canvas for open-ended notes.
Many people create Goodnotes templates such as journals, diaries, project plans, and much more, this helps you get started with Goodnotes to boost productivity or to learn something new.
GoodNotes Pros
These are some features of GoodNotes for notes, journaling, writing, and more.
1. Notebooks
Inside Goodnotes, you can create and organize your own Notebooks. You can use a few notebooks for free, but you will have to upgrade to create unlimited amounts of notebooks inside Goodnotes.
Each notebook can be used for a different purpose. For example; you could have a notebook for journaling, a separate book for studying, and another notebook just for notes and ideas.
Notebooks can also have their own covers, you can choose from preset covers, design your own, or download covers to add to your notebooks. You can name notebooks whatever you like and organise them inside the app.
2. Customisation & Tools
You can customise all kinds of elements inside Goodnotes, from paper to folders, and more. You can change the type of paper you use, the colour and if it's lined, unlined, dotted and so on.
You can also use different pen types and colours, use different fonts and even install your own fonts to use when writing notes in Goodnotes.
Goodnotes supports different note-taking styles. You can either type in your notes or use the Apple Pencil to draw and handwrite. You can handwrite and have your writing turn into text from a chosen font too.
3. Templates
The easiest way to get started with Goodnotes is by using Templates, there are tons of free templates online or paid templates by Goodnotes and other creators. You can often find a template that works for you by simply searching and seeing what others are using.
When you download a template you simply import it into Goodnotes as a new notebook, from here you can get started with navigating the template and writing, journaling, note-taking and much more.
4. Import & Export
Goodnotes is also a great tool for studying, which is why the import and export tools are super handy. You can import existing notes from lectures and annotate them as PDFs inside Goodnotes, you can also then export notes to your teachers, friends, and family or even present them.
How much does GoodNotes cost?
GoodNotes is free with a £9.99 per annum pricing.
Verdict: Is GoodNotes worth it?
Goodnotes is a really nice app for creating notebooks for different things such as journaling, studying, making notes, editing PDFs and much more. It also offers a ton of flexibility and customization to create a place you want to work.
The ability to use templates is also great as this helps users get started and create a workspace that works for their own note-taking needs.
Who is Goodnotes For?
GoodNotes is amazing for personal use. It turns your iPad into a paperless device to replace all note-taking, drawing, brainstorming, and more with a digital space you can customize, share, and download templates for.
Students love using this application to help with their studies, exams, lectures and everything they need. You can create any kind of document using whatever visual methods of note-taking you enjoy.
Creatives enjoy the visual and experimental abilities for taking notes too. There are tons of tutorials online on how people use Goodnotes differently, some for journaling, planning, learning, creating and much more.
A studio for your mind | A place to make sense of the world and create amazing things.
Best For
It's free. No credit card required.
How does Handwriting work in GoodNotes?
Whether you prefer to handwrite, type, draw, or annotate PDFs, GoodNotes provides a range of tools and customization options to make note-taking seamless and personalized.
The app also allows for easy organization and retrieval of notes and offers features such as handwriting recognition and text search to improve productivity.
Overall, the app's ability to adapt to different user needs and preferences makes it a standout choice for digital note-taking.
What Else Can Goodnotes Do?
- Support for different note-taking styles (handwriting, typing, drawing, annotating PDFs)
- Ability to organize notes into notebooks and folders
- Customizable paper types, cover designs, and pen colours
- Handwriting recognition and text search for easy note retrieval
- Option to import and export notes
- Wide range of annotation tools, including highlighters, shapes, and images
- Ability to sync across devices using iCloud
- Customizable templates for different note-taking needs (e.g. lined, grid, blank)
- Integration with Apple Pencil and other stylus pens
- Password protection and data backup options for security
- User-friendly interface and intuitive features for seamless note-taking
GoodNotes Availability
GoodNotes Features
GoodNotes Learning Effort
Intermediate
Categories
Accolades
Best iPad Notes App
Best For
iPad Note-TakingFounded Date
2011
HQ Location
Hong Kong
Last Updated
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Understanding GoodNotes
Your questions, answered!
Do I need an Apple pencil for GoodNotes?
Yes and no. It will work without, but the optimisation of GoodNotes is using it with an Apple Pencil and iPad.