GoodNotes
UnclaimedCapture, organize, and elevate your ideas with AI-powered digital note-taking.
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267 reviews tracked·1 press mentionThe Bottom Line
Entry price
Free plan available, paid tiers above
Biggest pro
Highly flexible input methods cater to diverse note-taking styles.
Biggest con
Some advanced AI features and cross-platform sync are limited or in beta.
TL;DR - GoodNotes
- Capture notes using handwriting, typing, drawing, or audio with AI assistance.
- Collaborate in real-time on digital notebooks, whiteboards, and text documents.
- AI features provide summaries, Q&A, content generation, and searchable handwriting.
Pricing: Free plan available
Best for: Growing teams
4.2/5 across review platforms
What is GoodNotes?
Goodnotes is a versatile note-taking application designed to help users capture thoughts, organize information, and collaborate effectively across various platforms. It offers a flexible environment where users can write, type, draw, and record audio notes, seamlessly switching between input methods. The app provides different canvases like digital notebooks for annotating PDFs and handwriting, whiteboards for expansive visual brainstorming, and text documents for formal writing.
Goodnotes is ideal for students, educators, professionals, and teams. Students can use it to ace exams by taking searchable notes on lecture slides, recording audio synced to notes, and creating flashcards. Educators can grade papers faster and make lessons more engaging. Professionals can leverage its AI features for meeting summaries and enhanced note-taking, while teams can collaborate in real-time on brainstorms and documents. The integration of AI features helps users understand, organize, and elevate their notes by providing Q&A capabilities, content generation, and meeting transcription and summarization.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Highly flexible input methods cater to diverse note-taking styles.
- Powerful AI features significantly enhance productivity and understanding.
- Seamless real-time collaboration makes it great for teams and education.
- Comprehensive search functionality, including handwritten content.
- Available across multiple operating systems.
Cons
- Some advanced AI features and cross-platform sync are limited or in beta.
- Certain features like audio transcription and presentation mode are currently iOS-only.
- Free plan has significant limitations on file count and AI usage.
Ratings Across the Web
4.2(267 reviews)
What people say
“very much recommended”, via Trustpilot
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Preview
Key Features
Multi-modal input (handwriting, typing, drawing, audio recording)Real-time collaborationUniversal search (including handwritten notes, PDFs, images)Digital Notebooks (PDF annotation, handwriting, diagrams)Infinite Whiteboard canvasText Documents with flexible editingAudio recording with automatic transcription and AI summariesAI-powered Q&A for documents
Pricing Plans
Free TrialPricing checked Jun 19, 2026
Free
Free
- Up to 3 files
- 5MB import size
- All note-taking tools like pens, highlighters, shapes, and tape
- Exports without watermark
- Real time collaboration & sharing
- Limited Goodnotes AI: Q&A: Limited to 5 monthly questions
- Limited Goodnotes AI: Generate quizzes based on info in your notes: Limited to 5 monthly questions
Essential
$11.99 / year
- Unlock ways to capture your thoughts through text, handwriting, audio, and diagrams
- Unlimited files
- All note-taking tools like pens, highlighters, shapes, and tape
- Unlimited audio recording
- Exclusive downloadable templates and digital stationery
- Limited Goodnotes AI: AI Q&A for Math
- Limited Goodnotes AI: Content generation, co-editing For Meetings (AI summaries and AI enhanced meeting minutes)
AI Pass+
$9.99 / month
- Optional monthly add-on to unlock full Goodnotes AI experience
- Full Goodnotes AI: Spellcheck for handwriting
- Full Goodnotes AI: Q&A
- Full Goodnotes AI: Generate quizzes based on info in your notes
- Full Goodnotes AI: Goodnotes AI for Math
- Full Goodnotes AI: Goodnotes AI for Meetings
- Full Goodnotes AI: Collaboratively edit with Goodnotes AI
Pro
$35.99 / year
- Everything in Essential
- Google Calendar & Drive integration
- Private link sharing & real-time collaboration
- Sync across Apple, Windows, Android, and Web available
- Limited Goodnotes AI: AI Q&A for Math
- Limited Goodnotes AI: Content generation, co-editing for Meetings (AI summaries and AI enhanced meeting minutes)
Special Edition
$35.99 one-time
- One-time purchase with Apple-only access
- Unlimited files
- All note-taking tools like pens, highlighters, shapes, and tape
- Unlimited audio recording
- Exclusive downloadable templates and digital stationery
- Cross platform access
- Cloud AI
Teams
$10 / month per user (billed annually)
- Collaborate with colleagues, share ideas effortlessly, and boost team productivity in real time
- Everything on Goodnotes Pro
- SAML SSO
- Domain control
- Consolidated billing (credit card or invoicing)
- User & admin management
- Advanced team collaboration tools
- Additional integration support
Enterprise
Contact us
- Enhance security, manage AI features safely, and tailor Goodnotes to fit your organization’s needs
- Advanced privacy and security controls
- Prioritized security questionnaire requests
- Enable or disable AI product features
- Dedicated account management
- Feature customization on-demand
- Microsoft Intune App SDK (iOS) support
- Customizable solutions, including custom contract and custom requests support
Education
Free
- Get Goodnotes for free, and unlock our enhanced, pedagogy-backed feature set by setting up an Admin Console
- Note-taking & document management
- Import class materials from different sources
- Turn static pages into interactive lessons
- Unlock more for free with Admin Console
- View student screens live, by page or by question
- Seamless document distribution
- Teaching-only presentation layer
How GoodNotes's pricing compares
At $0.99/mo, GoodNotes is the most affordable of its 4 direct competitors.
Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Jun 19, 2026.
Reviews
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4.2/5
Across 267 verified user reviews on Trustpilot
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Best GoodNotes Alternatives
Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.
EvernoteFreemium
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Microsoft OneNoteFree
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NotabilityFreemium
Transform your notes into knowledge with AI-powered summaries, quizzes, and flashcards.
Apple NotesFree
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GoodNotes FAQ
How does GoodNotes help students with their studies?
GoodNotes assists students by allowing them to take searchable notes directly on lecture slides, record audio synchronized with their notes, and create flashcards for exam preparation. These features help students organize information and review material effectively.
What kind of user benefits most from GoodNotes' features?
GoodNotes is particularly beneficial for students, educators, professionals, and teams who need a versatile tool for capturing, organizing, and collaborating on information. Its flexible input methods and AI capabilities cater to various note-taking and productivity needs.
How does GoodNotes compare to Notability for note-taking?
GoodNotes offers a highly flexible environment for writing, typing, drawing, and recording audio notes, similar to Notability. However, GoodNotes emphasizes powerful AI features for meeting summaries, Q&A capabilities, and content generation to enhance productivity and understanding.
What are the main limitations users might encounter with GoodNotes?
Some advanced AI features and cross-platform synchronization in GoodNotes are currently limited or in beta. Additionally, certain features such as audio transcription and presentation mode are only available on iOS devices.
Does GoodNotes include a free tier?
Yes, GoodNotes is available on a free tier, which allows users to access basic functionalities. Paid plans are offered for those who require more extensive usage and additional features beyond the free tier's limitations.
Can teams collaborate on documents within GoodNotes?
Yes, GoodNotes supports real-time collaboration, making it suitable for teams to work together on brainstorms and documents. This feature enhances productivity and communication for group projects and shared tasks.
Source: goodnotes.com