Embedded Files
I spent most of this year trying GoodNotes alternatives for handwritten work notes on an iPad, and the thing that finally fixed my week wasn't a better notebook. Most of these I still use, and I've said plainly where GoodNotes beats every one of them.
Why people go looking for a GoodNotes alternative
Why people go looking for a GoodNotes alternative
Usually one of a few reasons. The pricing moved to a subscription and you'd rather buy once. You picked up a Windows or Android machine and your notes didn't come with you. You want a canvas instead of pages. Or you want the handwriting to become real text. Mine was none of those. Mine was the handoff, getting the page off the iPad and onto the Mac where the work happens.
The seven, and who each one is actually for
The seven, and who each one is actually for
Notability - best for meetings and lectures, the audio links to the exact spot in your notes.
Hit record while you write and every stroke is tied to the recording, so tapping a line later plays back what was being said at that moment. PDF markup is solid, and the free tier is enough to find out whether the audio trick is for you.
Good at: audio synced to handwriting, PDF markup, lecture capture
Watch out for: sync, handwriting search and OCR sit behind the Plus subscription
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac
Price: free tier, Plus is a subscription
Nebo - best if you want handwriting converted to text as you write, listed as MyScript Notes now.
The recognition engine is the reason to pick it. Handwriting reflows into editable text in place, and it does the same for maths and hand-drawn diagrams, turning a sketch into clean shapes you can still edit.
Good at: live ink-to-text, maths, diagrams
Watch out for: free notebooks stop at five pages, and sync and AI features are paid
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows as Nebo
Price: subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase
Noteshelf - best for planner and journal templates, and it runs on Android and Windows.
The template library runs to 1,000 plus planners, diaries and journals, and you can record audio while you write. Premium is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, which is rare in this list.
Good at: templates, planners, the same notebooks on every platform
Watch out for: the free tier stops at three notebooks, and handwriting search needs Premium
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac, Android, Windows, Chromebook
Price: free, Premium is a one-time purchase
OneNote - best if your work already lives in Microsoft, free everywhere.
Instead of pages it gives you a freeform canvas, so ink, typed text and images can sit anywhere. Ink-to-text and lasso selection are built in, and everything syncs through OneDrive to whatever machine you sit down at.
Good at: an infinite canvas, Microsoft 365, being free on every platform
Watch out for: notes live in OneDrive in Microsoft's own format, and it feels less like paper
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android, web
Price: free with a Microsoft account
Obsidian - best for an archive you own outright, plain files, but typed first.
Every note is a Markdown file sitting on your own device, linked to other notes so ideas build into a web. Handwriting arrives through community plugins like Excalidraw rather than a built-in pen, so it suits people who mostly type.
Good at: a local plain-text archive, linking notes, a huge plugin library
Watch out for: no native ink-to-text or palm rejection
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android
Price: free, with Sync as an optional paid add-on
Apple Notes - best for free and already installed, lighter on PDFs and organisation.
Tap the lock screen with Apple Pencil and you're writing. Your handwriting is searchable, Smart Script tidies it as you go, and it all syncs over iCloud with nothing to set up. For quick handwritten notes it's hard to argue with free.
Good at: zero setup, iCloud sync, handwriting search
Watch out for: basic PDF markup, and folders get messy at scale
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web through iCloud.com
Price: free
Pen Friend - best for getting the handwritten page onto a Mac. I built this one, so weigh it accordingly.
It's a notebook built around the handoff. Flick a page and it lands on your Mac, ready to paste. A Mac screenshot comes the other way onto the page for Apple Pencil markup. It's younger and less polished than the big names, and it doesn't pretend otherwise.
Good at: iPad to Mac and back, search by meaning
Watch out for: no Windows or Android, and backups are iCloud only for now
Works on: iPad, plus Pen Friend Companion on the Mac
Price: free, no account
The gap none of the six filled, and what Pen Friend does about it
The gap none of the six filled, and what Pen Friend does about it
Every one of them is a better or a worse notebook. Not one touched the part that was costing me time. You write the page, you flick it, it's on the Mac. A Mac screenshot goes the other way onto your page, and a PDF arrives as pages you can write between rather than a flat picture. Search works the same way, you write the question by hand and it finds the notes by meaning. Free, no account, nothing uploaded, the two machines talk over your own network.
Where GoodNotes still wins outright
Where GoodNotes still wins outright
Pencil feel and document markup, years of polish that mine does not have. If marking up documents by hand is the bulk of your day, stay where you are. None of the seven beats it there, and mine does not try.
Still best at: Pencil feel, PDF and document markup, handwriting search
Works on: iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android, web
How to pick, by the reason you went looking
How to pick, by the reason you went looking
Handwriting as editable text, Nebo.
Audio tied to your notes, Notability.
Free and zero setup inside Apple, Apple Notes.
The same notes on Windows or Android, OneNote, Noteshelf or Nebo.
Templates for planning, Noteshelf.
A permanent local archive, Obsidian.
A handwritten iPad page landing on your Mac without a round trip, Pen Friend.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse