Freenotes used to be a free handwriting app everyone loved — but now it’s one of the most expensive. So the real question is: are its cute features enough to justify the price?
When I first opened Freenotes years ago, it was the quirky free handwriting app that felt like a hidden gem. Fast forward to 2026, and things have changed — it’s no longer free, and in fact, it’s now one of the most expensive handwriting apps out there. That shift alone sets the stage for this review: is Freenotes still worth it, or has it lost the magic that made it special?
The charm that keeps you coming back
Themes are still one of the coolest things about Freenotes. I can set my interface to blue, you can set yours to green, and suddenly our apps feel personal. It’s not just about color — you can strip away features you don’t want, like AI, the marketplace, or even the community tab. Toolbars are fully customisable, so if you’re a minimalist, you can make the workspace as clean as you like.
But the feature that keeps me coming back — the one I can’t get over — is handwriting conversion. The developers call it beautification, just so we’re on the same page. Freenotes doesn’t just turn your scribbles into typed text; it transforms them into fonts. Cute, elegant, playful fonts. And it keeps the handwriting flow, so your notes don’t look like they’ve been dumped into a text box. If you’ve ever hated your handwriting, or even if you secretly love it, this feature is pure joy.
There are other playful touches too: underlines that wave, zig‑zag, double, or dash, all customisable in thickness and height. They’re small details, but they make your notes feel alive.
Going beyond notes
Freenotes has leaned into multimedia. Videos can now be played directly inside your notes, not just from YouTube but also Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, and edX. For learners, this is brilliant — everything you need stays inside the app. Resizing and moving videos is effortless, and the built‑in browser works the same way for articles. It’s a researcher’s dream, and no other handwriting app does this.
Audio transcription is available too, though limited. Thanks to the AI tool, you can try up to 30 minutes of transcription. It’s enough to test whether it fits your workflow, but editing options are still missing.
And then there’s Focus Mode. Imagine gamifying concentration by pretending you’re on a flight. Cabin noise, flight tracking, the whole experience. It’s ridiculous, but also strangely unique. Personally, I prefer silence, but I’m curious if anyone out there has found this useful.
Organisation and utility
Handwriting search is now here, and page expansion remains one of those underrated features you don’t find in most apps. Layers and version history add depth, giving you control over your notes in ways many competitors don’t. These are the kinds of features that make Freenotes feel serious, not just cute.
Where it falls short
But here’s the rub: Freenotes is no longer free. At $30 upfront, $40/year for AI, plus marketplace purchases, it’s one of the priciest handwriting apps. And for that price, you expect polish. Yet many of the old frustrations remain:
- Two handwriting toolbars (still confusing).
- Shapes that feel incomplete and dysfunctional.
- Photos, stickers, and audio recording that are half‑baked.
- Notes that don’t rotate with page templates.
- Clunky item selection.
Focus mode setup is tedious, and transcription is basic. It’s hard to take this app for a serious spin because most of its gestures get in the way. I had to disable all of them just to work on my diagrams without needing to undo unwanted gestures.
The cute features in Freenotes are fun to play with, but they don’t always hold up when you’re working on long notes. Take the handwriting‑to‑fonts conversion, for example. I absolutely loved it at first — it felt fresh, creative, and gave my notes a polished look. But once I tried using it for full pages, the charm wore off quickly. It takes far too much effort to keep it going in long-form writing. In the end, I had to switch it off. Where it really shines is in short bursts — headings, titles. Beyond that, it becomes more of a distraction than a tool.
OS differences
On iOS and iPadOS, Freenotes feels feature‑rich, but there’s still no macOS version. We hope the app can sync with Android. Do let us know if you use it there.
Verdict
Freenotes is playful, creative, and unique. Its themes, handwriting‑to‑fonts conversion, and multimedia integration set it apart. But it struggles with basics that every handwriting app should nail. And with its new pricing, you have to ask yourself: would you pay for cute, or for functional?
Because for $40 a year, you could get Goodnotes, Notability, or Noteful — apps that balance fun with reliability. Freenotes is charming, but at this price, charm alone may not be enough. And if you really prefer free apps: there’s Wellnote. So, where does that leave Freenotes?