| Type of app | – Handwriting note-taking, |
| Age Rating | 4+ |
| Developer | – Time Base Technology Limited – Privacy policy – App support |
| App Privacy | – Data not linked to you: identifiers, usage data, diagnostics |
| Supported OS | – iPadOS 13.0 or later – iOS 13.0 or later – macOS 10.15 or later |
| Price | – Free trial (get 3 notebooks for free) – $7.99 in-app, one-time & universal purchase one-time |
| Size | 274.3 MB |
| Languages | English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish |
| Storage Used | 762.2 MB for 23 notebooks |
| Organisation | Folders within folders (unlimited levels) |
| User Interface | – 2 toolbars |
| Pages | – Sizes: A3-A7, Letter, Tabloid, GoodNotes Standard – Orientation: portrait & landscape – Colours: yellow, white, dark – Templates: Essentials, writing papers, planner and music. Here is a full list of all the paper templates in GoodNotes. – Different page templates in one notebook – Use custom templates – Edit multiple pages – Proper page rotation – Excellent page editing options |
| Writing tools | – Vector ink – Type: fountain, brush & ball pens – Sizes: 0.1-2.0mm – No opacity options – Colours: only 3 colours on the toolbar, unlimited options though – No favourites toolbar |
| Zoom tool | – Auto-advance – Has margin & navigation tools – Can improve handwriting |
| Text | – Input: Scribble, Keyboard – Text boxes only – Many fonts & colours – Use custom fonts – 1 favourite text box style – No lists – Text alignment: left, right, centre – Format: strikeout, bold, italic & underline – Line spacing: automatic, 1-200pt |
| Highlighter | – Behind text – 1.0-7.7mm – No opacity options – colours options similar to the pen tool |
| Eraser | – Per stroke/pixel – Erase highlighter only – Sizes: 3, fixed – Auto-deselect |
| Lasso tool | – Can select everything on the page – Cut, copy, delete, resize & rotate (simultaneously) – Style: change colour only – Take screenshot – Add Element to create a custom sticker – Convert handwriting to text – Does not move selections across pages |
| Items added to notes | – Images – Scans – Stickers – Weblinks |
| Shapes | – Regular & irregular, arrows, curves – Autofill can be different from border colour – Adjust: autofill colour, shape after drawing – Snap to other strokes |
| Photos | – PNG, Jpeg – Freehand cropping – Resize & rotate simultaneously – Stretch & shrink |
| Scrolling | – Vertical, horizontal – Manually add new pages |
| Multitasking | – Type: split view, multiple instances, tabs, slide over – Learn more about multitasking in GoodNotes. |
| PDF Annotation | – Recognises: hyperlinks, table of contents – Deactivate hyperlinks when using the Apple Pencil to handwrite notes – Create outlines & bookmarks |
| OCR | – Convert handwriting to text – 17 Supported languages – Search through handwritten notes & scans – Organised search results |
| OCR Languages | English (US & UK), Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, |
| iPadOS Support | – False dark mode changes app’s user interface only – Multiple instances – Drag & drop – Scribble |
| Presentation Mode | – Hide user interface – Laser pointer: Point, Tail – Laser pointer colours: Red – Reference window |
| Collaboration | – No GoodNotes account is required – Invite via link – Highlight pages where changes have been made – Receive notifications when someone changes your document – Collaborate on notebooks only |
| Universal Search | – On the homepage – Search through handwritten notes & scan – Organise search results: written notes, PDFs, document outlines, – Can’t search specific folders |
| Unique features | – Two-way collaboration – Create custom outlines |
| Exporting | – Formats: PDF (flattened & editable), Images (individuals/zipped), GoodNotes, Link – Export page background – Exclude annotations – Export active hyperlinks. More about exporting notes out of GoodNotes. |
| Settings | – Auto backup to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, – Auto backup formats: Native, PDF, Native & PDF – Backup specific folders, files – Cancel/Pause backup – Backup queue |
We always turn down sponsorships from developers who try to compromise our unbiased evaluations. Above all else, we treasure objective and honest reviews to help you pick the right tools for your digital transformation. Support Paperless X, from as little as $1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.
