What is GoodNotes used for?

Goodnotes is a handwriting-first note-taking and PDF annotation app for tablets and laptops, with whiteboards, text documents, AI features and real-time sharing. It is a good fit for students annotating lecture slides, professionals taking meeting notes on a tablet and teams brainstorming on a shared whiteboard.

Yes. GoodNotes has a free plan, and paid plans start at $11.99 per seat per year. A free trial is also available.

Is GoodNotes open source?

No. GoodNotes is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to GoodNotes include Butterfly.

What are some alternatives to GoodNotes?

GoodNotes competes with Notability, Noteshelf and Nebo. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source GoodNotes alternatives.

GoodNotes: features, pricing and alternatives

About GoodNotes

Goodnotes is a commercial note-taking app built for natural handwriting, with PDF annotation, infinite-canvas whiteboards and typed text documents in the same product. It targets professionals who rely on a tablet as well as students and educators, and it also offers a Goodnotes for Business version.

Feature areas include handwriting tools, annotating any PDF by hand, AI-powered summaries and search, real-time collaboration on shared notes, audio recording with transcription, meeting notes and quick notes. The vendor publishes pages for industries such as architecture, engineering and construction, legal, professional services, government and nonprofits, and for learning use cases.

Goodnotes can be started for free, and paid options are listed on the pricing page. It also has a marketplace, a learning center and a help center, and it suits people who prefer to write or sketch by hand and keep all notes and documents in one app.

Key features

Handwriting notes with natural feel
PDF annotation by hand
Whiteboards on an infinite canvas
AI summaries and search
Real-time collaboration on notes
Audio recording with transcription

Good fit for

→Students annotating lecture slides
→Professionals taking meeting notes on a tablet
→Teams brainstorming on a shared whiteboard

Tags: notes; handwriting; pdf-annotation; whiteboard; ipad; ai; note-taking

GoodNotes: questions and answers

What is GoodNotes used for?: Goodnotes is a handwriting-first note-taking and PDF annotation app for tablets and laptops, with whiteboards, text documents, AI features and real-time sharing. It is a good fit for students annotating lecture slides, professionals taking meeting notes on a tablet and teams brainstorming on a shared whiteboard.
Is GoodNotes free?: Yes. GoodNotes has a free plan, and paid plans start at $11.99 per seat per year. A free trial is also available.
Is GoodNotes open source?: No. GoodNotes is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to GoodNotes include Butterfly.
What are some alternatives to GoodNotes?: GoodNotes competes with Notability, Noteshelf and Nebo. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source GoodNotes alternatives.