Goodnotes

Goodnotes pairs beloved handwriting note-taking with AI features for summarizing, rewriting, and searching handwritten notes across iPad, Mac, and web.

Overview

Goodnotes built its reputation on the best handwriting experience on iPad, and its AI features now treat handwritten ink as first-class data. The app can convert handwriting to typed text, summarize long notes, answer questions about a notebook’s content, and search across handwriting with impressive accuracy. Its document-editing tools annotate PDFs and slides naturally, and cross-platform sync keeps notebooks current across devices. Recent versions added AI note assistance that drafts, rewrites, and explains content within the notebook itself, plus study tools that generate flashcards from notes. For students and professionals who think on paper but need digital workflows, Goodnotes closes the gap between the two without asking anyone to give up the pen. Goodnotes’ AI search and summarization work across mixed notebooks of handwriting, typed text, images, and diagrams, which is exactly the messiness of real notes that keyword search has never handled well. Collaboration features allow shared notebooks for teams and study groups, and document signing and export keep handwritten workflows compatible with the formal processes that offices and universities still require in practice.

Key Features

• Best-in-class handwriting experience with strong stylus support
• Handwriting conversion, search, and summarization powered by AI
• PDF and slide annotation with document editing tools
• AI drafting, rewriting, and explanation within notebooks
• Cross-platform sync across iPad, Mac, Windows, and web
• Flashcard generation from existing notes for study workflows

Pricing

Goodnotes is free with notebook limits and core features. A modest subscription unlocks unlimited notebooks, advanced AI features, and cross-platform access, with education discounts available.

Who Is It For

Students and professionals who take handwritten notes and want them searchable, summarizable, and connected to digital workflows without abandoning the pen. It fits lecture-heavy study and meeting-heavy work where notes accumulate faster than anyone can revisit them manually.