--- title: "Goodnotes Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Goodnotes the right Note-Taking solution for you? Explore 78 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/233930/GoodNotes/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- Goodnotes 4.5 (78) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/233930/GoodNotes/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated October 19th, 2026 # Reviews of Goodnotes Ease of use 4.5 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews GC Garnet C Appointment SetterMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “My favourite feature was the ability to use a stylus pen to fill out documents with handwritten signatures, and be able to export and email your documents easily. “ June 10, 2025 FM Freyxa M Onboarding and training supervisorMental Health Care, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “For android is not that efficient.“ June 2, 2025 Alyssa D TherapistMental Health Care, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Despite the general learning curve, GoodNotes has proven itself to be a useful and versatile tool for professionals who require some way to keep notes and documents digitally organized.“ October 27, 2025 AF Aimen F StudentPrimary/Secondary Education, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “For example the app crashing randomly or disabled buttons, I.e if you tap on a button nothing happens, so you’ll have to restart GoodNotes.“ February 19, 2023 AH Alexis H Registered NurseHospital & Health Care, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It is nice to be able to insert photos as well.“ August 24, 2026 ZD Zhenjiao D StudentE-Learning, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “as an ipad user, some times i feel it is a little bit hard to manage the files when there are many of them consider the tag function?“ April 5, 2023 GC Garnet C Appointment SetterMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Ability to create digital notebooks, great for keeping your subjects separated and easy to access. “ June 10, 2025 Nuno P AnimatorAnimation, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It's also not possible to link notes between pages which can get a little disorganized in big files.“ November 28, 2022 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 78 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Alyssa D. Therapist Mental Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Versatile Professional Tool " October 27, 2025 4.0 Despite the general learning curve, GoodNotes has proven itself to be a useful and versatile tool for professionals who require some way to keep notes and documents digitally organized. Pros I enjoyed the ease of use and implementation while taking client notes during sessions. The ability to create separate notebooks for different aspects was critical for organization. As a professional, GoodNotes exhibited great versatility during meetings as well. Cons Difficulty in transcribing from script to typed notes. Additionally, as a beginner, the learning curve for accessing different features was more challenging than expected. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Chiropractor Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great App for Handwritten Notes on iPad" January 20, 2026 5.0 Overall my experience with Goodnotes have been exceptional. I have been using it to document patient charts since I started working as a chiropractor in 2019. Pros Goodnotes allows you to write on any PDF document on an iPad. It is a great patient charting tool that allows you to take notes like traditional paper and pen without the bulk of physical papers. It allows me to customize any PDF documents of my choosing. I can also create templates that can be uploaded with ease. Cons Every now and then the app will crash on me. This is not that big of an issue since the documents or my work does not get lost. The app just needs to restart and I’m right back to where I was. There is some learning curve to using the app. Some of the functions take some time getting used to. Review Source ZB Zachary B. Entrepreneur Publishing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GoodNotes Review" September 21, 2026 4.0 My overall experience with GoodNotes has been very positive. It is such a nice combination of handwriting and digital notes. It feels very similar to using an actual notebook! Pros What I like most about Goodnotes is the simplicity of organizing, writing, and annotating digital notes. It feels very similar to using a physical notebook! Cons What I like least about Goodnotes is there are a lot of tools and customization features that can be tedious to learn at first. Review Source FM Freyxa M. Onboarding and training supervisor Mental Health Care Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "So-so experience" June 2, 2025 3.0 Is excellent for people who prefer handwritten notes and to plan on, however, each platform specific for Apple in black collaborative and centralized features needed in any professional environment. For android is not that efficient. Pros Excellent for stylus users, especially on tablets and it’s really useful for Mark now training contact or even for a students Cons No idea for sharing or collaborating on materials across ATM, is not built in with task tracking or content, distribution tools Review Source AH Alexis H. Registered Nurse Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Goodnotes Review" August 24, 2026 5.0 My overall experience with Goodnotes has been satisfying. Notes are aesthetically pleasing while being easy to read and study. I enjoy being able to collaborate with others as well with them. Pros I really like the feature of being able to circle text and being able to move it across the screen. It is nice to be able to insert photos as well. Cons I having nothing negative to report about Goodnotes. It is a great tool for organized, neat notetaking. Review Source GC Garnet C. Appointment Setter Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Wonderful App for Documentation and Signing off Documents" June 10, 2025 5.0 Positive and a good solution to faxing, scanning documents or needing a pdf program to signing any documents that get digitally returned. I liked the ability to change colours on ink, and the customization of pen type for different spacings, Pros Ability to create digital notebooks, great for keeping your subjects separated and easy to access. My favourite feature was the ability to use a stylus pen to fill out documents with handwritten signatures, and be able to export and email your documents easily. Personally I used this program on a ipad 8th gen and it worked seamlessly. People in sales roles could find this application useful for digital note keeping. Cons I didnt find a whole lot wrong with Goodnotes, the only complaint being very minor, was manually attempting to blow up small print to get a signature on a contract line was a bit tough to do for inexperienced users, aside from that, not much wrong at all! Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Goodnotes for your excellent workflow" July 24, 2025 5.0 Pros It is so easy to use on my iPhone and iPad, and the results are always excellent. A game changer for me. Cons My workflow is sometimes very slow. Goodnotes wants to help me with that but sometimes I feel a little bit pressure. But that is only me. Review Source KL Kat L. Student Higher Education Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GOOD NOTES!" April 24, 2026 5.0 Pros Good notes is super easy to use, I love that you can make folders for different subjects as well as being able to organize and collaborate on notes if needed! Cons I wish there were more free options like how much you are able to write but other than that no complaints about Goodnotes Review Source MM Madison M. Speech Language Pathology Assistant Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Goodnotes is the Best!" March 19, 2025 5.0 Overall, I recommend Goodnotes to everyone who could benefit from a tool such as this software. I know there are other competitors but I feel Goodnotes is just the best for students and professionals, especially in my field. Pros Goodnotes is a convenient tool to use to keep documents in one place and annotate them. I use the software on my iPad as a student and it has been the most helpful tool in my undergraduate education. Cons I do wish it was possible to use the annotation feature without an Apple Pencil, but with the Apple Pencil the application is amazing. I love being able to edit pdfs on the software and organize all of my documents for personal/academic/professional use. Review Source KR Kim R. President Medical Practice Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A Game-Changer App!" May 29, 2025 5.0 A wonderful app! I use it frequently, especially in my personal life. I have folders for health, exercise routines, financial data, recipes, etc. Whenever I am sent something important and it's downloadable, it's going into Goodnotes. Pros It is a convenient place for downloading all sorts of files, and later organizing them into folders. Cons I don't like that I cannot get it on all my PC's and desktops. It would be more useful to me if it were not just on my mobile devices and iPads. Review Source TK Tarik K. Social Media Marketing Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "With Goodnotes you can replace your physical notebook with an ipad " March 17, 2025 4.0 Pros Good software to take notes in the class. Due to this app you can replace a physical notebook to iPad. Cons If you don´t have the paid program, than you can have only limited notebooks. Review Source NR Natalie R. Graduate Student Education Management Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Helpful tool for graduate student" April 3, 2025 5.0 Pros I like that I can use this software across my devices Cons Sometimes the app will crash on my ipad. Review Source MR Maria R. Insegnante Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Goodnotes, un'app semplice ma davvero utile " April 30, 2024 5.0 L'app è comunque di mio gradimento in quanto non credo ce ne siano molte che a parità di prezzo, forniscano così tante potenzialità. Pros Ho acquistato, più di 2 anni fa, la versione a pagamento di quest'app in quanto molto economica per tutte le potenzialità e i vantaggi che offre. La uso regolarmanente e per me è stata una svolta importante in quanto ero solita appuntarmi tutto su agende e fogli di carta e metà delle cose, il più delle volte, andavano perdute. Ora ho i miei taccuini e agende tutte in un'unica app il tutto mi appare molto più ordinato. Ho apprezzato che l'app consenta sia di scrivere i propri appunti "a mano" mediante l'utilizzo di una semplice penna bluetooth sia di aggiungere caselle di testo con diversi font a disposizione. In più è possibile scegliere diversi tipi di colori e 3 diverse tipologie di penne (a sfera, pennarello e lettering). C'è la possibilità di aggiungere anche note e adesivi (anche personalizzati) e di incollare immagini copiate direttamente dal web. Inoltre è possibile importare file pdf dal dispositivo all'appa e viceversa ovvero esportare i vari taccuini in formato pdf per averli anche su altri dispositivi. E' possibile anche usare la funzionalità che consente di avere contemporaneamente, sullo schermo, due taccuini aperti. Cons Uniche pecche di quest'app che non ho molto apprezzato è che non ha un registratore integrato che consenta di registrare le note audio e che, una volta che si esportano i quaderni e taccuini in formato PDF, questi risultino essere troppo pesanti. Review Source TS Tom S. Business Owner Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "GoodNotes should be BestNotes" August 7, 2022 5.0 I started using it years ago to replace my clipboard and paper system; I don't think anything will ever replace it. Pros Its ease of use and unlimited expandability for note taking, management, organization etc. Cons The desktop app sometimes is tedious with data entry or setting things up with a new notebook, but even that is so minor that it doesn't effect things much. Reason for choosing Goodnotes Price, reviews, usability and fluidity between platforms. Review Source CC Cheyenne C. sales Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Take your sales productivity to the next level - Save time and stay organized " January 18, 2023 5.0 Fantastic! I have version 5, I have already shared with people in my industry at a small workshop I attended yesterday. I think it is a good app both professionally and for personal uses. This will be at the top of my app list! Pros The ease of use, and the amount of paper styles to choose from. Paying a one time fee of $8.99 is well worth it. I have set up a daily planner, and multiple notebooks for work. I am in customer's homes daily - this app allows me to take photos directly from the note app and create a customer file easily. I do in home measuring and the other fabulous thing - is being able to erase easily. If I sketch an area incorrectly it is a cinch to erase and redraw. Lastly once the drawing is complete - you can copy the drawing/page. This is great for figuring multiple options. I draw once create a few digital copies - annotate different options for the client - once they select an option - I email the selected option to myself and then move into our "in office" ordering and administration stage. The time I save has been crucial! Cons Copy and paste feature for when you things have set up as a template - but you need to move it to a new page, with different information. Example set up a section in a daily planner and you just want to copy it to the next day with the same font, sizing etc.. It was a little more difficult then it should have been. Review Source DD Daniele D. Studente Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "L'app definitiva per prendere appunti" August 6, 2023 5.0 Consiglio vivamente questa app soprattutto agli studenti universitari in quanto permette di avere degli appunti molto ordinati (quando vengono risistemati a casa), ad alta definizione, ma soprattutto con la comodità di avere tutto su un unico device. Assolutamente consigliata anche per il prezzo. Pros SI tratta di un programma molto intuitivo e permette una gestione degli appunti ottimale in quanto si possono creare i quaderni (come ho fatto io uno per materia) e si può creare delle cartelle per raccogliere questi quaderni. Cons Ogni tanto ho trovato qualche rallentamento o proprio un "freezing" dell'applicazione ma è successo di rado rispetto all'utilizzo che ne faccio Review Source CC Connie C. Full Time Student E-Learning Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "GoodNotes does such a Good Job!" January 26, 2022 5.0 This software has made my grad school process go much more smoothly than expected! I love the variety of features, the organization, and the ability to take notes directly on the documents. I would highly recommend this to anybody who is a student. Pros I'm able to put all my pdf textbooks, articles, and notes in one place. I love the creativity of the colors - it helps to keep me engaged when reading challenging articles. There are some excellent features, like the ability to resize certain portions or screenshot parts of my textbook and add it to my notebook. Also a good app for signing documents! Cons The only complaint I have with this software is that things that are hyperlinked in pdfs don't stay hyperlinked once I import it into Goodnotes. Review Source AM Agustin M. Teacher E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Opinion" November 4, 2021 5.0 I like that i can carry that app and have all my notes in a same place, it took me a bit to transition from paper notes to digital note taking, overall this app has been so easy to use and has been really friendly to work with, that way i don’t have to waste so much paper in my daily life Pros Separe note files, big variety of templates to choose from, picture storage separately from the document Sorting by date name in file, lets you choose a cover for your notebook, you can mix paper styles or templates in the same document, automatically adds a new page when you are about to finish Cons Only 3 standards colors of paper, doesn’t have preset chapes, 3 options of eraser tools, doesn’t have built in arrows options Review Source IP Imani P. Program Director Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Has made my planner so much easier" December 10, 2022 5.0 I love GoodNotes. It has really helped me through using my digital planner. Pros What I like most about this software is the ability to upload documents to the app and utilize them within the app. Cons What I like least about the app is using it on my phone. It’s easier to use on an iPad. Review Source FD Filippo D. Tersicoreo Performing Arts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastica applicazione " December 14, 2023 5.0 Pros È molto semplice gestire l’applicazione. I pennelli/penne/matite a disposizione non sono moltissimi ma sono comunque ben strutturati quelli esistenti. Fantastica la possibilità di creare dei taccuini e di salvare i file in pdf. Ottima per lo studio/lavoro o semplicemente da sostituire al classico blocco note di carta. Cons Non ho riscontrato particolari inconvenienti Review Source BH Bree H. College Student E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Taking Notes like a Pro" November 16, 2021 4.0 Great experience overall. I love taking notes when you can make them organized & easy to understand! Pros GoodNotes has many different pen/pencil/highlighter options that make it fun & aesthetically pleasing to take notes, keep a planner, or keep track of documents. My favorite feature is the Lasso Tool; it allows the user to move anything written on the page to somewhere else, and makes keeping organized notes easy! Cons I do not particularly like the way the notes are organized. You can view them by date, name, or type and you can create folders, but overall the organization is not ideal for separate notes, and is not super user friendly when creating folders & notebooks. Switched from [Notability](https://www.capterra.com/p/229356/Notability/) Other users suggested GoodNotes. Review Source CC Chariz C. Student Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Aesthetically Pleasing" February 16, 2023 5.0 Very good, very easy, travels across multimedia devices and is very simple to use. There are no regrets with this app. Pros It was easy to use, simple to make notebooks and the user interface is quite easy to navigate. Moreover, the colours and pens provided were exactly what I needed. Cons Cannot colour my text boxes and save the colour I’ve chosen. It only recommends the presets. Also handwritten are a hassle to change to text. Review Source DT Daniel T. Nurse Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Goodnotes review after 1 year" April 8, 2023 4.0 Pros Goodnotes has a great layout and it’s easy to use. The ability to annotate PDF files and organise your notes based on topics and customisation in general is fantastic. Cons The text box feature could be better, the use lack of integration with a keyboard makes it frustrating to use. Overall the application is a positive. Review Source FP Francis P. Photograph Media Production Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Good notes & management app" March 31, 2022 5.0 Pros I like that it onetime payment and not a subscription. It the best app i try with the apple pencil. Cons Maybe more template available when we create a new book Review Source MM Mary M. Manager Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Best Thing Ever!" January 4, 2023 5.0 Pros That I can easily upload files and documents and utilize for my planner! Cons There wasn't anything I don't like. I find the app easy to use and has so many functions and capabilities. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.