Note App on the iPhone and iPad has been widely used since it was introduced, and it provides almost everything that we need. But that does not mean we shouldn’t move out of the comfort zone and try something else. It doesn’t matter if you are a student or a professional, taking notes is something everyone does.
There are many Notes app alternatives that may suit your requirements. Rather than looking here and there, why not get a list of the best Note-taking apps for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil? That’s exactly what lead me to jump to the App Store and find some gems. The list of note apps was huge, so I had to manually narrow it down by trying many of them. Let’s check it out!
Another great option for best note-taking apps for iPad and Apple Pencil, which most of us use here at iMore, is Notability. Like GoodNotes, it is a powerful and robust app, but it is a tad easier to use for most people. I prefer notability for how you can sort and organise your notes and PDF files. I prefer good notes for how neat I can write in comparison to notability (easier to zoom in and write). It’s probably the better app for drawing graphs and diagrams. For my general note taking at the moment I use notability just for how you can sort notes.
Best iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Note Apps in 2020
Sticky note: “Apple Notes” has vastly improved to be an excellent note-taking app. As it’s a stock app, we haven’t included it in the following lineup. To explore this app or get the most out of it, check out these 16 tips.
#1. Notability
There is a lot to like in Notability! Frankly speaking; this has been one of my favorites for both note-taking and PDF editing. Despite being such a powerful app, it’s pretty simple to use. And this is what makes it so appreciable.
The app works perfectly with Apple Pencil (both the first and second generation). So, you can design your notes and write with the desired flair.
You will also convert your handwritten notes into text, make checklists and impressive text boxes. With super handy annotation tools in the offing, you can adorn your slides, images, and agenda. Lastly, Notability allows you to share your files via AirDrop, email, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive.
Price: $9.99 Download
#2. GoodNotes 5
If you are fond of handwritten notes, “GoodNotes 5” can be an excellent pick for you. With several easy-to-use tools at the disposal, you craft notes proficiently. You can draw shapes, insert images, and even insert PDF in your note.
GoodNotes is also an efficient PDF annotator and works with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. It offers a wide range of covers and papers to let you design your notes. Besides, you will also add your own template for more personalization.
It automatically backs up your data to Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Furthermore, GoodNotes 5 is compatible with many languages including English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and more.
Price: $7.99 Download
#3. MyScript Nebo
As one of the most sought after note-taking apps, “MyScript Nebo” has a lot to offer. And if you like using Apple Pencil to note down your thoughts or create detailed charts, chances are you will never get tired using this fully-featured app.
It makes text formatting damn easy, allowing you to give your project a professional look by including the bulleted lists and adding a suitable title. You also get the option to add insightful diagrams to put forward researched data vividly.
Another highly appreciable feature of this app is the ability to let you solve calculations and copy them into LaTeX or as images. Once you have crafted your story, you will be able to share it in multiple formats including PDF, word, and HTML.
Price: $7.99 Download
#4. Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is packed in with all the features you’d expect from a top note-taking app. You can use this app to quickly record your ideas, note down thoughts and keep all of your notes fully organized as per your workflow.
The app also lets you create checklists so that you won’t forget to carry out important things. And with the pinning feature, you can easily find the frequently used list.
OneNote offers a seamless collaboration experience to let you work with your team. If you want to add an extra layer of safeguard to your notes, use a password to prevent anyone from accessing into them. Furthermore, your data is synced to OneDrive for enhanced security and universal accessibility.
Price: Free Download
#5. Notebook
I’ve always rated Zoho Corporation’s “Notebook” very highly. Three things make it worth giving a try.
First, despite being completely free, the app has almost all the essential features to give a long run to many premium apps.
The second; features like scanning business cards, sketching images and taking handwritten notes, make it pretty useful. One notable feature of this app is that it automatically formats your contents into different cards like the recipe, video, link and more.
And the third, the app offers some cool customization options. For instance, you can tweak the color of your notes, change its cover and craft a nice cover for more personalization. Plus, it also features a dark-themed night mode to protect your eyes.
Price: Free Download
#6. Evernote
If I were to pick just one app for managing my tasks, taking quick notes and keeping myself in sync with the upcoming events, I would always go with Evernote. “Versatile” would be the right word to sum it up.
First and foremost, the app lets you capture your thoughts in several formats such as text, web clipping, audio, screenshot and more. So, it doesn’t matter whether you are in a meeting or on the move, you will be able to record your thoughts with ease.
Make personal checklists, annotate docs and also write memos for instant reporting. You can use some basic tools to create presentations as well. Moreover, do not forget to set reminders never to let any urgent tasks miss the deadline.
Evernote works with Apple Watch as well. Hence, you can dictate your thoughts and the app will instantly transcribe them into notes.
Price: Free Download
#7. StickMe Notes
If you find note-taking a tedious exercise, give a chance to “StickMe Notes” to make it a fun-loving experience.
With this app, you will make notes in beautiful colors. Add a photo, record audio, drawing nice-looking images to make your stories stand out. And oh, you can also set your note as a wallpaper.
It also works efficiently as a handy task manager to let you handle your to-dos with the desired flair. Thanks to the built-in alarm, you won’t forget to finish any work on time.
StickMe Notes offers a seven-day free trial. Afterward, you will have to upgrade to an annual $15.99, half-yearly $8.99 or monthly $1.99 plan to continue.
Price: Free Download
#8. Bear
For impressive writing and speedy note-taking, “Bear” is the right tool. The app has a range of writing tools and offers the desired liberty to write freely. So, whether you are a blogger, a teacher or a student, you will find it enormously helpful.
Thanks to the custom shortcut bar, you will be able to format text with ease. Choose from several themes to give an ideal look to your article.
You can use your Apple Pencil to draw images and sketch every thought elegantly. Add notes to ensure nothing goes out of your radar.
With the several export options such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and EPUB, Bear has you fully covered.
Price: Free Download
#9. LiquidText
There are several ways “LiquidText” can revamp your note-taking experience. One of my favorite features of this app is the range of organization tools that ensure all of your docs stay beautifully organized. And more significantly, there is less chance of clutter.
LiquidText can make you fall in love with annotation. Really. Apart from letting you draw images and highlight text, this app also lets you put two pages side-by-side so that you can check out what’s missing and what’s needed to be added. Ideal, if you don’t like hopping from one page to the other too often!
Beyond annotation, it lets you import several docs in your projects and allow you to view up to three notes at one go. Thus, managing your stuff will be quite straightforward and also time-saving.
Lastly, the free version of the app won’t let you try out all the goodies, and you will have to upgrade to LiquidText Pro to put your hands on all the features.
Price: Free Download
#10. UpWord
“UpWord” is exceptional in its own right. The app makes creating and managing notes dead simple courtesy swipe gestures. And with repeating reminders, it ensures you don’t have to put extra efforts to stay in control of everything.
The folders and shortcuts play a vital role in keeping all the tasks organized. You can sort your files by chronological or alphabetical order.
It provides multiple font sizes so that you can fine-tune your projects based on your need. With the multi-level undo/redo, you have more freedom to experiment. What’s more, you can also save your stories to Evernote.
Price: Free Download
#11. Google Keep
When there is a race to find a smart note app that can do most of the things immaculately, it wouldn’t be wise to give “Google Keep” a miss.
One of the highlights of this app is that it lets you snap your thoughts in several formats. So, it doesn’t matter what you are up to; you will be able to get your job done without any hassle.
Record a voice memo and instantly transcribe it. Use suitable labels and matching colors to put everything in the Apple pie order. Magnet pro 2 4 5 qt.
The helpful suggestions allow you to make shopping lists in a jiffy. Don’t fail to set a time-based reminder so that nothing is left behind!
Price: Free Download
#12. Whink
Whink is an all-in-one app to take notes using your Apple Pencil. It has built-in different gel pen with unlimited colors. You can annotate PDF files using different colors to make them more visible and impactful. Apart from that, you can also create voice recording using the app.
With iCloud support, all your notes are saved securely over the cloud. You won’t need to worry about losing them when you upgrade your iPad or iPhone. Lastly, the app isn’t free, but features are definitely worth the price.
Price: $4.99 Download
Bonus
PDF Expert by Readdle
Don’t be surprised to see “PDF Expert” in this lineup. Even though this app is primarily a PDF editor, it can work efficiently as a note-taking app as well.
It boasts a range of annotation tools to let you fine-tune your PDFs based on professional demand. It offers readymade stamps like approved, not approved, confidential, etc. that allow you to express your thoughts vividly.
Moreover, you can use shapes to make diagrams and schemes to show the analytical data of anything. Take advantage of e-signatures to sign docs and use a password to protect them.
Besides, you can also create quick notes and add comments. Thanks to the redact feature; you will be able to hide the personal information as well.
Price: $9.99 Download
That’s all, folks! Have you liked these note apps? Which one looks set to be your favorites?
Signing off…
I don’t think your search for the most adorable note-taking app is on. I’d love to have your thoughts down below in the comments.
Take a glance at the below articles as well:
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.
https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
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GoodNotes is a terrific app for handwritten notes. I often need a combination of diagrams, text, and plain old doodles for meeting notes. The advantage of GoodNotes has always been its excellent handwriting recognition and export. But, I've switched to Notability since a recent update that adds handwriting recognition on top of Notability’s other more refined features.
Handwriting
The ink system in GoodNotes is subtly better than Notability. It feels a bit smoother and more realistic to me. But the difference is slight and in my use not important enough to ignore the other application differences.
There are plenty of ink variations in Notability for my needs. I try to avoid using too many colors and almost always use the same line thickness.
Text and More
While I love handwriting in GoodNotes it always felt a bit awkward to type text. Notability makes it a lot more natural to jump between the two modes and provides some additional formatting options that actually keep me typing longer.
As with the ink, there are limited text formatting options in Notability but what’s there is easily accessible and covers most of what I want to do. Notability also adds an option to create three favorite formats to quickly apply to text.
The same features exist on the iPhone and the Mac but the favorites do not sync, which is a bit of let down. Still, the simplicity of having just three favorites is exactly how I work with text formatting in my notes. I don’t want to fiddle, I just want to call attention to some text or create an informative divider in a section.
Simple formatting is the least of what I like about text in Notability. The support for outlines and checklist is excellent and something that is one of the main selling point over GoodNotes. On any of the supported Notability platforms, just select some text and set the format to checklist. Tapping an item crosses it off the list. Tab indents new items and they even support formatted text within checklists.
Number outlines are also well supported in Notability. I find these particularly useful for meeting agendas. I add annotations with the handwriting ink around the outline and later export the entire thing to my note archive in DEVONthink.
There’s a curious option when working with date text in Notability. After typing a date string, it becomes underlined. Tapping or clicking the date reveals surprisingly useful options.
I’d love to see Notability expand on these options to link between dates and calendar events or even allow me to change the date with a calendar picker instead of typing.
Organization and Search
A major difference between Notability and GoodNotes (and many other iOS note apps) is Notability’s global search and three level document organization. Through a combination of folders and dividers I can create a moderately useful note organization. I use “dividers” to separate three top level categories of notes: Home, Work, and Scratch (a.k.a. “Doodles”). Inside each divider I have “groups” that hold notes in Notability. I use groups like projects. Groups can have a user selected highlight color as well as an optional passcode.
None of this matters too much because I don’t use Notability for long term storage and Notability supports global search across all documents. This means I keep running documents in Notability but if I ever need to quickly jump to a location in a given note, I can use search.
Search in Notability is somewhat basic but it has 90% of what I want, including search of handwriting recognition text, search of indexed PDFs, and hit highlighting across documents.
Multi-Document View and Markup
Notability now also supports multi-document view. It’s like split-screen but within the Notability window. This makes working with a reference document (like a PDF) and notes a very nice improvement over using a separate PDF viewer with the iOS split screen mode.
GoodNotes and Notability are comparable PDF annotation tools and both are inferior to a dedicated app like PDF Expert. The markup options are limited to the standard ink tools like drawing and highlights. However, the annotation index is helpful and bookmarking is easy.
My biggest complaint about PDF annotation in Notability is that the “Stickies” are not true PDF annotations. They are really just image objects you can write on top of. Text and drawings are not contained within the sticky. I’d use these a lot more if they worked a little bit better.
Simple annotation in both apps is useful. If I was working on a large reference document and doing a lot of markup, I’d much rather be in an app like Liquid Text or PDF Expert.
Multi-Device Sync
This is an area where Notability is far superior to GoodNotes. Syncing through iCloud in Notability is nearly instant and happens in the background across devices. When I open my iPhone to quickly check on a note, it’s already there. I can add content from my Mac and it’s on all of my devices within seconds without having to launch the apps.
The iPad is the best way to use Notability in my opinion but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad experience on the Mac or iPhone. The Mac app is a full featured note-taking tool with great options for check lists, editing, and audio recordings. It lacks some of the nicer features of the iPad like text extraction from handwriting and saved text styles.
Capture and Export
Notability 1 04 – Note Taking And Annotation Made Easy Download
Notability has a couple of ways to capture from a web page on iOS. The sharing extension works well but is very basic. There’s no option to capture selected text as an annotation on the captured PDF. Even without this, it’s a handy research tool for gathering web clips and annotating them back inside Notability.
There’s also an in-app browser inside Notability. Tap the plus button to add an object and then choose web clip. This opens a browser window. But, as with the Safari sharing option, it’s very basic. In fact, I find this option nearly useless as it captures an image of the website, an only the portion that fits within the view frame.
There are three export formats supported by Notability: PDF, RTF, and Notability. I always use PDF. But, if you want to share with another Notability user, use the native format to retain all of the features, including audio recordings. If I was sharing coursework notes with a friend, I’d probably use the Notability format. Most of my export is for long term archive, so I use PDF.
In addition to exporting single documents, Notability also provides support for combining multiple documents into a single export. This is a great way to take a lot of little notes and convert them into a single weekly archive to store in DEVONthink.
Notability also provides an option to combine documents without exporting as well as a quick name editing mode that saves a lot of time over editing one document title at a time.
Conclusion
I’m all in with Notability now. It’s still a close race with GoodNotes but overall I think Notability is an easier app to use. I’d prefer if Notability could extract all of the text from a document without needing to manually select chunks of handwriting. I’m not sure what patent limits this but there are very few apps that have this option, with Nebo being the exception. I simply don’t like the other features of Nebo enough.
Notability | Universal iOS | $10
GoodNotes | Universal iOS | $8
Notability 1 04 – Note Taking And Annotation Made Easy Sheet Music
PDF Expert | Universal iOS | $10
Note Taking Notability
Liquid Text | iPad | Free
Notability 1 04 – Note Taking And Annotation Made Easy Notes