Notability, OneNote, and Noteful are the best Goodnotes alternatives for most people. Goodnotes is great, but it is not the only smart choice for handwritten notes, PDF markup, and study files. Goodnotes works across iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, and web now [source: Goodnotes], yet some users still want better audio notes, free syncing, cleaner folders, or stronger research tools.
TLDR: Pick Notability if you record lectures and write notes at the same time. Pick OneNote if you want a free, flexible notebook for school or work. Pick LiquidText if you read long PDFs and need to pull out key ideas. For example, if you review 20 lecture slides per week, a tool with fast PDF markup can save hours over a semester.
1. Notability: Best for Lecture Notes With Audio
Best for: students, meeting notes, class recordings.
Notability feels close to Goodnotes, but it has one killer trick. It can record audio while you write. Tap a word later, and the app jumps to that moment in the recording. That is magic after a messy lecture.
Why it is great:
- Clean handwriting tools.
- Strong PDF markup.
- Audio sync for lectures and meetings.
- Simple page templates.
The annoying bit? Some features sit behind a subscription. That can feel rough if you only need basic notes.
2. Microsoft OneNote: Best Free All Rounder
Best for: students on a budget, office teams, mixed typed and handwritten notes.
OneNote is huge. It works on almost every device. You can type, draw, paste images, add PDFs, and sort work into notebooks, sections, and pages. It is also free for many core features [source: Microsoft].
It is less pretty than Goodnotes. Honestly, it feels like the app has one too many drawers sometimes. Still, it is powerful once you set it up.
Use it if you want:
- Cloud sync across Windows, Mac, iPad, and web.
- Typed notes beside handwriting.
- Shared notebooks for group projects.
- A free tool that can grow with you.
3. Noteful: Best Simple Goodnotes Style App
Best for: iPad users who want neat notes without extra clutter.
Noteful is a sweet spot app. It looks simple. It feels fast. It supports layers, tags, PDF markup, and folders. The writing experience is smooth too.
This is a great pick if Goodnotes feels heavier than it should. Noteful does not try to be everything. That is part of the charm.
Good stuff:
- Low cost compared with many rivals.
- Layers for diagrams and planning.
- Nice PDF annotation tools.
- Easy learning curve.
4. Nebo: Best for Turning Handwriting Into Text
Best for: people with clear handwriting, meeting notes, math notes.
Nebo is built around handwriting recognition. Write with a stylus, then turn your handwriting into typed text. It also handles diagrams and math better than many note apps.
This is handy for professionals who need clean notes after a meeting. It is also helpful for students who want searchable study notes.
Pick Nebo if:
- You write by hand but submit typed work.
- You want strong handwriting search.
- You take structured notes.
- You do not want to retype everything later.
5. LiquidText: Best for Heavy PDF Reading
Best for: law students, researchers, analysts, writers.
LiquidText is not a normal notebook. It is more like a thinking desk. You can highlight a PDF, pull key quotes into a side workspace, connect ideas, and compare documents.
If you read 80 page reports, this app can feel like a rescue rope. It drives me crazy that normal PDF readers make you jump page to page like a squirrel. LiquidText fixes that.
Use it for:
- Research papers.
- Case files.
- Long reports.
- Book notes and quotes.
6. Flexcil: Best for Studying PDFs and Flashcard Style Review
Best for: students with textbooks, slides, and exam prep.
Flexcil is made for study. You can mark up PDFs, drag text into notes, and build study sheets. It works well for lecture slides and textbook chapters.
The app shines when you need to read and write at the same time. Split view is useful. So is the pen gesture system, once your hand learns it.
Why students like it:
- Fast PDF markup.
- Good split screen reading.
- Easy clipping from PDFs.
- Useful for exam review.
7. Obsidian: Best for Knowledge Organization
Best for: long term notes, personal knowledge systems, writers, developers.
Obsidian is different. It is not the best handwriting app. It is not the best PDF markup app either. But it is excellent for linking ideas.
Think of it as a second brain. You create notes, link them together, tag them, and build a web of ideas. Students can connect lecture notes across a full degree. Professionals can build a work library that gets better each month.
Choose Obsidian if you want:
- Linked notes.
- Markdown files you control.
- A long term knowledge base.
- Plugins for extra features.
Quick Picks by Need
- Closest to Goodnotes: Noteful.
- Best for lecture audio: Notability.
- Best free choice: OneNote.
- Best handwriting to text: Nebo.
- Best for long PDFs: LiquidText.
- Best for textbook study: Flexcil.
- Best for linked ideas: Obsidian.
How to Choose Without Overthinking It
Start with your main pain. Do you mark up PDFs all day? Try LiquidText or Flexcil. Do you sit in lectures? Try Notability. Do you want simple handwritten notes? Try Noteful. Do you need a free tool for everything? Start with OneNote.
For most students, the best combo is Notability or Noteful for handwriting plus Obsidian for long term knowledge. For professionals, try OneNote for daily work and LiquidText for serious reading.
The best app is not the one with the longest feature list. It is the one you will open every day without groaning.