Last updated: 2026-11-04
Goodnotes lists 14 language options for its AI and 99 transcription languages on Pro and AI Pass. It is a handwriting-first note app with AI search, summaries and Q&A, available on iOS, Mac, Windows, Android and the web. The free plan has no expiry, and the vendor says user data is not used to train its AI.
About Goodnotes
Goodnotes is a handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation app that runs on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and the web. You write with a stylus on a digital page, import PDFs and photos, and keep notebooks, text documents and whiteboards in one library. Its AI layer, Goodnotes AI, adds search across handwriting, typed text, PDFs and images, spellcheck for handwriting, summaries and a question-and-answer assistant, so a notebook becomes something you can query instead of only flip through.
The AI features are split by plan. On the vendor's pricing page, the Free and Essential plans carry limited AI, Pro adds the fuller set, and a separate AI Pass add-on is sold for the full AI experience. The comparison table lists Q&A support and a quiz generator from notes with an "up to 5 monthly" limit on some plans, and it also lists Math AI, Meeting AI and Create Mode. Audio transcription on Pro and AI Pass covers 99 languages, while the rest of the AI works best in English and lists 14 other language options.
Students are the clearest fit. The vendor's student page describes recording a lecture while you write, then tapping a note to hear the audio from that moment, plus AI tools that break down dense notes and test you on them. Professionals who mark up drawings and contracts are the second group, and the Teams and Enterprise plans add SAML single sign-on, domain control and consolidated billing. If your meetings are mostly spoken, a transcript-first tool such as Otter.ai will fit better, and Gemini Notebook answers questions from documents you upload. Mem is the typed, AI-first option, and Notion suits teams that keep typed wikis. Recorders and meeting capture tools such as Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Granola, Plaud and tl;dv cover the spoken side, while Glasp and Timeless handle web highlights and recordings.
Check the platform notes before you buy. Handwriting sensitivity, audio transcription and the time keeper are listed as iOS only, and layers are an experimental feature on iPad and Mac only. For a wider comparison see our best AI note-taking apps of 2026, and for coursework use see the best AI to use for school in 2026.
Pricing
Free forever with up to 3 files, 5MB import size and 20 minutes of audio recording. Essential $11.99 a year, Pro $35.99 a year (both with a 7-day trial), Teams $120 per seat per year (30-day trial), Enterprise custom. AI Pass is a separate add-on at $9.99 monthly.
Tier monthly figures are the yearly price divided by 12. Read from the vendor's pricing page on 2026-11-04.
| Tier | Monthly price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Note-taking tools, up to 3 files at 5MB import size, up to 3 folders, 20 minutes of audio recording. Free forever. |
| Essential | $1/mo | $11.99 billed yearly, 7-day trial. Unlimited files and audio recording, all note-taking tools, limited AI capabilities. |
| Pro | $3/mo | $35.99 billed yearly, 7-day trial. Everything in Essential plus Drive integration, private link sharing, real-time collaboration, cross-device sync and AI capabilities. |
| AI Pass (add-on) | $9.99/mo | Paid add-on that attaches to either yearly plan and turns on the full AI set, billed monthly. |
| Teams | $10/mo | $120 per seat billed yearly, 30-day trial. Everything in Pro plus SAML SSO, domain control, consolidated billing, user and admin management, advanced collaboration and Microsoft 365 Outlook calendar integration. |
Key Features
- Search across handwriting: Indexes text in handwritten notes, PDFs, typed documents and images so one keyword search covers a whole library.
- Handwriting to text and spellcheck: Converts handwriting to typed text and spellchecks handwriting, and the vendor says its recognition is trained on a wide range of handwriting styles.
- Audio recording and transcription: Records audio while you write, capped on Free and unlimited on paid plans; transcription of recordings is listed as iOS only and covers 99 languages on Pro and AI Pass.
- AI study and Q&A tools: Q&A support, a quiz generator from your notes and Math AI, which the vendor positions as a tutor inside the notebook for students.
- PDF annotation and drawing tools: Marks up imported PDFs and photos with pen styles, shape recognition, a lasso tool, rulers and tape.
- Collaboration and admin controls: Pro adds real-time collaboration and private link sharing; Teams adds SAML SSO, domain control and consolidated billing across seats.
Pros
- The Free plan has no expiry and includes up to 3 files, 5MB imports and 20 minutes of audio, enough to judge the handwriting feel on a real device.
- Runs on five platforms (iPadOS/iOS, Mac, Windows, Android and web), so one library follows a household with mixed devices.
- The entry paid plan, Essential, is $11.99 a year for unlimited files and unlimited audio recording.
- Search covers handwriting, typed text, PDFs and images together, so an old scribble is findable by keyword.
Cons
- Full AI costs extra: the AI Pass add-on is $9.99 a month on top of the yearly plan, so a year of it is $119.88, more than three times the $35.99 Pro price.
- Several features are platform-limited: three are iOS only (handwriting sensitivity, audio transcription, time keeper), and layers need an iPad or Mac.
- The Free plan caps files and folders at 3 each, so any real library needs a paid plan.
- The vendor says the AI works best in English, which matters for notes written in other languages.
Data Handling
- Training-data policy
- The vendor's AI page states that user data is not used to train the AI and that users control how their information is used; Enterprise plans add privacy controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Goodnotes cost in 2026?
Free is $0 forever. Essential is $11.99 a year and Pro is $35.99 a year, both with a 7-day trial. Teams is $120 per seat per year with a 30-day trial, and Enterprise is custom. The AI Pass add-on adds $9.99 monthly to either yearly plan, so heavy AI use can cost more than the base plan itself. Read from the vendor on 2026-11-04.
Is Goodnotes free to use?
Yes, the Free plan has no expiry. It includes the note-taking tools, up to 3 files with a 5MB import size, up to 3 folders and 20 minutes of audio recording. Unlimited files and audio recording need Essential or Pro.
What are the best alternatives to Goodnotes?
Choose Otter.ai when the main need is recorded meetings with transcripts, and Gemini Notebook for question answering over sources you upload. Mem suits typed, linked notes with AI at the center. Goodnotes stays the pick when notes are handwritten with a stylus.
How does Goodnotes compare to Otter.ai in 2026?
They solve different jobs. Goodnotes is a handwriting-first notebook that records audio alongside your writing, and it lists audio transcription as iOS only, with 99 languages on Pro and AI Pass. Otter.ai is built around meeting transcription. Pick Goodnotes for a stylus workflow and Otter.ai for transcript-centered meetings.
How do you get started with Goodnotes?
Install the app for iOS/iPadOS, Mac, Windows or Android, or open the web version, then sign up free. Import a PDF or start a notebook and test handwriting search before paying. Essential and Pro start with a 7-day trial, and note that handwriting sensitivity and transcription are iOS only.
Top Alternatives
- Otter.ai: Pick Goodnotes if you write by hand, and Otter.ai if your notes come from recorded meetings.
- Gemini Notebook: Choose Gemini Notebook when you want answers grounded in uploaded documents, and Goodnotes when you want a handwritten notebook.
- Mem: Pick Mem for typed, linked notes with AI at the core, and Goodnotes for stylus-first notes.