Are you using the iPad’s full creative potential? With its sleek design and smooth touchscreen, you can use the Apple Pencil Stylus, or even your finger, to quickly make a to-do list, capture your thoughts, doodle, compose documents, or sign a PDF.
The iPad’s built-in Apple Notes app has new features, including scanning, attachments, and photos. But if you’re curious about what else is out there, here’s a look at some of the best iPad note-taking apps. Some can even turn your handwritten notes into text that others can read, no matter how sloppy it is.
This list covers both iPad and iPad Pro apps that can help you convert your stray bits of paper into a digital folder to help you stay focused and organized and never lose an important idea again.
Notebook: Create Organized, Artistic Notes and Notebooks
If you’re looking for a way to organize your memories, ideas and important information on your iPad with beautiful individual notebooks, look no further than Notebook, by Zoho. Fill your notebook with sketches, audio, files and notes and then organize them with Notebook’s built-in Smart, Recipe, Video or Link Cards. Add PDFs, word documents, and spreadsheets, and check stuff off your checklist as you work through tasks. Take handwritten notes with your finger or Apple Pencil.
Price: Free
This free app is ad-free.
No way to customize the interface or background colors.
My Script Nebo: Use Your Apple Pencil to Create Notes and Random Doodles
With its highly responsive handwriting recognition, MyScript Nebo, by MyScript, lets you take electronic notes as quickly as you can write. Move lines of text to create space for insertions, and the app converts your handwritten words into titles, paragraphs, and bullet points alongside your own diagrams and doodles. Export as text, PDF, HTML or Word (.docx).
Price: $7.99
Ability to convert notes into digital documents.
Copy and paste fully editable diagrams to PowerPoint.
Only compatible with the Apple Pencil.
If you want to use it with other devices, each device needs a separate license.
MetaMoJi Note: Embellish Your Notes With Sketches
MetaMoJi Note by MetaMoJi Note Corp, allows you to customize your iPad notes, pages and backgrounds, with the ability to quickly add your own sketches and notes. Your own handwritten notes can be cut and pasted on the note background. With superior palm-resistance when using the stylus, you can mark-up PDF files, and then re-save as a PDF to share. The efficient tagging system allows the same note to be stored in several folders at once. Create anywhere with a finger or stylus.
Price: Lite version is free. Premium is $7.99 per month, $29.99 per year
Easy to type notes and quickly switch to a stylus, along with the ability to cut and paste between documents.
Handwriting recognition module is an in-app purchase.
Can be difficult to take notes quickly, with a lag in loading new pages.
Agenda: Track Your Notes With a Timeline
Instead of compiling a static collection of notes, Agenda by Momenta B.V., lets you stamp a date on each note to create an interactive timeline. Agenda also provides the ability to tag, create lists and put notes directly on your calendar. Notes can be shared as PDFs and other formats. Not compatible with Apple Pencil.
Price: Free, Premium is $9.99
Provides a complete timeline of past, present and future notes to track progress against deadlines.
Agenda has no handwriting support. Image insertion and attaching files is also not available.
Transom: The Tools You Need to Finally Finish That Novel
Capture your thoughts when inspiration strikes with Transom, by VoidMedia. Specifically created for novelists and writers, Transom has the ability to let you tag your iPad notes by character or setting, and the name of the piece. You can export all of your notes as a PDF and provides iCloud back-up. Not compatible with Apple Pencil.
Fluid, no-frills app that makes it easy to quickly capture thoughts as inspiration strikes.
Currently, there is no way to add categories of notes, making it difficult to tag and sort notes, by character and by chapter.
Notepad+ Pro: Draw, Annotate, and Embellish Your Thoughts
With template selections from eight galleries, and its ability to move images from other apps, Notepad+ Pro, by Apalon Apps, lets you customize the look of your iPad notes. Use your finger, stylus or keyboard to type your notes, or mark-up images, you can choose from pens and highlighters in an array of colors. Аnnotate and edit files wither they are in PDF, Excel, Keynote or Numbers. Compatible with Apple Pencil.
Price: $19.99
The ability to hide sensitive information in documents with the blur tool.
Unable to categorize notes into folders.
Notes Plus: Convert Your Scribbles to Text
With the ability to support 52 languages, Notes Plus can convert your handwriting, no matter how sloppy, to text. With no lag in writing, Notes Plus recognizes when your palm is resting on the iPad, and also includes left-handed support. You can also import PDF, DOC files, and images, and then export your notes as PDF or images to Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and email. Supports Wacom, Adonit, and Apple Pencil.
Price: $9.99
Background audio recording.
Saves each page in the document as a separate document. Has trouble with larger documents.
Simple Notes: Dictate Your Notes and Save Time
Simple Notes, by Elias Sleiman, will collect your iPad notes whether you type them, or speak them. Your voice recording is saved so that you can retrieve and listen later. Other features include the ability to change the color, font, and size of your notes, and supports enhanced categorization features. No stylus support.
Price: Free, in-app purchase $.99
Syncs easily and quickly between the iPhone and iPad, making Simple Notes a great collaboration tool.
Not compatible with Bluetooth keyboard, and no copy and paste.
Note Taker HD: Flexibility in Typed, Handwritten Notes & Diagrams
With its ability to zoom in and out on a page by pinching, Note Taker HD, by Software Garden, allows you to type or handwrite notes, and annotate PDF pages right on your iPad. The app also comes with more than 60 customizable shapes and lets you insert images, and crop them within your notes. It allows you to write in large letters, and automatically inserts and resizes text to fit on the screen. Just keep writing, and Note Taker HD keeps adding your new text. Compatible with finger and stylus.
Price: $4.99
An eraser and multi-level undo and re-do buttons let you correct mistakes. The eraser works by dragging your finger over the ink to “erase.”
Layering several layers of text and diagrams makes it hard to select a buried image. No way to underline, bold or italic text.
Drafts 5: Capture ‣‣ Act
Drafts 5: Capture ‣‣ Act, by Agile Tortise, offers a fast way to take notes and lets you turn them into text messages, emails or posts to social media. Think first, create your “draft”, edit, and send it to another app. Integrates with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch so that you can type on-the-go. It does not support a stylus.
Price: Free, with in-app purchase $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year
The customizable extended row above the keyboard can quickly convert, manipulate, and transform your to-do lists, notes, messages, and emails.
Process your drafts quickly using unique features like Link Mode, Arrange Mode, and Focus Mode.
Pro version is a monthly subscription and not a one-time fee.
Goodnotes 4: Protect Your Thoughts, Ideas & Files
With its searchable handwriting recognition feature, Goodnotes 4, by Time Based Technology Limited, ensures your iPad notes are preserved, and retrievable. Privacy and password protected, this note-taking app includes back-up and syncs between iCloud for iPhone and iPad. Import images and PDFs, and annotate PDFs to sign forms. Works with finger or Stylus.
Ability to use Goodnotes as a digital whiteboard, just choose which part of the page to display.
No ability to create subfolders, and no option to continue to scroll or swipe to create a new page.
Simple Notes: Sometimes Less Is More
With its ability to sync between iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch, Simple Notes by Sadah Software Solutions, LLC, presents a simple, efficient way to take and sort your notes chronologically or alphabetically. Taking full advantage of iOS features, shake your iPad to undo, redo, delete and restore. It also has the ability to copy and paste text from other apps. It does not support a stylus.
Price: Free, in-app purchase, $2.99
Ability to highlight words and search terms inside of notes.
Customizing the font in one note changes all notes. Sometimes it is difficult to edit a large text file.
Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day
