Custom Productivity Templates for Your iPad And GoodNotes offers both of these things, and its recent updates, user-centric features, and long tenure in the App Store convinces us that it’s the app to use.

We believe that the best handwritten note-taking app is one that provides a wide variety of options and a full set of features. These apps can come especially in handy for certain use cases such as students taking lecture notes, those committed to keeping a journal, and anyone who appreciates the art of putting pen to paper.

With handwriting being the focus instead of keyboard-based text entry, drawings and doodles can take shape, margins can be utilized, and the tools as a whole are completely different. When the iPad was first announced, its notebook-like shape (and name) seemed to make this type of use inevitable, but it’s only been in recent years with the release of the Apple Pencil that handwriting on the platform has been allowed to shine.Ī good app for handwriting has an entirely different place in the iOS ecosystem compared to a traditional note-taking app (like Bear, our favorite app in that category). With the rise of the tablet, a special type of note-taking app has come along that emulates pencil and paper.

Handwriting notes vs typing notes