Goodnotes
Verified Oct 22, 2026 ActiveNote-taking app for handwriting, typing, and PDF annotation with AI search and summaries.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Paid options from
- $11.99/yr
- Billing
- Yearly
Free tier is free forever; Essential is $11.99/year and Pro is $35.99/year, both with a 7-day trial; the AI Pass add-on is an extra $9.99/month on Essential or Pro; Teams is $120 per seat per year with a 30-day trial; Enterprise is quoted; an education plan is free. A monthly toggle exists but monthly figures were not readable to the fetcher.
Use tool ↗About Goodnotes
Goodnotes is a note-taking application built around a stylus-first handwriting experience, alongside typing, sketching and voice recording. It handles PDF annotation, document management and cross-device sync, and has added AI features for searching handwritten notes and summarizing meetings or documents. It is used across education as well as professional fields such as architecture, law and healthcare. The core app is free forever, with Essential and Pro tiers billed annually at $11.99 and $35.99 after a seven-day trial, an AI Pass add-on at $9.99 a month on either paid tier, a Teams plan at $120 per seat per year, and a free tier for education accounts set up through an admin console. The operator is Goodnotes Limited, registered in London.
- API
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- Oct 22, 2026
Verified sources
- Pricing page lists Free at $0 forever, Essential $11.99 per year and Pro $35.99 per year with 7-day trials, AI Pass add-on at +$9.99/month on Essential and Pro, Teams $120 per seat per year with a 30-day trial, Enterprise on request, and a free Education plan (15 October 2026)goodnotes.com ↗
- Terms and conditions (last updated September 2025) name Goodnotes Limited, company number 12889528, registered office 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU, governed by the laws of England and Wales (15 October 2026)goodnotes.com ↗
- App supports handwriting, typing, sketching, PDF annotation, and AI-powered search and summaries across iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, and webgoodnotes.com ↗
Is Goodnotes legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Jun 16, 2004 (22 years ago)Registry record (RDAP), registrar GoDaddy.com, LLC, looked up Sep 6, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Amazon, valid until Feb 4, 2027Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 22, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 22, 2026The site answered
- Operated by
- Goodnotes Limited, United KingdomOur research, card verified Oct 15, 2026
Pros & cons of Goodnotes
Goodnotes is a mature, widely used note-taking app with a real free tier and annual pricing that undercuts most subscription note apps, though the AI features are gated behind a separate monthly add-on rather than bundled into Pro. It is a safe default choice for stylus-based note-taking across Apple, Windows, and Android devices.
Pros
- Cross-device sync across iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, and web
- Real free tier, not just a trial
- Annual pricing on paid tiers is inexpensive relative to competitors
- Free tier available for education accounts
Cons
- AI search and summaries cost extra on top of a paid plan
- Best handwriting experience is tied to a stylus and tablet, less useful on a phone
- Team pricing is per seat per year, which adds up for larger groups
Best for
- Students and professionals who take handwritten notes on a tablet
- Anyone who needs to annotate PDFs across multiple devices
- Users who want a free tier before paying for extra storage or features
Not for
- Users who want AI features included without an extra monthly charge
- People who take notes only by typing and never sketch or write by hand