10 Best Notes Apps for iPad (Free and Paid)

The iPad is a haven for students and professionals around the world when it comes to note-taking. Pairing a beautiful Retina display with Apple Pencil, users can record text from the tiniest etchings to paragraph-long essays. If you’re also a note-taker, you’re probably looking for the perfect note-taking app. Apple’s native Notes app has great features, but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of overall flexibility. We’ve compiled a list of the best note-taking apps you’ll find on the App Store that offer the right combination of liquidity, tools, and price. Please check it out.

10 Best Memo Apps for iPad

This list includes industry-leading note-taking apps as well as up-and-coming apps that impressed us during our testing. Use the table below to quickly review the list and jump to the app you need.

1. Good Note 5

One of our personal favorites, GoodNotes 5 provides a seamless experience and feel of writing on actual paper. Paid apps for iPad are very easy to set up and use. The beauty of GoodNotes is that it is designed to be more comfortable and extremely easy to use. The app’s home screen neatly divides your work based on a single document or notebook (if you’ve created one). Choose from multiple note templates in a variety of papers, from blank paper and graph paper to specialty music papers and guitar scores. GoodNotes 4 users can also import and work with previous documents.

Taking notes with the app is easy. There’s no lag at all when writing down notes, and the overall experience is smooth. GoodNotes also offers standard pencils, erasers, pens, highlighters, sliders, and many other tools to precisely adjust the details that many users focus on, such as tip sharpness and pressure sensitivity . Add shapes, convert your handwriting to text , mark up PDF documents, and quickly export them. GoodNotes allows users to share documents through links, but they cannot view shared notes outside of the app. With its intuitive aesthetic, complete notebooks, and custom tools, GoodNotes 5 serves as the perfect app for creative students who want to write down their thoughts.

Price: $7.99

Get: GoodNotes 5

2. Notability

Often touted as a direct competitor to GoodNotes, Notability is another top-notch iPad notes app that does the same thing but in a different way. First, Notability’s design focuses on the more practical nature of displaying folders in the left sidebar and their notes on the right. To some, this approach may seem basic, but the more serious side may find it better. Document management is similar, allowing you to create a subject and group all related notes under that subject. GoodNotes’ categorization options are a little better. When it comes to templates, GoodNotes 5 offers a variety of paper types, while Notability offers more customization options in the form of notebook covers and designs.

However, this also comes at a cost. For example, you can’t change the paper type in your notebook while writing, unless you want to change all the papers. For those who take notes on an iPad, this can be a huge burden during the writing process, as you’ll need all kinds of paper when writing something down. However, the writing experience in Notability is just as good as GoodNotes 5. The animations are smooth, the tools are rich, and there’s a lot of room for customization. In addition to PDF markup and sharing, the app also features handwriting-to-text conversion. However, what makes this app special is its unique voice recording feature that allows users to record audio files while taking notes. This feature is useful if your app animates text from voice notes at different timestamps in context. Notability has a number of great writing features that make it a more practical option for users who want to start writing quickly.

Price: $8.99

Obtained: Attention level

3. Microsoft OneNote

One of the most downloaded note-taking apps for iPad, MS OneNote is a note-taking app that combines personal note-taking with team collaboration. OneNote is available on all major platforms and allows users to share notes and collaborate across platforms. However, there were occasional sync delays.

OneNote’s organization is better compared to other apps, with the ability for users to build their own structure by adjusting individual pages of notebooks, notes, and the entire sidebar as per their convenience. Streamlined. MS OneNote supports typing and drawing simultaneously with other standard tools such as pen, eraser, and highlighter. There’s also a custom drawing mode that lets you draw with your finger if your Apple Pencil runs out of charge. Additionally, the app allows users to insert various file types such as images, audio files, custom PDFS, links, etc. Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking app built for intensive collaboration and professional use. If you’re in that field, check out this popular tool.

Price: Free Get: Microsoft OneNote

4. Evernote

One of the oldest players on the market, Evernote is a robust note-taking app for iPad that serves individual users as well as large business teams with custom pricing plans. The app also supports both iOS and Android platforms, so note-takers can easily sync their progress between the two devices on the free plan. There is a paid trial where you can experience higher upload limits and unlimited syncing, along with expanded app support.

Like OneNote, writing and typing in Evernote feels more professional, with a user interface designed in an elegant and simple way. However, to brighten the mood, Evernote’s popular green color can be seen here and there. The app’s home screen serves as a central command where users can see the various ways to use the app, along with recent notes and files captured using the built-in Evernote Web Clipper . You can also write, draw, type, and insert custom code blocks in Evernote. The assortment of tools also serves as a great addition. Evernote’s approach focuses on more than simple handwriting, but users who want a comprehensive experience will love it. However, be aware of the free tier and its limitations.

Price: Free (paid plans available)

Get: Evernote

5.Post-it notes

Taking notes on an iPad in a completely different realm Post-it-ups are a direct adaptation of the sticky notes we’ve come to love in our lives. The app revolves around the concept of creating small, easy-to-understand sticky notes and pasting them all over a large whiteboard. Post-it notes allow users to save up to 200 notes at once and drag them across the board for easy editing.

Post-it serves as the perfect app for students and professionals who like to take bullet points and super-quick notes on their iPads. Additionally, you can create shopping and to-do lists throughout your notes and check them off as needed. You’ll never find the same writing convenience when compared to apps like GoodNotes or OneNote, but this is still a great concept to try for note-taking on your iPad.

Price: Free

Obtain:Post-it

6. Liquid text

Speaking of unique features, Liquid Text is another note-taking app on iPad that deserves a spot on our list. Designed specifically for students who want to see files and take notes at once, this intuitive app allows users to split their iPad screen in half. On the left, students can open any PDF file, while on the right they can take quick notes or extract from the left.

With touch and formatting features, you can select any text from your PDF and drag it to the editing side without any worries. A useful feature we liked is the ability to zoom out on a selected page and quickly compare what’s above or below the same document. Additionally, students can create custom text boxes and place them on any side for later note-taking. The paid version unlocks more features, but students who like to compare notes and documents will love Liquid Text. check it out

Price: Free

Get: Liquid text

7. Bear

A great markdown editor , Bear is a useful app that comes packaged with a nice design and plenty of formatting options. If you’re just getting started with markdown editing, Bear is a great introduction. Easily access header styles from H1 to H3 so you can create polished headings while taking notes.

Additionally, all the editing tools you need are neatly arranged on the bottom taskbar, including various text editing options such as align, bold , underline, and strikethrough. Users can also connect other notes using the # symbol. Bear naturally supports inserting custom URLs for large code blocks and simple links. When it comes to handwriting, the app natively supports Apple Pencil in the text editor itself, so you can easily switch between an external keyboard and Apple Pencil. However, it’s clear that Bear is more focused on keyboard input. There’s also another drawing mode that turns your screen into a whiteboard, in case you want to take purely handwritten notes on your iPad. Users looking for a great markdown editor that offers a variety of features for free should check out Bear for note-taking on iPad.

Price: Free (paid plan)

Obtain: Kuma

8. Nebo: Note-taking and annotation

Nebo, who the company claims has the world’s best handwriting recognition , makes iPad note taking worth a try. Nebo’s user interface is a very simple experience with the app covered in a pure white theme by default. Some of the apps mentioned above offer a mix of typed and handwritten notes, and Nebo is designed for the latter. So, for those who only care about Apple pencil support, Nebo is a good choice.

Nebo’s handwriting recognition is indeed very accurate, as we saw during testing. The app recognized minimal punctuation, including commas and colons. Handwriting recognition allowed me to pick and choose handwritten text and edit it like regular text, including bolding and underlining. Apple Pencil gestures are also very useful, allowing you to simply scribble on text to easily delete it or draw lines between words to separate them. Although the toolkit is a bit limited, Nebo has custom blocks for inserting formulas and custom diagrams that serve as nice additions. With its precise handwriting accuracy, Nebo is one of the best note-taking apps you can try on your iPad.

Price: Free

Obtained: Nebo

9. Notepad+

For users looking for a quick note-taking app, Notepad+ is a great choice. This lightweight app follows a simple design and is based on allowing you to start working right away. The good thing about this app is that it gives you landscape and portrait modes as options before you start writing. Note-taking board supports simultaneous use of Apple Pencil and another stylus/finger. NotePad+’s template options are a bit limited when compared between apps, and the actual handwritten page may appear empty to some users.

However, if you check the toolbar carefully, you will find enough tools to get the job done easily. In addition to a variety of pens with different strokes and colors, the app offers shapes and icons that you can add to your documents. Additionally, if you want to keep your notes casual, NotePad+ also offers several emojis that you can use to annotate your documents. You can also add images to support notes and easily cut out parts of your document. However, one thing to be aware of is that there are some in-app ads that can be annoying from time to time. However, if you don’t care about that, get Notepad+ for an easy note-taking experience.

Price: Free

Obtained: Memo Pad+

10. Concept

And rounding out this list is the famous note-taking app Notion . Even though Notion doesn’t support drawing with Apple Pencil, it’s still a great keyboard note-taking app. Notion neatly organizes your work under different categories that you can choose from for your notebook.

Text editing in Notion can be done using markdown options. Manipulate your text by changing font size, style, color, and more. You can add images to supplement your notes. Additionally, there are plenty of templates to help you divide your notes into sections such as reading list, dissertation plan, personal CRM, budget, and more.

But where Notion really shines is in real-time collaboration . When you mention a teammate in a comment in a note, they’ll be notified and can make changes immediately. Notion syncs between your browser, Mac, and Windows, so you can take your notes with you even if you don’t have an iPad.

If you like taking notes using the keyboard on your iPad, check out Notion and start typing.

Price: Free (paid plans available)

Obtain: Concept

Bonus: Quick Notes

If you’re just looking for an easy way to record notes without installing any apps, you’re in luck. Introduced in iPadOS 15, Quick Notes is a feature that allows iPad users to view sticky notes directly from the iPad screen. This quick note records everything and allows you to link apps and text across your system . See the link above for usage instructions.

Make your experience easier with these note-taking apps

These are the best memo apps for iPad. This list includes both paid and free apps. It also includes apps suitable for different use cases, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find something to suit your needs. So, which iPad notes app do you use? If you know of any other note-taking apps that you think should be on this list, please let us know in the comments section.