9 Best Note-Taking Apps for iPad With Apple Pencil in 2024

GoodNotes allows users to take notes, import and annotate PDFs and even write music. Its handwriting recognition allows users to search for their handwritten notes and the audio recording replay feature highlights notes in sync with the audio and can break recordings into smaller clips.

GoodNotes stands out for its organizational capabilities. It can create and organize notebooks into folders and notes on a page by dragging handwriting or text boxes. Split screen functionality allows users to work on two documents at once. The app syncs with iCloud and other storage services.

GoodNotes offers a tiered subscription model. The free version is limited to three notebooks, a maximum file import size of 20MB and a 20-minute audio recording length on Apple devices.

The $9.99 per year All Platforms Yearly option allows users to create an unlimited number of notebooks with bonus stickers, templates and digital stationery, share notes, and export documents without a watermark. It also allows unlimited file import sizes, unlimited audio recording length, AI handwriting and typing features as well as Interactive Exam practice materials—features that are available on Apple devices only. Apple device users can also choose a $29.99 one-time payment option.

Nebo can also convert math formulas into equations, and automatic shape recognition allows you to use your Apple Pencil to draw perfect shapes.

The latest version of the app features AI-powered summarizing, which can explain complex topics or answer questions on note content. Students can use this to generate study sets with custom questions.

When you open Nebo, you write or type on a limitless whiteboard. You can then split this into separate sections or documents and arrange them into folders. You can also import and annotate PDFs. You can create notebooks with fixed-size pages and choose different sizes, covers, paper colors, and patterns.

Nebo is designed for Apple devices but also allows you to sync with Windows or Android devices. You can try Nebo for free with five free pages on your iPad. If you want to sync across devices and access other features, you can purchase the app for a one-time fee of $8.99.

The Notes app’s handwriting recognition can identify dates, phone numbers and then call numbers or schedule events directly. You can use the iPad’s built-in scanner to scan paper documents.

Smart Folders automatically sort new notes, such as by hashtag, and these folders sync across devices. Quick Notes allows you to jot down a note or save content on your iPhone or iPad without opening the app. They are added to a separate folder in the app to make them easy to find. You can password-protect your notes for privacy.

If you are looking for a quick and basic iPad note-taking app with writing and sketching functionality and syncing between Apple Devices, the Apple Notes app could be all you need.

However, more advanced users may find the app lacks the flexibility to combine handwriting and typed text within the same note, unlike other apps. Writing with the Apple Pencil requires adding a specific pencil section inside a note, separate from a text row, which can limit where on the page you can write. Apple Notes also lacks audio recording features.

Although OneNote is designed for text notes, its handwriting functionality works well and does not require separate sections or modes to write—you simply hit the Draw tab to bring up writing tools. The app allows you to change the pen size and color with its unique Ink Color Selector, with options such as glitter colors.

OneNote is well known for its organizational capabilities. You can create notebooks with various pages, sections and headers with its intuitive interface. Sections are displayed on the left and page content in the middle, with space on the right for notes. You can search within pages, sections, individual notebooks or all notebooks to find information easily.

Like other advanced note-taking apps, OneNote features include audio recording and Math Assistant ideal for students. You can also automate OneNote features by integrating it with Zapier, for example, to create notes for calendar events or create tasks and to-do lists from notes.

This layering functionality makes Noteful ideal for creative professionals and students. Professionals can write meeting notes on one layer and action items or doodles on another. You can hide the layer intended to stay private and export the meeting notes only to share them with colleagues or clients. The layers are also useful in presentation mode, which allows you to use your notes as a slideshow when connecting your iPad to an external screen.

One thing to note is that when using Noteful with the Apple Pencil, there is no pencil-only setting, so you need to take care to avoid making marks or smears with your fingers.

Noteful is free to download and use. If you want to sync across devices or use additional features, you can purchase the Pro version of the app for $4.99.

The interface is intuitive and easy to use. It distinguishes between pens and pencils to provide a different writing experience.

The options range from vector pens to 3D brushes, and the app also provides features such as a color fill tool and a curve tool to create curved lines, ideal for marking up graphs and charts. There are layering options for text boxes so you can place text over other objects.

Users can share and collaborate on group notes in real time by creating a CollaNote account. Notes are stored in the account, although the app backs up to iCloud.

Noteshelf’s streamlined interface is easy to navigate, with a customizable toolbar for fast access to your preferred tools. The app features more than 200 page templates and a variety of notebook covers, pen and pencil types, colors and sizing to style and customize your notes.

Noteshelf enables audio recording attached to notes, although unlike apps such as Notability it does not sync the audio with the text. You can handwrite on images and draw perfect shapes.

You can select a pre-configured notebook, or design your own from a range of paper styles, layouts, colors and fonts. There are page templates for any topic, including for developers, chemists and musicians. And you can mix and match templates within notebooks.

Penbook’s writing tools are basic compared with the likes of CollaNote, offering only a pen, pencil and highlighter, although you can change the line thickness and customize colors using HEX codes. You can customize the toolbar with six tools for quick access.

Penbook has been lacking in organizational features, but a recent beta release adds the ability to quickly move between pages and organize important pages in any notebook via its overhauled bottom toolbar.

If you are looking for AI capabilities, you can share Penbook notes directly to the Petey AI Chat app and ask it questions about the content. You can take a photo of a whiteboard, annotate it with the Apple Pencil and query Petey or scan figures and diagrams and highlight parts you want Petey to explain.