GoodNotes 4 - Notes & PDF Productivity App Review (iOS, $5.99)

Description

*** NEW RELEASE DISCOUNT 25% OFF ***

GoodNotes lets you take notes and annotate PDF documents. They will be synced to all your iOS devices automatically, thanks to iCloud. Mac client is coming soon.


## Make Your Handwritten Notes Last Forever ##
GoodNotes features a state-of-the-art digital ink technology that will look great even with future super-high resolution displays.


## Better Than Paper Notebooks ##
Type with the keyboard, insert images, or draw perfect shapes easily; mix between any kind of papers or even insert PDF docs inside a notebook; rearrange or delete pages as you like. It is very flexible.


## Annotate PDF Documents; Fill and Sign Forms ##
Great for saving time, paper, and the environment. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files are supported too.


## Large Collection of Beautiful Covers and Papers ##
Each template is carefully designed in vector format. There are lined papers, graph papers, music papers, and lots of notebook covers to choose from. Add your own template with an image or a PDF file.


## GoodNotes Does Not Slow You Down ##
Thanks to the powerful zoom window feature, you can write quickly with your fingers or with a stylus in a large area, and your handwriting will be shrunk automatically.


## Just Write Them Down and Don’t Worry ##
You can correct any mistake any time and it won’t become messy. The lasso tool will let you move things around or even resize them.


## Protect Your Valuable Data ##
GoodNotes features a trash function to protect from accidental deletion. It can also backup your data to Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or SkyDrive automatically.


## GoodNotes is Also a Digital Whiteboard ##
Your audience will not see the user interface — just the content — and you can choose which part of the page to show them. Many teachers and lecturers are already using GoodNotes to teach.

================

The screenshots use material from Wikipedia articles Photoelectric effect[1] and Internal combustion engine[2], which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0[3].
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine
[3] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Customer Reviews

• Awesome App perfect for College

  by Mooshellep

  I tried out several handwriting note taking apps and GoodNotes was the best. I used to have a notebook for each class and my backpack load was pretty heavy now all I need is my stylus and my iPad. I used GoodNotes 3 for a year before GN4 was created. I loved GN3 and I now love GN4. It works a lot faster when it opens or imports. The only downfall is I can't check the time or my battery life while in the app and I could in GN3.

• nice, simple and easy to use

  by hnzelaznik

  excellent for annotating PDF files. I use for grading undergrad papers

• More features than Penultimate

  by natalia & steve

  Very rich in features such as customized ink colors and nib sizes make this a pleasure to write with. Needs more stationary, but allows for creating backgrounds and importing images makes for a great user experience.

• Solid annotation still

  by hsteacher33

  Still my favorite annotation tool because of quick response time, easy tools, lasso tool, and quick import. I'd like to be able to see the time when editing. Better integration with gdrive would help in moving files up and down from folders. I'd like to be able to designate a default folder for upload.

• Love this app!

  by DAA03

  I use this app to present my math lectures at the university. It allows me to bring in documents, photos, etc. and then work math problems on the same page or even right on the photo. (Great for trig!) I use it with the Jot Script stylus and have not had any problems! A couple of things that I would like to see in future updates: 1. The eraser option on the zoom window. 2. A true white paper option. (The paper color doesn't matter in presentation mode, but if I print the page, it has the yellow-ish background.) I have purchased many writing apps, but this is the only one that I use. And I use it a LOT! I am very pleased with this app!

• Great PDF/Office App

  by ThaGrizz

  GoodNotes is hands-down the best PDF editing app out there. I started using GoodNotes while in college and have since taken it with me throughout my own business venture and into my current role. I love the seamless ability to write all over, type on, and highlight text and images within PDFs and Office documents. I havering tried several other similar products but have come back to GoodNotes each and every time. Definitely worth trying and easily worth paying for.

• Excellent

  by itsOro

  Great app for college students. Highly recommended

• AWESOME!!!!!!

  by Raelyn's Mom

  Finally, goodnotes for iPhone

• Great, stable app could improve

  by HART-OF-SWARM

  Highly recommended Palm rejection is not nearly as good as penultimate. → is not reliable. No audio rec. but it's not a big deal at all. Would be great with cloud sync rather than just cloud backup. The file browsing menu is not as good as notability. Vertical scrolling would be great Still love the app Great for handwriting Adding pages and annotations

• Works well!

  by JA-OKC

  I use this app almost daily. Now that Chromecast has opened up its source, would be very helpful if you could add this capability. Would allow display of presentations directly to display device!

• Best Yet

  by Kegr1

  I've tried all of the note taking apps, this is by far the best. Used for about a week now. Very smooth with no glitches so far. Wish I would have found this before I spent probably 50 bucks on other apps

• Perfect Work Companion

  by Sam Tatum

  On my job I have to drive patrol while simultaneously keeping notes of everything I observe and do. I had been doing this by hand until Good Notes gave me the option of adding my own templates. Now, all of my report writing forms are in Good Notes and at night I don't have to use a flash light or dome light and grab pen and paper. I can just verbalize my notes or type right onto my iPad, or, if using my iPhone, I have the option to just talk to it and my notes are all there. Also, with the iPhone & iPad cameras, I can easily insert photos directly into my reports without having to carry extra tools. Now, instead of clipboards, cameras, bulky folders, extra pens, highlighters, etc., I can jump right into my patrol vehicle with just my iPhone and/or iPad. 2 suggestions. I miss seeing the time bar so now I do have to hustle a bit for the time when in the last version it was right there. Actually, if Good Notes had a Time Stamp that would be especially convenient. Thx for an excellent note taking app that truly has real life practicality and is not just another pretty toy.

• Perfect Note-taking app

  by Yolande Fang

  The simplicity and the easy-to-use user interface are very satisfying. I would hope that you make a lite version for Goodnotes 4 so that more people can have a try, and you get more potential customers.

• Great!

  by KRock7997

  I'm new to the iPad and don't have any real experience with any other note-taking app. I bought this based on recommendations I read online, and I've had no reason to seek out a different note-taking app. The functionality on this app is great and everything I need. My one complaint so far is that I can't scroll through documents the way I would like (top to bottom, not right to left), or at least I haven't found the correct option in the settings menu.

• Fantastic with Adonit Jot Script

  by mpetruzz

  This app is great to use with my Adonit Jot Script stylus. The writing is accurate for me on my iPad Air and when it's paired it no longer uses my touch for writing. I can use it for writing and don't always have to turn off multi touch gestures. I'm very happy with Goodnotes

• Great note taking app!

  by LadyLizabeth

  I use this app everyday for taking notes in medical school. I really like the interface and it easily allows me to annotate PDFs. It's a great app for taking notes on PowerPoint slides.

• Great app.

  by G.21Romero

  The only thing that would make this app perfect would be the ability to install it on your computer or access your notes online so you can type on a desktop/laptop if that's what one desires.

• Excellent app. Easy to get precision

  by ally winters

  Excellent. I am using this for grad school, and then I sync it to my notebooks app and all my notes are there. Precise. Simple. Feels like real note taking. The zoom feature is perfect for taking notes on PDFs and articles or for just getting a nice concise writing form throughout notes. My only suggestion would be too have more options for education, I.e., Cornel Note templates. Great app.

• The best I have found so far

  by gregb543

  I have tried nearly all the note taking apps. This is the best so far. Handwriting is fluid and natural. The software is well designed. The app is constantly updated. I use all the time at work for note taking and even presentations. I didn't think I would use the iCloud sync with the iPhone universal app but I do.

• Great note taking app, but if have jot script, better not to connect it

  by AVD1

  I've been using the jot script Evernote edition with GoodNotes instead of Penultimate because the functionality and responsiveness is better with GoodNotes. When GoodNotes added the jot script connectivity, I thought "hey, best of both worlds"...but not so. I ended up turning off the connectivity because with it on, I experienced the same issues that I had with Penultimate, that is, skipped or slow lettering due to something going wrong with(I believe) the palm rejection. I like using GoodNotes as is with its palm rejection area, I had no issues with it and wasn't distracted like I am with Penultimate or when the connectivity is turned on in GoodNotes Bottom line...in my opinion... GoodNotes is great, if you use the jot script Evernote edition, don't connect it to GoodNotes

• Not a real upgrade

  by J#LE$

  Its goodnotes 3 with an ios7 look Its not worth one cent more

• Missing the Manual Sorting feature

  by Hunkpapa

  GoodNotes 3 was one of the best apps in my collection - I used it daily and recommended it to everyone! Unfortunately, the manual sorting option has been removed in this update and files can only be sorted alphabetically or chronologically, rendering the app nearly unusable for me. I need flexibility in file organization and GoodNotes no longer offers it. I am very disappointed in this update.

• Not as good as the last version

  by Hn625

  I like the last version a lot better because you were able to move around your documents by dragging them. Now you can only organize them by date or alphabetically. I also don't like the very plain background i. Goodnotes 4, in the last goodnotes version it had a bookcase background.

• Need improvement

  by Tomerry

  The software crashed several times when I try to import PDF documents from google drive. This version needs to be improved and fixed.

• Automatic copy

  by Doravandra

  Please stop the automatic copy. It's very annoying.

• Great product

  by One more leaf

  I just purchased this app and so far it is doing almost everything I wanted. I am a knitter and wanted one app that I could open and mark on PDF files, and keep notes and pictures in the same folder.

• Best app for classroom teaching

  by Mike Lisa

  I'm a university professor who uses this app to project PDFs on the screen and mark them up as I speak. I've tried about 15-20 note apps for this and this is the very best. (Noteshelf and NeuNotes are also good and worth a look.). The interface is excellent and the fact that you can control what is displayed on the projected image (not simply a mirror) is excellent. Other apps have this option, but the detailed controls here are the best I've found. The interface is detailed, but not TOO detailed, with menus and useless clutter. I also like the notebook organization into "categories" (folders). The writing is fast with no lag, like most such apps these days. Overall, this app seems custom-built for the classroom. Thanks and keep up the good work!

• Great for school!

  by PsychicBoy

  This app is amazing for taking notes either at school or to do homework. My chemistry professor email us practice problems and you can open those emails in this app and work on it as if you printed it, only much better. I love being able to import pictures into my notes. It's worth more than the price honestly.

• GoodNotes is the best note taking app, but I have some suggestions for GN 4

  by Shanmarie37

  I've been using GoodNotes 3 for a long time and I've loved it. GoodNotes 4 has all of the basic features that I loved in the previous version, so it's great for taking notes in my classes and feels just like writing in a paper notebook, plus I can mark up Word docs and PDFs of slide shows. I recommend it to all college students with iPads. So far, I do like this version, but there are two little things that I'd love to be changed. I miss being able to move notebooks around within a folder like I could in GN3 -- now it's all in alphabetical order, which isn't at all convenient for me because I like to order my notebooks by date, or frequency of use. This actually really messed up the folder for one of my classes when I exported from GN3 because I had PDFs of all my readings in the order I'd have to read them, named by author. Second, I want to be able to see the time and battery bar of my iPad while I'm in a notebook.

• Love love love

  by Cat Dinas

  I recently purchased this app along with the jot script talk about a perfect union. My notes look amazing everything is in one place. I love the ability to annotate my PDF for class. I'm in my second year of my MBA program and I can't say enough about the ease and how much of a powerful tool this is if you use it right.

• Excellent for school

  by chadkroeger

  I use this app on my iPad with a Jot Script, and it is simply the best. I have now completely eliminated the use of traditional spiral notebooks for taking notes in classes. Combined with the ability to import PowerPoint slides and annotate them, my speed at note taking has drastically increased. The Zoom feature is one of the coolest in that it allows you to write with extreme accuracy. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to eliminate paper from their life with note taking.

• Stay with the last one

  by New? Great. Upgrade? Don't.

  The two tier organization isn't all I thought it was. Disappointed because that is really why I upgraded. They need to add more tiers, more organization. Don't know why the limit you to two. The date or name ordering system also should be able to be turned off. I had a specific system and now i am unable to use it. They took away the table of contents for PDFs. Makes no sense. An upgrade should be cheaper too. I understand buying the new app but come on, $5 for what? A new background? Never again. Really mad I deleted the last one and have to redownload all my files.

• Best note taking app

  by Karim Mahmoud

  I am a long time user of goodnotes going back to version 1 with 1st gen ipad. I have bought every handwriting app and I always gravitate back to goodnotes. The reason is the palm rejection. The palm rejection is phenomenal and it allows me to zoom in without zoom in mode and write with palm rejection. This is especially important to me because I frequently need to draw chemical structures and no other app allows me to do so with ease. In regards to version 4 changes, the developer explained why custom sorting is gone in his blog; iCloud. In regards to transferring my notes, I have been fortunate and didn't run into any trouble. In regards to bugs, they do a good job of squashing them as evidenced in their quick release of 4.0.1. In terms of their release time, this was the best time for then to release it; i.e. during winter break holidays where people are out of work and school and the community can find the rest of the major bugs. Some things I wish that made into this update that has been repeatedly requested; better selection of templates especially with white backgrounds, eraser in zoom in mode, audio recording, rotating selections with cut tool, and tagging. Regardless, I think that goodnotes 4 is a great update. I like iCloud sync, 2 way Dropbox sync, and I am excited about the future mac app which I hope will really shed light on all the backend work done to goodnotes 4. Update 2/2/14 Jot script sdk for palm rejection is phenomenal. No writing lag. Doesn't matter what my hand position is. Don't think I can go back to pen and paper after this.

• Goodnotes 4

  by Dr DD1

  This is a solid note taking app. However, I feel that there are two features missing. One, the Mac version of this app. A Mac version of this app would allow the user to take notes on the Mac when a keyboard is necessary or faster (because the iPad keyboards just don't work as well as in a Mac environment where you also have a trackpad to use). Two, the ability to record audio while using the app, like that of Notability. Otherwise, this is a very well made app especially if you own a Jot Script stylus.

• Very good App but...

  by Jalm007

  It is a good app but still have some areas for improvement. It crashed on me a couple o times and it is confusing to delete documents as only one document is allowed in the trash. Would like to have the option to record audio as part of a document. Worth the investment though.

• Bad Jot Script integration.

  by Kryptos007

  As far as features go: the best Actual note taking: second best, noteshelf is better. Major problem: unusable with Jotscript. It does not register entire words!!!

• Idea

  by Lambdazeta792

  Long time goodnotes user, just had a bright idea. Could you make a feature where you can quickly switch between the 2 most recently opened documents? That way I can read a book and fill out forms on the book simultaneously with just a flick?

• Wow!

  by ItsWells

  Just wow. The new palm rejection with the Jot SDK makes all the difference for me. The Jot Script that I use on a daily basis feels AMAZING. Is there any way to change the paper color? I'd prefer my paper white. That's about my only complaint!

• BUY THIS APP

  by CCharlz

  If you're looking for a straight-forward note taking app that takes notes well, this is it. This app was presented on a podcast which reviewed apps and was given high praises. However, I put thus app on my wish list for about a month or two. There were two reasons for this, first it was $5 and second I've brought plenty of note-taking apps and was tired of being disappointed. When I finally downloaded and tried it I wished I hadn't waited so long. The handwriting UI is superb. It's the closest to taking notes on a regular pad I've experienced. I could go on about the other features, but it's best to say that it has what it needs and it does it very well. For those who like recording while taking notes, this is a feature it doesn't have but it doesn't need. Apple's recording app works in the background

• Bookmarks broken

  by Eric Hall

  Not much of an update, but I like the new look. PDF bookmarks are broken, which makes the program useless for me. I am sticking with version 3 for now.

• Too awesome, almost.

  by tariqnisarahmed

  If I could find a big pdf in my browser and open that pdf link directly into Goodnotes... Wow, that would be too awesome. As it is big docs make most browsers crash. But there are downloader apps for that, and those export to Goodnotes. And that's plenty good for me.

• Hmm

  by Rockxxa

  I like this app but its a lot slower than the older app, specially when changing from portrait to landscape mode. I like the icloud storage idea but its a useless idea if I am unable to use it on my pc, and using it on my iphone is strange.I used the skydrive but a lot of the files didn't change to pdf. Therefore, all there is to praise are the features that were already present in the old app, which makes it pointless having paid another 5 dollars for this new version.

• If you have the older version of Goodnotes, don't waste your money on this one.

  by hescrazy2

  I LOVE that there are is a two tier category system. Now I can have things divided by semester and then have the classes in each semester folder. HOWEVER, in the old version of Goodnotes I could arrange my files manually. In this version, I can only go by date or alphabetical order. I DO NOT LIKE THAT! I would like to drag my files that are in my folder and put them in the order I want to be view rather than be limited to only viewing by date or spelling. GOODNOTES PLEASE FIX THIS!!! Overall, if you have the older version of Goodnotes...DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ONE unless the two tier folder system is a must have.

• Best note taking app

  by slunkmaster5000

  I've got this app and all the competition. I compare them every time an update is release for any of them, and GoodNotes is still the best. Designed for easy, fast, and quality note taking, period. No useless extra features the others boast. Buy it! He needs money otherwise he'll spend time not furthering developing and making the app even better!

• Dropbox Miracle?

  by Tyrecke

  Well, as far as I know, this is the best note-taking app on the App Store. Now that the Dropbox feature magically started working, this truly IS the best app for notes.

• Awesome app!!!!!!!

  by Xgon174486

  So helpful, perfect for college kids. Worth it!

• Superb

  by ---------..

  I'm continually amazed with how useful this program is. I bought it for taking notes, but now I prefer it vastly over the Kindle.

• Great app for taking notes!

  by vna2

  I tried the trial first and I loved it so had to buy it to get all the features. It's easy to download PDFs and highlight and take notes on the PDF either with a stylus or by creating a text box. This app is great! Would be amazing if it did have a recording ability like some have mentioned.

• Good, lost functionality from the upgrade

  by J0047

  I use this every day. Stuff I miss from the old version: - bookshelf view - the old style looked better - status bar on top is covered now and you can't see the time when you take notes

• Perfect for grad school and as a teacher

  by Sdffhvcfjdsyuj

  I'd be lost without this app. I download research papers and my advisor's lectures to take notes on. I'll load my colleague's work to help edit and revise drafts, or my students' work to edit.

• Precision a bit off using JotPro Adonit Stylus

  by G-Mar

  not quite at the tip of the stylus. Off by a centimeter when I draw. Overall, great app!!

• Great app but buggy

  by AlexanderTGr347

  The latest update causes the app to reject two finger scroll and pinch to zoom for short periods of time when using the Jot Script. Very annoying and effectively halts whatever notes you were in the middle of taking.

• It's Okay

  by Redlipzchick

  Not really impressed.

• Love this app,

  by Studlysarah87

  So helpful for college! Great for opening power points and taking notes right on them! Makes taking notes fun again! Great app!

• Wacom support

  by ***fobioid***

  This is a great note taking app. Really intuitive... With other stylus support, it really aught to have Wacom creative stylus support. Overall, I guess I can live without it since I'm not using the program to draw, but still.

• Wish I didn't buy this

  by eiriano

  I purchased good notes 4 because I liked good notes 3 so well and wanted the sub folder feature. The sub folders can only be one level deep which isn't that helpful. Also, sometimes when I am highlighting, iOS crashes and my changes in good notes 4 are not saved. I should have stuck with good notes 3, which I gave a 5 star review.

• Good but not Enough!

  by ButCamUng VN

  GoodNotes and Noteshelf are 2 of the best note apps. I often use Goodnotes and sometimes use Noteshelf and Notability, but use Goodnotes more. But I think Goodnotes would be greater and better if it had more function which is RECORD While we Handwriting note, (as the same as Notability). Remember that Record (Voice Memos) is not the original app and doesnt appear on ipad. So it is very useful and wonderful when we can use an app hand writing note and record memos. I HOPE GOODNOTES WILL IMPROVE AND ADD THIS FUNCTION. Then I will always use ONLY GOODNOTES! And many other people too!!!

• 업데이트요청

  by cooldog17

  노트 정렬은 좋지만 전 버젼처럼 노트간 이동이 될수있도록 신경써주세요.... 새롭게 앱을 제작했으면 전 버전보단 좋아져야 하지않을까요?? 빠른 반영 노력해주세요

• Zoom window

  by Don't take me

  Please add the eraser and highlighter to soon window

• Great app

  by B.Spencer

  I use this app to take class notes on and it works great! It takes a while to figure out what you're doing though.

• Great App. Needs Evernote

  by chs5056

  Great app, does everything you want plus the ability to use a third party Bluetooth stylus. The only thing it needs is a desktop companion and Evernote cloud support

• Crashes all the time!

  by GoCountry105Fan

  I liked GoodNotes 3 and didn't agree with having to pay for nothing more than update with white backgrounds instead of black. Talk about extortion. But I did, only cause GoodNotes 3 was crashing all the time and there weren't to be any more updates. Now, I have GoodNotes 4 and it's also crashing. It has crashed twice in the past 15 minutes and all I'm doing is making highlighter marks. PLEASE FIX THIS!!!

• Great app

  by Summer Meredith

  This app is fantastic. I love the photo feature, how I can crop it. The color picker, the zooming in on handwriting (the way you guys made it is different than other apps, and I like it better), I can't wait for Wacom integration. The palm rejection is going to be so important! There are a few things it needs though. 1. An "add page" within the notebook page, that creates a next page with the same paper as the page you are on. I have to take very quick notes in class and it takes a while to add a new page. 2. Chapters. Add chapters within the notebook, similar to the "folder" ideas that have been mentioned. 3. The notebook styles are ugly...please add some solid colors (like in the adobe bamboo app) or a custom cover. Thank you.

• Wish I could recover my $4.99

  by mkjzna

  Save your money on this one. Notability is much better. I read the reviews and thought this was the ticket, but it is not. I liked the bookshelf motif, now it looks horrible and the "covers" are even worse. It's plain, it's flat. It is much easier to organize in Notability and even Noteshelf for that matter. I see nothing appealing here. If I could get a refund I would.

• Bad Upgrade

  by Mauricio Perez G

  You Damaged the application, the design was made with the idea "OS" and It is flat, It lost colors. I'm sorry and I switched to Noteshelf

• Only had it a couple days, but this is AWESOME.

  by As1026

  So far, I haven't found anything I don't like about this app. I can get lecture ppt's straight on here. I've always wanted to be able to take notes on my computer, but it's hard with math heavy classes, not having a Greek keyboard and all.. This takes care of that! I'm considering buying a stylus however, to go a bit faster and neater. I don't have awesome handwriting with my finger, though it's still legible.

• Makes my Ipad Useful

  by coch greg

  This is my favorite app. I use my Ipad much more than ever before because I can record my thoughts and plans in such a visual way. I love the ease of use, and the ability to move and resize notes after I've written them. I also love the ability to annotate PDFs. It just fits the way I process information. Thanks for making such a helpful and intuitive app. One feature I'd like to see added is that of recording audio while I'm taking notes. This would help greatly in a classroom setting.

• Upset

  by Tatahassan

  I loved it until it crashed and I lost everything. I am very upset about not recovering my docs.

• Suggestion

  by PNayo92

  If you could add more stability when scrolling with two fingers while also resting a palm on the palm-rejection area, that would really make my note-taking completely flawless. Right now I can't scroll while resting a palm without making marks on the screen / having to lift my whole hand up.

• This app is horrendous

  by Olkkd

  After the most recent update I lost all of my files on goodnotes. Idk what the update did but I go into the app and it's completely empty. Freaking ridiculous.

• Best of the notetaking apps.

  by ToddBRichter

  I've tried the mall and GoodNotes is by far the best. Simple to use them anyways. Easy to change and colors. Easy to change the highlighter or racer. Very easy to export documents. The new categorization is good but would be improved by having more than just one subcategory for each full category. Also at some point it would be great to have handwriting-to-type capability for searching etc. as in Evernote.

• Great app

  by Cri123431331

  I love the app it is like the best I have used so far To make it perfect I would add 2 features: 1) the possibility to create notebooks one inside another - so it would be like having folders inside the notebook which would make organizing the documents visually easier 2) feature to import from I books For the rest it is an awesome app!

• The best I have found so far

  by gregb543

  I have tried nearly all the note taking apps. This is the best so far. Handwriting is fluid and natural. The software is well designed. The app is constantly updated. I use all the time at work for note taking and even presentations. I didn't think I would use the iCloud sync with the iPhone universal app but I do.

• Not the best and probably a waste of money?

  by Bsbsbshejej

  I'm not sure how to feel about this app now. I loved the original, that's what motivated me to buy this one quickly, but then found out it is a terrible version. I don't like it so far. I liked the previous version instead. Fix it. It lacks stuff. A lot of stuff. It doesn't feel humanly flexible. It's to simple and nothing attracts my eye. Upgrade it or update it.

• Incredible note app

  by z0mf

  3rd-year in college, I use this app to annotate documents and PDF textbooks. Works flawlessly with a regular rubber-tipped stylus and my Adonit Jot Script bluetooth stylus. I personally don't use this app to write lecture notes as I find myself writing clearer in pen and paper, but that's my own preference. Worth the $5

• Nice app, but...

  by Rocketagp

  Ok. I invested in the new app because I liked the old. But I won't use the new one over the old because it isn't ENOUGH of an upgrade. The addition of Categories is not really different than folders. The fact that you can't get rid of or rename the default category is silly. The fact that they have not added a password protection option for the categories also repels and disappoints me. This option has been on the request list for YEARS by many people! Get it done.

• Bullets & Fonts

  by Ms_caldy

  It would be great if you could change fonts in a single textbox. Having to create new ones to change font is annoying. Also, having the bullet list option is a must!

• Love app for high school :)

  by Fernando sandoval

  Best app for taking notes I'm my class room it's simple easy to use you can look at PDFs your teacher sends to you you can note on the PDFs you have a million of ways to back up files such as drop box,box,iCloud, and many more it's a great app for a high school student getting in the happen of doing everything electronically it's one good app and hope you like it toooo :)

• Thank you

  by DCScripty

  Thank you for addressing the camera issue. Now I'm happy with the new version. The developer took care of the problems I was finding in the version4. They have always been so responsive to any problems. I'm still missing the old version style bookshelf but it's just something I'll have to get use to.

• Crashed and lost all my data

  by Marilynna

  I like this app until it crashed today and lost all of my documents for school-over 50 documents that are important for my classes! Very frustrating

• Great app.

  by G.21Romero

  However, there should definitely be an option to simply TYPE your notes! Why isn't there?

• Okay, but missing...

  by L2daAO

  ...more categorical levels for files. As of right now, having 4 levels would benefit more college students as we can have everything organized into terms>course>week/subject. The current two levels are great, but still leaves much organizing to be desired. The palm rejection doesn't work too well for me, I still get marks. Also, support for Bluetooth enabled styli would be great, such as the Jot Script. The additional accuracy would make this a perfect app for classroom note takers.

• Disappointed

  by Jaxcats

  I loved good notes 3. It did everything I wanted it to and was so easy to navigate. I was forced to upgrade, I can't use the old app at all anymore, it says my limit is reached, whatever that means. So I spent 4.99 on the new version and it will not email attachments properly. The PDF files do not open. So unhappy- I want the old version back, or a help screen I can use.

• The best app I have ever purchased.

  by A totally real person- not a bot

  The best app has gotten better. Thank you for the many improvements! I have noticed that the file sizes are much smaller in the new version. Also, I love that I can access all of my notes on my iphone! A true bargain.

• Bookmarks broken

  by Eric Hall

  Not much of an update, but I like the new look. PDF bookmarks are broken, which makes the program useless for me. I am sticking with version 3 for now.

• Good, but...

  by Bob8490

  GoodNotes 3 was better. More feature-rich, easier to use. The new UI is confusing to anyone who hasn't used the app before. Needs clearer definition of where buttons are and what they do. GN3 did this well. I bought both, will be downgrading to 3. Still a good app though, just not as good as it could (and has) been.

• Good, but...

  by Bob8490

  GoodNotes 3 was better. More feature-rich, easier to use. The new UI is confusing to anyone who hasn't used the app before. Needs clearer definition of where buttons are and what they do. GN3 did this well. I bought both, will be downgrading to 3. Still a good app though, just not as good as it could (and has) been.

• Good, but...

  by Bob8490

  GoodNotes 3 was better. More feature-rich, easier to use. The new UI is confusing to anyone who hasn't used the app before. Needs clearer definition of where buttons are and what they do. GN3 did this well. I bought both, will be downgrading to 3. Still a good app though, just not as good as it could (and has) been.

• Good, but...

  by Bob8490

  GoodNotes 3 was better. More feature-rich, easier to use. The new UI is confusing to anyone who hasn't used the app before. Needs clearer definition of where buttons are and what they do. GN3 did this well. I bought both, will be downgrading to 3. Still a good app though, just not as good as it could (and has) been.

• decent, but better options exist

  by Gettingspeedy

  not a bad note taking app, but after trying to force myself to use it to justify buying it, its a far cry from notability. In a lot of ways they are similar, however notability looks better, is easier to navigate and organize, and has more features. its too bad i spent money on this, because unless a big update rolls out, it just doesn't compare to notability (which has its flaws as well, but is a more complete experience).

• Excellent for left handed

  by who808

  I have try every note taking app out there and some are very good but they don't work very well for left handed people. This app is not perfect but is the best I have try so far with regular stylus and the new Jot script.

• Good

  by revieweva

  Hate that I had to buy the same program because there are not many differences. Other then new designs for notebooks and cloud features. Like the old look now just boring white. You can't organize the books in a category which is annoying.

• This is a nice easy app.

  by Jimmy Bucks

  I used all the writing PDF apps this one I like most if all. Allot of apps offer way to much and after awhile they get to hard to use. I use this every day it can use a fresh look and the book covers are ugly I don't even use them because of that alone. The jot script does work nice on it but it has no functionality due to JOT not allowing it. That makes nonsense don't they want to sell more pens?also the Dropbox makes a backup zip file not a PDF where I can open and see it that would be a nice addition. Most of the other apps do PDF back up. I would suggest this app and I have to my business associates.

• Excelente aplicación para tomar notas

  by 1E3R

  Es una de las mejores aplicaciones que he usado para tomar notas, y he probado varias.

• Best note taking app so far

  by lordadamson01

  It does everything perfectly. The one feature that would be great if included is being able to import PDFs from iBooks.

• Best note taking app

  by Kryptos007

  The best. Only one thing missing: From the zoom window feature, eraser and highlighter options for convenience next to the pen colors.

• THE best note taker.

  by FBombMane

  I wouldn't take class notes any other way.

• Bad apperence

  by Doremiiiiii

  Everything is good, but the appearance is worse than notes3. I dont know why they remodel the design. It's so ugly now!!!!!

• Best note app

  by Terrence Saracco

  At first I was annoyed I had to re-buy this to get the new version.. But the changes were well worth sacrificing a couple Taco Bell burritos.. I love this app.

• Best All Around

  by dbspeer

  When I decided to use my iPad for note taking, I tried several of the available apps. In most of them there was a feature or two that I loved, but they also would have missing features that I considered essential. I've found GoodNotes to have all the features I can't live without in a single app. That's not to say that there are some things implemented in other apps that I found to be better, but GoodNotes has the best all around package for me. Ultimately, the app you choose has to do what you need it to do, regardless of whether it has a single killer feature or not. This app lets me take the notes I need to take without thinking about the app. That's exactly what I wanted.

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