Notability vs GoodNotes: Detailed comparison (2020)| Digital note-taking

[@PaperlessX]

If this video is too fast-paced for you, we have prepared an article for you: beingpaperless.com/notability-vs-goodnotes-5/ Hope you find it useful

[@detlefbacker5701]

That Service of yours with this written down Results is outstanding. Thank You!

[@williamhalstediq]

Thank you so much

[@flusifan3417]

This is an excellent write-up. May I suggest to add 2 points? - Notability can not only simply record audio but the audio is also synced to the writing, and synced playback is possible. There are other notetaking apps around that can record pure audio as well, but there is no such sync. - Both applications do unfortunately not support horizontal split screen at this time. So if you show two documents in parallel (or the same doc at different locations where supported), it will be a vertical split and you don´t have the full screen width for writing which is a pain. Zoomnotes is the only app known to me that can do horizontal split as well.

[@kim-wo6mn]

Thank you ❤️

[@housepianist]

Your pace is just fine. Good job.

[@asich8771]

Both companies should work together and make an app called Goodability

[@emmgeevideo]

ChęnYuQi Richie Able Notes

[@thelinuxturtle2935]

Lawl goodability,

[@lilyung4584]

“GoodNotes has great paper template options. It give us hope for humanity.” Indeed.

[@PaperlessX]

🤣

[@secks2864]

Best comparison EVER. You really showed everything in detail, I didn't even know some features before. Thank you dear😘

[@PaperlessX]

😊😊

[@mdotdeng]

Yes, she did an a excellent job comparing both apps!

[@velsnow1]

For me, this comparison is the "Gold Standard". Thanks for all your efforts.

Underrated comparison. Explains everything in detail. Nice video!!

[@PaperlessX]

Thank you!

[@zhyar8]

After watching several videos I have noticed the following points related to GoodNotes and Notability. GoodNotes: Pros: - Powerful PDF reader - Multiwindow support - More page layout options - Folder within folder support Notability: Pros: - More comfortable design - Audio recording - More text tools - Builtin shape support (no need to activate it) - Support for to do lists Cons: - Moving handwritten texts only.

[@woodcider]

Thank you SO MUCH for this. After 3 whole years of OneNote I finally decided to not be a cheapskate, so I needed a comprehensive comparison video very badly. This was excellent.

[@kavan1773]

Would you say either of these apps is worth buying over OneNotes?

[@gwena9043]

Which did you end up buying?

[@devashish_]

Just bought Goodnotes 2 weeks ago. That is when I discovered your channel.

[@esraka15]

I was about to buy Notability, this video saved my money !! Thank you so much and keep going :)

[@chrisweatherly1]

One feature I wish any note-taking app would implement is tap gestures. In Procreate, you can set it to undo if you tap the screen with two fingers. It’s super fast and intuitive, especially for those with Apple Pencil 1. I would think it might even be quicker than the Pencil 2 double-tap.

[@niklasd8233]

I couldn’t decide which one to buy so I just purchased both😂 overall I think that GoodNotes is the better app but in terms of writing I like Notability better, I really don’t know why but I guess it’s the pressure sensitivity of the fountain pen that feels more natural than the one in GoodNotes

[@PaperlessX]

I hope you are pleased with your iPad 😃

[@piagebot2943]

Honestly I feel like notability’s only feature that makes it stand out is synced audio. The only problem is that in my classes I’m not allowed to record lectures, so that pretty much gives me no reason to use notability over goodnotes

[@alexandraaikonika]

And our lectures in zoom are already being recorded, so also no point in it

[@hahazim34]

Notability makes handwriting look so nice, GoodNotes makes my writing look scratchy and unaligned but I prefer the goodnotes UI

[@ericmaina6779]

I didn't know some features existed.. this is such a good comparison. I use both and even I can't pick which is best. Good job Ropsie

[@ladycakecup2343]

best review ive seen, definitely deserves so much more attention

[@mdotdeng]

I totally agreed!!!!!

[@b.s.8292]

Thank you so much! This was incredibly informative and well-made 😊👍

[@Test-rw3rq]

If only notablity made a good folder system like goodnotes...

[@sayondarithy8556]

I really prefer notability because of it simplifies UI, not overwhelming .

[@redforrori]

If you could only mash up the two and have the perfect notes app...

[@drnomad16]

This is an awesome comprehensive comparison! Thanks for doing it!

[@PaperlessX]

Thank you!

[@sarki-m3q]

I subscribed just after watching the first video. So, awesome buddy! The channel is so underrated. Will surely suggest your channel to some of my friends! 💯

[@PaperlessX]

Awww, thank you :)

[@TrijitAcharyyaChowdhury]

So far the best video. Thanks for detailing out things. Keep rocking..

[@nycity123]

i have never been more conflicted in my life😂 me at the beginning: so good notes is winning me later: nah i’m getting notability for sure me later: good notes ok i’m getting good notes a few moments following: well notability has so many shape and import features at the end: OK IM GETTING GOODNOTES NO ONE CAN STOP ME thank u for such a great detailed review bc now i can make a well rounded decision! keep it up 👍🏻

[@PaperlessX]

How are you liking GoodNotes then? 😃

[@nycity123]

@@PaperlessX Goodnotes is amazing! I have used it to take notes for about a week now and it’s so fun! Might run into some difficulties later but for now it fits all my needs ;)

[@ElisabetTX]

@@nycity123 still loving it?

[@nycity123]

@@ElisabetTX yessss!! tbh I haven't tried notability so I couldn't give u a great comparison.. but goodnotes has been doing the job very well for a while now :)

[@mranonymous8698]

Most awaited Comparison, thats what i was waiting for , Thank you ❤️ And i wana say something that You should Add one more points bar in which we can see what are the common features that both apps have and in other two points bar we can have the features that only one app have.. for example both app have search notes feature so common 1 , Notability have option for more colours Notability 1 Goodnotes 0. Point is Put common feature point in common and only compare app with unique features. Hope you understand... Thanks for well explained and Beautiful Comparison ❤️😎

[@berenice3626]

actually goodnotes has more options for colours

[@brandonhorn7887]

GoodNotes has more colors

[@PaperlessX]

I get what you mean. I will see how I can do that in the future

[@mranonymous8698]

@@PaperlessX Thank You ❤️🧘

[@jasonlenguyen5351]

I use both. Notability for work related stuff (pdf ...) GoodNotes for creative / study notes.

[@casawabicat9475]

Thx, clear enough for me to choosing buy which one 👍🏼

[@abhishekprakash23]

Yes great job, saw the one note one as well

[@ExisteDiosInc]

One feature notability has that goodnotes can't do is when it comes to Pasting. Let's say you copy an article from the internet or something. And you want to paste it in a note. On goodnotes it will cut off at the end of the paper you are pasting on... On notability however it will continue to the next page.... That is a huge feature that fore in the context of how I use these apps was a deal breaker. I wonder if goodnotes plans to do something about that...

[@Learnmever]

IT KILLS ME that... . . . . . . Notability doesnt has readmode ....i dont want to see anything except my note.....i dont want to see the tools... i want my document fullscreen. Goodnotes has it ♥ just by taping middle of screen once

[@riri_1906]

Notability is great if you have to draw graphs. I realised GoodNotes doesn’t really let you manipulate curves like Notability does. So if you’re majoring in Economics or Physics or anything with some crazy graph drawing, I would recommend Notability more. The recording feature is also good when your lecturers decide to pursue a career in rap and turn into Logic 😂

[@PaperlessX]

A career in rap 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@2Evan]

Great info GN free on MAC. Merci! We’ve also installed the MAC version of NS. Haven’t used either yet - iPad simply too much fun, and much easier for annotations/drawings/editing/etc. Notability and its “store” now. Happy to learn about paid OCR search. The paid emoji packs were not really worth it, but still prefer that to a subscription-model. Some great tips and tricks in there too. Every single day, I seem to switch favourite between NB, GN, and NS. “Les next few videos” were also very “intéressants”.

[@PaperlessX]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 let us know when you have settled for un app! How do you keep track of all your notes? Kkkkkkk Je suis d’accord... the shop is better than the subscription model

[@jerzybrudnicki6815]

Thank you for your comparison video. It looks like if GoodNotes develops recording Notability is lost forever. Can you advise if Notability can record sound if it is an online streaming Lecture/class instead of in case of sound coming via iPad mikes? This scenario is getting quite popular in Covid-19 environment.

[@PaperlessX]

I will test that. Off the top of my head, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be able to.

[@scottstephens2995]

@@PaperlessX Were you able to?

[@ZachAgape]

Jerzy Brudnicki and Scott Stephens, if I understood well your question, yes it can. I had Notability and Safari in split view on my iPad, and activated a recorded lecture video on Moodle (through Safari), while taking notes on Notability, and it worked: Notability audio-recorded the lecture.

[@thetalker221]

The more KZbin comparisons on note taking apps the more torn and confused on which one will work best for me lol

[@PaperlessX]

😂😂😂😂 yeah, that's not surprising at all!

[@thetalker221]

I purchased GoodNotes but I might just end up getting notability as well

[@cookiencream5539]

My writing experience on goodnotes is a lot better than notability. For some reason, notability consistently doesn't detect some lines when I write and sometimes make my writing wiggly. It's weird

[@areallyboredguy5825]

I use good notes for everything however when I needed to draw a floor plan for a book I went to notability because Of the shapes and just holding the stroke for a line.

[@jdclise]

You can add paper templates to Notability. You only need to go to Ginger Labs website and download the templates and save them to your device or use a cloud service. It is not as easy as GoodNotes but it is not imposible.

[@jvpadilla9905]

Great video. I was planning on buying an iPad but doubting if it will be efficient because I have a Windows Laptop. Just some few questions. Can I still open the note format if i use windows, or do i need to export it in PDF? And in doing so, am I able to select, edit, and format text and photos from a pdf file when imported to Notability or Goodnotes?

[@PaperlessX]

You have to export PDFs and you can’t edit them, unless you have a PDF editor on your PC

[@WernerKuhn]

Hi, great comparison. I do have an unrelated question though. What is the app you use for the Bible verse on your home screen ?

[@PaperlessX]

It’s the Olive tree Bible

[@RogerZoul]

I think you blew my brain on this one. I mainly have been using Notability for things like derivations, test solutions, etc and Goodnotes for lectures from PDFs. I need the feature that be able to print/save handwritten derivations to a separate PDF with pages in tact. For presentations in Notability, can you use the audio feature to make a annotated video? I know you can use the record feature on iPadOS to save a recording, but I find that approach to be rather sloppy and am always worried about running out of storage space in the middle of a screen recording. Plus, screen recordings get everything, which can be problematic. I guess there is not real way to do it right. I currently just record everything using Zoom, with my lecture in Goodnotes. Have you review Explain Everything on your channel? I am not the assumed model, I guess, in that I don't really take notes, as I am a teacher who likes digital for lecturing in class. But I still do other digital things like write my own notes for lectures, derivations for research, and problem solutions for exams, etc. There must be a bunch of MEs out there too, right? Now I will go listen to this one again. Thanks much!

[@PaperlessX]

Your setup sounds very interesting, Anthony. You are right though, the audio recording feature can be used to create animated videos. And yes, a very small part of our community are students. Which is why we rebranded. There are plenty of Yous out there, looking for different solutions for their workflows. 😃 And I am always excited to explore new possibilities

[@piesquareisg]

While calculating size for goodnote and notability notes, have you also included the app size or the size is just of the notes?

[@PaperlessX]

I factored in app size. The app size is not included

[@piesquareisg]

@@PaperlessX I meant to say, these are the sizes of just notes or notes+the app

[@tharunselvamk8035]

I am awaiting my new iPad pro and this was exactly the video I was looking for. I should probably get them both. Thanks a lot! Can you also suggest a very good pdf editor for the iPad with very good Anotation possiblities. Can you also suggest a very good file manager app for the iPad pro? Thanks

[@clarenceloie8995]

My ipad pro won't come until mid-september :((

[@PaperlessX]

PDF readers: MarginNote and LiquidText Document manager: Documents 7 by Readdle

[@sudhanshusaini504]

I have purchased 32gb iPad and intend to annotate many PDFs , even while making notes, probably will be putting many pdf snippets in that. Which app should I go with?

[@PaperlessX]

Notability will take up less space on your iPad

[@joaovictorrodriguesreis36]

I am on beta program in notability and the next version will be awesome!

[@muhammadluthfiharits5184]

can you explain more whats changed?

[@twentyonedot]

Yes can u explain what features were coming? Cuz I am planning to buy

[@erwinsenciagarcia9823]

Very clear and precise, thanks

[@lilyung4584]

Hi Ropsie. How does Marginnotes fit into your note taking workflow in conjunction with Notability? Or do you no longer use MN3?

[@PaperlessX]

I have used it to create rough notes which I would then import to Notability for my classes. Since I am no longer a student, and studying on my own till I can resume my studies, I am planning not to use Notability anymore since I don’t have classes anymore. But still using MN3

[@NUKOAK]

Deep analysis! Thanks

[@ajinyeah8101]

I can't decide between Good Notes 5 & Notability. Which is better for a student taking online classes? I'm gonna use my macbook pro for classes then ipad for note taking.

[@PaperlessX]

Either will work just fine. It depends on features that matter to you most

[@ZachAgape]

I don't know if this is due to a Notability update since the time of your video, but Notability does have a text alignment option. It's just hidden. If you long-press on the tool bar at the top, you get the option to add or remove tools from your tool bar, and some of those tools are text alignment tools. Also, I see the Notability note switcher is on the left in your video. Since an update a while ago, it's now on the right of my screen… which is annoying because it clashes with the iPadOS slide over feature. Any idea how to put it back on the left side? Edit: it seems to be because of the left-handed feature, because when I deactivated it, the note switcher returned to the left. Good comparison video btw, thanks😊 It was great to have an updated comparison given these apps change all the time. And boy, the score was so close haha!

[@PaperlessX]

Yes, the Note Switcher now supports left hand mode... and the alignment has never worked for me. It works for you? I’ll try it again to see We are failing to keep up with their updates lol 😂

[@ewertonal]

The only single reason I still use Notability rather than Goodnotes it's because in GoodNotes you can't hide the toolbar, so the top of the screen takes tons of space. This is very annoying to me! There should be an option to hide the toolbar. Other than that, the day they fix this, I'll change immediately to goodnotes because it's definetly better overall.

[@AbidKhan-lr5wb]

Hi 👋🏼 Ropsie...I will ALWAYS vote for Notability for the following 2 big reasons: (a) Excellent audio recordings synced with your writing ✍️ which is AWESOME 👏🏻 (b) Secondly, it makes extremely smaller files size along with audio recordings which is ASTONISHING...One thing which I will want in notability is the TABBED view of the multiple documents which makes studying/research type of work a lot easier...They must copy this from GoodNotes...Otherwise, the above TWO features are enough to decide in favour of notability 👍🏻👏🏻😀... please make a new tutorial video about the new, enhanced audio system in notability. Lastly, I will also want you to review LiquidText and I think 🤔 after fixing few bugs, this application is the BEST app for Pdf studying as well as research work...Please make a video on it...Regards...

[@PaperlessX]

Hello, Abid! I prefer Notability for the same reasons. And yeah, I’ll try get around to your audio recording. I thought I had covered it in this video though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpfMqqaAp8t5jqc As for LiquidText 😬 I just did a complete review of the app, lol. Maybe I could mention it’s more stable I suppose.

[@shawntaeb6511]

Abid Khan yes, the file sizes is the winner for me too. My iPad only has 32gb of space so notability is my top choice. Im surprised people don’t bring up this point more often.

[@AbidKhan-lr5wb]

@@shawntaeb6511 first of all, in future atleast buy an iPad with 128gb if you want it to use for productivity. Secondly, there is a 180 degree shift in my opinion regarding GoodNotes vs notability. GoodNotes 5 digital inking is the best in the business and it handles big pdf textbooks very well. So GoodNotes lately has become my first choice...regards...

[@shawntaeb6511]

Abid Khan yes I agree, 32 is not enough storage so definitely upgrading. However I’ve used both apps and still MUCH prefer Notability, but thanks for the advice.

[@GarryBurgess]

I didn't find any option to purchase OCR for notability, but seemed to be included with my purchase.

[@PaperlessX]

Maybe they had removed it temporarily... they’ve put it back in their shop

[@fkm2601]

Mam I want to buy ipaid pro 2020 for notetaking but this time it is unavailable in INDIA.

[@msgozira]

Love your video,Thanks for sharing👍

[@AbidKhan-lr5wb]

Hi 👋🏼 Ropsie...Today I updated the GoodNotes and in the update is followed by a one line statement that this update is related to the “under the hood” improvements and it’s meant basically to prepare GoodNotes for an upcoming “new” feature... So what do you make it out? I will be very glad if they are referring to synced audio recordings (like notability) then it’s 👏🏻 awesome 😎 as it’s the most requested feature on their page...so please let us know what they mean by this? Thanks in advance...

[@PaperlessX]

I can’t say much... but I know it’s not audio recording. Unless they forgot to debrief me on that...

[@Carolina-rd3gh]

The text tool is crucial for me to be able to type on my hardest classes and annotate them, draw diagrams when I get home. The one is Goodnotes is really terrible. Try to use the MacOS version of Goodnotes in the text tool and you will be surprised by it not working whatsoever in the format button. How can they mess up such a basic thing? I think I’ll switch to Notability.

[@maca_ker]

Notability is way better for that :)

[@Carolina-rd3gh]

A student True, but at least Notability doesn’t glitch as much. Try Goodnotes on the laptop and you’ll see how much more painful it is.

[@Carolina-rd3gh]

A student That’s not true at all. The text tool is horrible in Goodnotes. In Notability you can have text format presets to avoid having to format every time. You can make bullet and numbered lists and check lists on Notability. Plus, the text formatting options are built in the actual keyboard screen on the iPad which makes me more convenient and you don’t need as many pressses. You don’t have any of that on Goodnotes.

[@jyotikaagnihotri6369]

Hi! Is there a way to set a margin in the middle of a page? I have always wanted to use the graph paper option but I want to make columns, so is there a way to add a margin using the zoom tool? Thank you.

[@PaperlessX]

In which app?

[@jyotikaagnihotri6369]

@@PaperlessX In Goodnotes!

[@ColoringAddict]

Are the notes still searchable if the language isn't recognized in these apps? I write notes in Estonian but I would still like the search function.

[@PaperlessX]

We haven’t tested that. And at the moment we really have no way to test that, sorry 😐

[@jessicachan9120]

I just wish that good notes had the list making feature, does anyone know if a I can download something to have it?

[@PaperlessX]

You could try using stickers from planners

[@susannemoseidbryhni9898]

In notability you can resize and rotate at the same time with two fingers :)

[@PaperlessX]

Yes you can

[@leonvonminden771]

How big was a Goodnotes file? Just wanna know how much space I need for school notes

[@PaperlessX]

A file is too general coz there is no standard way to define it. This might help: beingpaperless.com/goodnotes-vs-notability-vs-apple-notes/

[@bluestripetiger]

So far i've seen just a writing pad-- so that when you have split mode it is two separate pads. Is it possible to have a notebook that looks like an open book with 2 pages side by side and turning pages to advance?

[@PaperlessX]

That’s only possible in Pen & Paper

[@emmgeevideo]

Interesting that in a 26 minute video that the first five minutes were spent (didn’t subtract the intro time) on page templates. Good Notes is my “daily driver” and I don’t think I’ve changed my background and size once since settling on it. But I constantly use the actual note-taking features. I wonder how many people fuss over the background?

[@PaperlessX]

🤔 Really good point.

[@xanh350]

I still don't know which one to use? please help?

[@PaperlessX]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWKxo3hngcqLodk

[@radineon]

Great comparison 👍

[@boonyarithdumrongpalasith5501]

Thank lot of functionality both app.

[@t4983]

I cant find the presentation tool !

[@PaperlessX]

In Notability it only appears when you start presenting your screen

[@46raghavkumar16]

Hi I have one issue with notability. When I put my hand to write it zooms the canvass is thare a way to stop this like disabling pinch to zoom

[@PaperlessX]

In the settings, yes.

[@snazzybunny7032]

What are you using now? Marginnotes and notability still? Thanks.

[@PaperlessX]

Yes I use both

[@tommyboyindy1157]

Announcement - vertical scrolling has arrived in Noteshelf 2

[@chuchote6871]

Can you do a metamoji note (full version) review

[@PaperlessX]

Okie... working towards it

[@chuchote6871]

@@PaperlessX thank you

[@bryanduque2897]

Hey, I have just done a review of notability, its in spanish, thank you for the support :)

[@woodcider]

Does either app sync between devices? I find that I often need to access notes written on my iPad with my iPhone. Not having a Windows version is a step down from OneNote and if they don’t sync across devices I’m not sure what to choose.

[@niklasd8233]

Both apps sync via iCloud sync

[@woodcider]

Niklas ND Oh boy... I only have the 5 gig plan on iCloud. I don’t take an insane amount of notes so it should work with what space I have left.

[@niklasd8233]

@@woodcider iCloud sync and iCloud are not the same service :D iCloud sync synchronizes all your data and does not save it like iCloud does. You don't have to care about those 5gb because you don't even need them

[@tharunselvamk8035]

Are the updates for both the softwares free?

[@yunamaharani133]

Not on goodnotes

[@tharunselvamk8035]

Yuna Maharani Thanks

[@PaperlessX]

Yes they are.

[@thetalker221]

Who is going to come up with a totally customizable note taking app like almost take all note taking app abilities and you get to pick and choose the best features for you but in one app. Like an app manipulator, instead of jail breaking your phone let’s learn how to do it to individual apps

[@PaperlessX]

ZoomNotes has those capabilities

[@elion2386]

Where is my Notability Team?

[@bharathkumart6097]

No offence!! You sound sleepy when you say "Hey guys..It's ropsie back with paperless X"😂😂

[@tolgaokumus5681]

Any of these apps can’t just scan a document if it is aldready in my gallery?

[@PaperlessX]

No they can’t. For that you need a scanning app

[@46raghavkumar16]

What is the icon between audio record and move dont have it in my ipad?

[@Darkseth88]

That should be Presentation Mode

[@niklasd8233]

Which iPad are you using? I have the pro 10.5 and don’t have this symbol either

[@46raghavkumar16]

Ipad pro 2020

[@niklasd8233]

@@46raghavkumar16 maybe it's part of the in app purchase for handwriting recognition? I didn't buy it so far

[@46raghavkumar16]

I think its the cursor for the presentation mode

[@wkm610]

Content was great, but I gave up after 7 minutes due to the quiet and near - monotone delivery. Sounded more like it was being read from a script. At 26 minutes, listeners need to be engaged, not lulled to sleep. Shame, because the actual information very useful.

[@digitalduck643]

Are there any Handwritten note apps that don’t require a subscription or you have to pay for?

[@bharathkumart6097]

@Hkbxeyk why do you prefer notability over goodnotes even if it doesn't have features of goodnotes?? Please reply... I'm looking to buy

[@Carolina-rd3gh]

There is Apple Notes and One Note but I find it terrible if you ever want to print. I’d recommend the free version of Nebo (it does not give as many organisations options but most of the other features work exactly the same as the paid version). Notepad +, Notes Writer. However, I would really recommend you buy one on a one time purchase though. I used to never buy apps also, but Notability and Goonotes are the most stable ones out there.

[@bharathkumart6097]

@Hkbxeyk thanks for the reply❤️

[@PaperlessX]

Apple Notes and OneNote are free

[@pandaengine]

Upgrading cost money with GoodNotes, from 4 to 5.

[@sherlocksh5216]

Notability over rated... Goodnotes ok..

[@umasingh3601]

Very detailed comparison 👍