# Notability: AI Notes & PDF — Handwriting, PDF & audio

> Digital note-taking, annotation, and audio recording app for productivity and learning. (iPhone/iPad app by Ginger Labs.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112)
- Category: Productivity, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.76/5 from 458,680 App Store ratings · 3,783 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 457 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and 13 more
- Released: 2010-04-01
- Data updated: 2026-11-09
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530/reviews.md

## What is Notability?

From your first lecture to your next big meeting, Notability helps you think, learn, and work better. Take handwritten notes, annotate documents, record audio, and stay organized in one place so your ideas are always clear, searchable, and ready when you need them.

NEW: NOTABILITY CLASSIC IS BACK
Prefer to pay one time for Notability? Our Classic plan is a one-time purchase with no subscription required.

FREE DIGITAL NOTES FOR WORK & SCHOOL
• Write, type, or sketch with digital ink, highlighters, and text tools.
• Mark up anything: PDFs, textbooks, lecture slides, images, and more.
• Combine handwriting, typed text, images, diagrams, and sketches on the same page.
• Stay organized with customizable folders and subjects that grow with you.

FOR PROFESSIONALS: WORK SMARTER AND SAVE TIME
• Mark up documents, capture meetings, organize ideas, and present with confidence.
• Import and handwrite on any document: PDFs, DOCs, presentations, reports, and more.
• Fill out forms in the office or on a job site.
• Combine handwriting, text, photos and documents in one place.
• Record calls and meetings to transcribe voice in real-time. Audio is synced to your notes so nothing is missed.
• Receive automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries.
• Search handwriting, transcripts, text, and PDFs to quickly revisit decisions and action items.
• Present notes, documents, and ideas in full screen, with a laser pointer to guide attention.
• View and edit two notes side-by-side to stay focused and productive.
• Share a PDF of your note in one tap.

FOR STUDENTS: STUDY SMARTER AND ACE EXAMS
• Take handwritten notes digitally or annotate lecture slides or your textbooks.
• Record lectures and get instant audio transcripts and real-time summaries in your notes.
• Audio recordings are synced to the exact moment you write in a note — perfect for lectures.
• Import lecture slides, textbook PDFs, and assignments into organized folders and subjects.
• Search across handwriting, typed notes, and transcripts to instantly find content from classes.
• Study content from your note with personalized quizzes and flashcards to practice with active recall.
• Chat with your notes to review concepts, clarify ideas, and prepare for exams.
 
WORK YOUR WAY
• Seamlessly switch between handwriting and typing.
• Import files instantly and keep everything connected.
• Share notes easily to collaborate or get feedback when needed.
• Access your notes across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web.
• Create beautiful notes using templates from the Notability Gallery.

UPGRADE TO A NOTABILITY SUBSCRIPTION
Notability is free to use. With an upgraded subscription, you can receive:
• Unlimited note-taking
• AI-powered productivity and study tools
• Handwriting recognition and math conversion
• Live Audio transcripts
• Auto-backup and iCloud sync

Download for free on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web.
Privacy Policy: notability.com/privacy
Terms of Service: notability.com/terms

## Key features

- Handwritten notes and sketching
- PDF and document annotation
- Audio recording synced to notes
- Handwriting recognition
- AI-powered summaries and takeaways
- Customizable organization with folders
- Cross-device sync

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $7.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Notability Lite | $14.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $99.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Notability Lite | $5.99 | per month |


## Chart rankings

- #180 in Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)
- #113 in Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

## What do users think of Notability?

Reviews of Notability are mostly positive: the Productivity app is rated 4.8/5 from 459K App Store ratings. What users like most: great app for note-taking, smooth handwriting experience. Top complaints: sync issues with iCloud, limited search and organization options. Summarized from real user reviews.

**Pros**

- 🚀 Great app for note-taking
- 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📝 Excellent organization and file management
- 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
- 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search
- 🌈 Customizable colors and themes

**Cons**

- 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
- 🔍 Limited search and organization options
- 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
- 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
- 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Palm rejection problems after updates
- Inconsistent behavior when importing files

**Most requested features**

- Improved folder/hierarchy organization
- More shape recognition and drawing tools
- Side-by-side viewing of multiple notes
- Ability to edit/rename audio recordings
- Better integration with other apps and services

## Is Notability safe?

Notability: AI Notes & PDF appears safe based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for Notability is 95 out of 100. This assessment is based on 458,680 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.8 out of 5. Of 458,669 App Store ratings, 94.8% point to a safe experience, 1.3% suggest some concerns, and 3.9% point to a risky experience.

## Is Notability legit?

Notability: AI Notes & PDF appears to be a legitimate app. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Notability is 93 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (10 of 3,783)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-pdf/id360593530/reviews.md

### 1/5 — 勝手に強制クラウド化、ローカル使用不可

*2026-10-27*

アプリを更新したら立ち上げ時に強制的にクラウドアカウント設定を求められ、設定しないと閲覧すらできなくなりました。昨今クラウドからの情報流出が相次ぐ中、無駄にアカウントを作ってデータ漏洩の危険を増やす気などさらさらありません。アカウントを作った後にクラウドをオフにすればローカル使用も可能という「言い訳」があるのでしょうが、アカウントがあること自体が情報漏洩のリスクです。「リマインダー」と称していますが、選択肢がない以上、望まないサービスへの強制的な誘導です。

クラウドアカウント設定を回避できるようにならない限り使うつもりはありません、というか使うことができません。iCloudを使いたい訳ではありません。ローカルのみで使用したいだけです。使用条件の一方的な変更なのでAppleに返金を要求します。

**Developer response:** 率直なご意見をありがとうございます。ご不便をおかけして申し訳ありません。iCloud をそのままお使いいただけます。Notability の「設定」を開き、「アカウント」をタップして、「Notability Cloudのリマインダー」をオフにしてください。これでリマインダーが止まり、予定されていた移行も止まりますので、ノートは今の場所に残ります。確認の文言がリマインダーにしか触れていないというご指摘は承知しており、その文言は担当チームに伝えます。サインイン画面を越えて「設定」に進めない場合は、その画面で「お困りですか？ お問い合わせ」をタップし、このレビューについて触れてください。担当者がお手伝いします。

Thank you for the candid feedback, and we are sorry for the trouble. You can stay on iCloud. Open Settings in Notability, tap Account, and turn off Notability Cloud reminders. That stops the reminders and it also stops the scheduled move, so your notes stay where they are. We hear that the confirmation only mentions reminders, and that wording is going to the team. If you cannot get past the sign in screen to reach Settings, tap Having trouble? Contact us on that screen and mention this review, and a person will help you.

### 1/5 — Risky to use - could lose all your notes

*2026-10-26*

Note: I “contacted support” via the app with this exact complaint and was met with an automated/bot response from “Fin” asking me to do the things I mentioned doing below.

Suddenly, without my consent, all of my notes were uploaded to the cloud as opposed to stored on my device. Now every time I need to access a note, it has to be downloaded, and off late the notes take forever to download/don’t open. The loading screen shows for five minutes, followed by the unable to open notification. I have followed every protocol and advice available online and in the App Store reviews, my Wi-Fi works fine on every other app and device, none of my devices are on Low Power Mode or lack storage, I have tried restarting the app, but still, I am unable to open my notes. It has been extremely frustrating and annoying experience using this app over these last few months, especially given that I have been using it for almost 5 years now I would appreciate some advice, advice, or progress towards reconciling this issue.

**Developer response:** Thank you for writing, and we are sorry for the trouble, and sorry too that reaching out has not fixed it yet. Notes that sit on downloading, or that reload every time you open the app, is a known problem and one our team wants to see on your device rather than guess at. Please make sure Notability is updated to the current version, then leave the app open with the device charged and connected for a while so it can catch up. If notes are still not coming down after that, reply on your existing conversation with our support team, or open Settings in Notability, tap Help, then Contact Support, and mention this review, so that a member of our team picks it up with the sync report the app attaches and stays with you until it is resolved. If the form inside the app will not go through, our help center at https://intercom.help/notability reaches the same team.

### 5/5 — Great app and great support

*2026-10-25, version 16.12.4*

I’ve had Notability for many years as a Classic User and I would be lost without it. It’s generally easy to use all it’s aspects. I’ve had a few issues mainly where I’ve needed help understanding tools or where I’ve made mistakes needing correcting. The Support section always provide prompt help to sort out issues.

### 3/5 — iPhone Duo Blank Space!

*2026-10-25, version 16.13.2*

As nice as it is that this has been updated for the new iOS and iPhone duo, it is very annoying that there’s always the massive right bar on the side. It is totally unusable space with no menus and no utility. It makes the small screen completely useless for notability, and the large one only useful in portrait mode. Please remove this and let the space be usable! Goodnotes does not have this limitation.

### 2/5 — Contacting customer support was a nightmare

*2026-10-24, version 16.13.2*

I love using Notability for studying, but this ordeal was a rollercoaster. One of my notes disappeared. It wasn’t in recently deleted or in unfiled notes, and it was over 60 pages’ worth of work. I went online and followed all the steps to try and recover the note, but nothing was working. There was one option I could not try, which was to search iCloud Drive. There’s no option for me to search iCloud Drive within the app. However, when I searched for the note using my Mac’s Spotlight search, it showed that the file existed, but Notability wouldn’t allow me to open it. I emailed support, and it was an AI bot that couldn’t understand “there’s no option for me to search iCloud Drive,” even though I repeated myself multiple times, submitted images and a screen recording for proof. It responded a whole day later, asking if I found it. No, I did not. Thankfully, my laptop backs up automatically, and I was able to find an older version of the note, but I lost about 6 pages of work. Genuinely so upset.

### 2/5 — Used to be good, now it sucks

*2026-10-23, version 16.13.2*

Endless popups about further upgrading and spending more money. Sucks at syncing across devices. Takes forever to load docs when you open it. Was better before all the AI garbage was added.

### 4/5 — Vraiment Bien

*2026-10-23, version 16.12.5*

C'est vraiment bien j'adore

### 5/5 — AMAZING

*2026-10-22, version 16.13.2*

Solved all my needs, and when I encountered a glitch and reported and asked for help to the support team, they were super responsive, fast, patient, and solved my issue. Very impressive! I wish i had given it a try long ago

### 3/5 — Good noting taking, bad Pro subscription

*2026-10-22, version 16.13.2*

I’ve been using this app for several months now and I generally enjoy it. It’s not taking care of the audio recording and transcript features work well and a very helpful for keeping track of my university lectures. Unfortunately, my experience with the AI features have been disappointed whenever I try to use them i’m repeatedly told that the AI doesn’t have access to my notes which prevents me from using the features that are included in my pro subscription, considering the subscription price. I accept these speeches to work more consistently because the app has a lot of potential and the notetaking transcription features are genuinely useful. I hope the developers could address these issues as I would love to take full advantage of everything that I passed the offer for now it’s great not taking tool but the AI functionality has been a let down.

### 5/5 — Love it.

*2026-10-22, version 16.13.2*

Love the app.

## Frequently asked questions about Notability

### What is Notability?

Notability is a digital note-taking application that allows users to write, sketch, annotate documents, and record audio. It aims to help users think, learn, and work more effectively by keeping ideas organized and searchable.

### Is Notability free to use?

Notability is free to download and use with basic features. An optional subscription unlocks advanced features like unlimited note-taking, AI productivity tools, handwriting recognition, and live audio transcripts.

### What devices can I use Notability on?

Notability is available on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web, allowing seamless access and syncing of your notes across multiple platforms.

### Does Notability have ads?

No, Notability does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with core features, and an optional subscription provides access to premium functionalities.

### How does Notability's AI work?

The AI features in Notability can provide automated meeting notes, takeaways, and summaries. It also offers handwriting recognition and math conversion, enhancing productivity and study capabilities.

### Can I import documents into Notability?

Yes, you can import various document types including PDFs, DOCs, presentations, and reports into Notability to mark up, annotate, and combine with your handwritten notes.

### What are the subscription options for Notability?

Notability offers subscription plans such as Notability Lite and Notability Plus, with monthly and annual payment options. These subscriptions unlock advanced features and unlimited usage.

### How often is Notability updated?

Notability was last updated on November 9, 2026, with version 16.13.5. While this indicates a recent update, the frequency of future updates will depend on the developer's release schedule.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 16.13.5 — 2026-11-09

• Every plan includes Handwriting Recognition, so you can search your handwritten notes.
• Create, rename, and move notes, or add text to them, with Siri and the Shortcuts app.
• Added recording renaming on Notability Cloud.
• Updated the Library, Settings, and Learn toolbars for Duo and Liquid Glass.
• Fixed deleted iCloud folders reappearing, lost folder renames, and blank Page Manager thumbnails.

Thanks for using Notability.

### 16.13.4 — 2026-11-03

• Introducing Markdown Import: bring .md files into your notes with their formatting intact.
• Personalize Learn with your preferred summary length, quiz difficulty and field of study in AI Customization Settings
• Fixed bugs with Paste and Match Style, Scribble, version history, text boxes, and indentation.

Thanks for using Notability.

### 16.13.3 — 2026-10-26

• Introducing Graphs: write a function by hand and see it plotted in your note.
• Chat supports images again and keeps your conversation when you return.
• Turn on Narrow Margins in Note Editor settings for smaller text margins in new notes.
• Connected Services in Settings shows your most recent cloud sync.

Thanks for using Notability.

### 16.13.2 — 2026-10-21

• Fixed an issue with zooming and scrolling on iOS 27.

Thanks for using Notability.

### 16.13.1 — 2026-10-19

• Added Arabic and Hebrew support with full right-to-left layout.
• Fixed unwanted scrolling when you return to Notability on iOS 27.
• A clearer Learn usage meter and more reliable Quizzes.
• Finish My Notes appears only on notes you haven't completed.
• Fixed bugs with text editing, shape rotation, and PDFs in dark mode.

Thanks for using Notability.

## Apps similar to Notability

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## More apps by Ginger Labs

- [Twobird](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twobird/id1455545515)

All apps by Ginger Labs: https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-09.*