# Notability: AI Notes & Planner — user reviews > 3,454 indexed App Store user reviews of Notability by Ginger Labs, rated 4.80/5 from 454,244 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 401,874 · 4★ 28,600 · 3★ 5,934 · 2★ 3,135 · 1★ 14,701 ## What do users think of Notability? Overall sentiment: positive **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 ## Newest reviews (16 of 3,454) ### 2/5 — Poor Export options and mobile accessibility *2026-08-31, version 16.10* Super hard and annoying to export notes taken for chatgpt or other stuff. Only note taking tools are pen and text but text doesn't go where you want so mostly text only. Zero other tools. $60 is a joke ### 2/5 — Every Update this app gets worse for school note taking *2026-08-31, version 16.10* I wish I didn’t have all of my notes on this app because I would easily switch. I have been using it for years and every update makes using it MORE inconvenient to take notes. ### 1/5 — Many bad words I cannot say *2026-08-31, version 16.10* Notability chose to migrate all the work I’ve done here, on a paid subscription, to their cloud, overriding my settings and massively disorganizing 6 or more years of hours of daily writing. WTF. ### 2/5 — Losing notes *2026-08-31, version 16.10* I have been using notability for around 4 years and recently was logged out of my account. This happened while I was not on the app and upon logging back in all of my notes were gone. Within 4 years I had gained over 400 pages for my studies and were organised by year, semester, classes and different class types within those classes. I can find these notes backed up in the cloud but I can’t import them all in one go to get them back. Although the worst part is all of my organisation I had is completely gone. For something I have paid for after so long to just remove everything is extremely disappointing and honestly making my current studies difficult now as my active work is gone. The layout of the app in general has had ups and downs, for the most part the app functions very well as there is a reason I used it for so long but sometimes it feels changes to the layout are made unnecessarily and can ruin some of the muscle memory that comes from using the app ### 1/5 — Nice While it Lasted *2026-08-30, version 16.10* I literally can’t log into my account anymore so all of my documents are now gone. I’ve already troubleshooted a number of things including submitting a support ticket - but the support ticket was responded to with a general AI bot so there’s nothing else I can do. I’ve attempted to log into from both of of my iPads and my MacBook but no go. Very frustrating! Off to search for another notes app smh ### 3/5 — New note app *2026-08-30, version 16.10* If youre looking for a note app…DONT start with notability. It is hard to change apps once you use one. Common problems signing in. I tried to request support but they told me my email was already over the amount allowed. (I have never requested support before)The app charges you wildly to use it, and it seems to always increase. ### 1/5 — Not working *2026-08-30, version 16.10* NOT WORKING!!!! ### 1/5 — Useless and Unacceptable *2026-08-30, version 16.10* I’ve been using Notability since roughly 2016, and during that time I would have described it as one of the best note taking apps on the app store. Today however, I learned just how useless the app has actually become. Prior to the notability cloud rebranding, The majority of my time using notability has been offline. Today I attempted to use the app and it prompted me to login in. Not being connected to an internet connection I was unable to access any of my notes. When i finally connected to the internet, I received a message informing me that a login link was sent to my email address. Checked my inbox and junk mail and that link never came. Spent an hour brute forcing the login before I was finally able to access my notes. This was unacceptable as I needed access to my notes at that exact moment to get prepped for a meeting. I’m not interested in having to be tethered to an internet connection to use or access my own information. The fact that I never received that link was unacceptable and illustrates why the Notability cloud is unreliable. I think this is where I part ways with this app. ### 1/5 — Awful *2026-08-30, version 16.10* This app is awful ur really gonna make me pay to make a note ### 2/5 — Ruined it *2026-08-30, version 16.10* Noteability was my fav app for organizing and reviewing all my courses old and new. Now it’s just a mess. Everything has been split and there is no way of keeping subjects tidy into chapters any longer. I’m so disappointed AND NO LONGER TRUST THE APP TO KEEP MY NOTES! I consider them risky now. Careful and keep backup notes! ### 4/5 — Price Issues *2026-08-30, version 16.10* Good note-taking app but needs a permanent subscription option. ### 2/5 — Deleted Notes and Forced Migrations *2026-08-30, version 16.10* App was functional but now they have deleted all my notes, can’t login for 2 days, and forced migrated me to their non-transparent Notability Cloud without my consent. I have concerns about my privacy with this company. They tried to shaft original purchasers of the app by trying to force them to a subscription, before the public backlash caused them to step back. Clearly they are trying every way squeezed more money from the app, and have no doubt that would include my personial note data. The app doesn’t function and has gives serious cause for trust concern ### 1/5 — Forced Moved To Their Cloud Platform *2026-08-30, version 16.10* This app has completely fallen from grace for me. It used to be a one time purchase, which now it has become a monthly subscription. It used to be a simple download and use, now it requires an account. It used to be local, now I’m being forced onto their cloud platform in September. I do not recommend anyone use this notetaking app anymore. I’ve this app for many years and always recommended it, but I will never do so again and urge people off it. ### 1/5 — Does not work *2026-08-30, version 16.10* I cannot sign in keeps telling me to check my email. But does not send an email. When I try to contact support I get an error message. I pay for this app and can’t use it now. Terrible. Do not recommend ### 1/5 — Deleted 7 Years of Notes After Requiring an Account *2026-08-30, version 16.10* I have been using Notability for the last 7 years, and by and by, it was great. Things would get worse over time, as I am almost certain that they were using all of our notes as training data for AI or handwriting recognition, but I still used it. I was using it fine yesterday, even. However today, I was greeted by a “Sign into your account” screen that could not be bypassed. I reluctantly created an account with a burner email, and lo and behold, ALL OF MY NOTES HAD VANISHED. Despicable. Do not use this app unless you are fine with random updates taking away the capability to locally own YOUR NOTES. ### 1/5 — Servers Down, Lose Notes *2026-08-30, version 16.10* Servers go down too often and it’s always near finals. I’ve lost notes and now two days before my test I can’t login. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Does not work *2026-09-02, version 16.11* I payed for this app and used it for years. Now, i can’t open my notes anymore, lost some and have to stare at an infinite loading when opening anypdf, what is happening ? ### 1/5 — A real mess *2026-09-01, version 16.11* I’ve been using Notability as a paid subscriber for quite a few years now. Recently, I tried to open the app on my iPad, and it suddenly required a log in. I had never had to log in before. I tried on my phone and desktop Mac Mini, and the same thing happened. I figured my notes were saved in iCloud, but I couldn’t get to them. The Notability AI bot gave a few tips, one of which finally worked. But when I got logged in, my notes were gone. I finally was able to import them from iCloud, but without any of the folders I had been using to organize them. Plus, they now were dated with the day I’d imported them, not the day I had created or updated them. I really liked Notability for years, but this is unacceptable. I cancelled my subscription, and I’m moving my notes ASAP. If Notability is working for you, that’s great. But beware and think carefully before you get deep into it. ### 1/5 — IT BASICALLY DOESN'T EXIST IF YOU DON'T PAY MONEY *2026-09-01, version 16.11* YOU GET LIKE 5 NOTES MAX WHEN YOU DON'T PAY. THAT'S EGREGIOUS AND IT'S RIDICULOUS HOW MUCH THEY WANT THAT MONEY ### 1/5 — Crashed then deleted all my notes. *2026-09-01, version 16.11* The worst experience I had in my life. All 1700+ notes of mine disappeared after the app logged me out the whole day and basically crashed. I was not even receiving emails to reset password. ### 1/5 — Keeps freezing, un syncing, and generally buggy *2026-09-01, version 16.11* I’ve been using notability for four years. I’m about to switch to One Note. ### 1/5 — DONT use *2026-08-31, version 16.9* When this app first came out it was 10 dollars a year with a reliable cloud. Now it’s 20 a year, and I just logged in and all my notes are gone! 4 YEARS OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING NOTES. GONE. ### 1/5 — YEARS OF NOTES GONE — DO NOT TRUST THIS APP WITH YOUR DATA *2026-08-31, version 16.10* I have used Notability for YEARS and trusted this app with an enormous amount of important work. Now, after the recent changes, EVERYTHING IS GONE — every note, every folder, and years of carefully organized material. This is not a minor bug. This is catastrophic data loss. What makes this even more unacceptable is that getting meaningful support is nearly impossible. After losing YEARS of data, I’m told to wait 3–5 business days just to hear back from someone. Meanwhile, recent App Store reviews show that other longtime users are reporting the same nightmare: years of notes suddenly disappearing. An app whose primary purpose is to safely store your notes has one fundamental responsibility: DO NOT LOSE YOUR NOTES. I trusted Notability for years. I recommended it to others and built my entire note-taking system around it. That trust is now completely gone. Until Notability explains what happened and restores users’ missing data, I cannot recommend anyone trust this app with anything important. One star because zero stars is not an option. ### 1/5 — Notes Deleted *2026-08-31, version 16.10* I use this app to take a lot of notes for work and overall it usually goes pretty well however now is like a second time that all of my notes have gotten deleted. They just disappeared. The first time that this happened I think I just submitted a ticket and it got fixed it took a couple of minutes came back. However, this time I submitted it at the beginning of my workday and now it is the end of my workday. I’ve heard nothing back, except an AI generated response. That response provided very basic obvious solutions such as restart the app sign out and sign in. I have years of notes on this app. I use the app to reference back to my work notes. These notes are very important and they get referenced a a lot. I would love it if I could get my notes back however I have now looked both on the iPad version of the app that I use and on my iPhone version that I use all of my notes seem to be gone from both. The app logged me out without me, asking it too, and when I logged back in all of my notes disappeared. I rely on this app because I thought it was great. I even paid for the premium version now it has kind of screwy and my work day since I was unable to use them and I was not able to get Support. ### 1/5 — All my notes are gone! *2026-08-31, version 16.10* Notability, you have cost me my exam grade. I am so mad it’s not even funny. Do better. ### 1/5 — Please Fix a Longstanding Issue With Quizzes. Paying Customers Deserve Better *2026-08-31, version 16.10* Recording a lecture DOES NOT generate quizzes as advertised. I’ve ensured the recording and scribed notes are within the parameters required. The issue/error message that says “transcript failed” has been unresolved for too long. Paying a premium subscription price then being unable to use all the features the company advertises creates a poor customer experience. The company’s customer service support is horrible. I reported problems with their recent update and have not received meaningful assistance. I have used the app for approximately 7 years, and now am researching alternatives. The recent update appears to have lost or can’t access the recordings of numerous lectures that I recorded. The new script pen writing feature (beta) is good; just needs some refinement. My overall rating for this app is reduced from a 4+ to a 3 due to the aforementioned. I have used the app extensively for several YEARS, so my assessment is that of a seasoned user. I’ll wait 30-days before reconsidering this assessment. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Login Works Again *2026-09-01, version 16.11* Go to their Reddit page for a password reset link and it works just fine! ### 5/5 — PA school *2026-08-31, version 16.11* Lifesaver I don’t have to make my own flashcards or slide conversions excellent ### 5/5 — Very handy *2026-08-31, version 16.10* Great app! Does exactly what it says it does, no complaints ### 5/5 — Notability *2026-08-31, version 16.10* I looooveeeee it ### 5/5 — jfjfn *2026-08-27, version 16.10* fff ### 5/5 — New Handwriting *2026-08-27, version 16.10* The new font is a chefs kiss 😘 ### 5/5 — 5 stars *2026-08-24, version 16.10* 5stars ### 5/5 — Great just needs stroke stabilization *2026-08-23, version 16.9.1* Please add stroke stabilization ### 5/5 — Best app *2026-08-23, version 16.9.1* Best app ever ### 5/5 — Yes *2026-08-22, version 16.9.1* If you want to draw, this is the app you need --- *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 2026-09-07.*