# Note Taker HD — Versatile writing & PDF markup > Versatile handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation app with extensive features. (iPhone/iPad app by Software Garden.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-hd/id366572045 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Software Garden](https://appshunter.io/developer/342284710) - Category: Productivity, Utilities - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 4.00/5 from 139 App Store ratings · 573 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 11 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2010-05-08 - Data updated: 2026-09-01 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-hd/id366572045/reviews.md ## What is Note Taker HD? Zoomed ink, PDF markup, photos, shapes, typed text, folders and tagging, extensive AirPlay control, and much more. The latest upgrade of one of the first note taking apps designed specifically for the Apple iPad and now also available for the Apple iPhone, Note Taker HD has long been known as a powerful and stable application for writing and organizing handwritten notes and diagrams. Note Taker HD can also be used to annotate PDF files. It can shrink your writing so you can easily fit a lot of text on a page. You can read the reduced-size "ink" as if you had written those letters with a very fine pen. It gives you solid functionality and control to produce the pages you need. Documents are flexibly organized by tags, date/time last modified, favorites, and more, with a scrolling list of thumbnail images of part of each page to help you find them later. You can email one or more pages as a single PDF file, "Open In" other apps, or, if your device supports it, print. Note Taker HD lets you create pages by writing on the screen with your finger or an iPad/iPhone-compatible stylus. You can either write directly on the page for large drawings, or have the "ink" you write shrunk down. You can write in large letters on the screen rather than trying to make tiny motions like a pencil. You just keep writing and Note Taker HD automatically adds new writing next to the old. To quickly correct mistakes, it has multi-level undo and redo buttons as well as an eraser -- just drag your finger over the page to erase the "ink" under it. You can zoom in and out on a page using the pinch gesture while viewing or editing. The Zoomed Editing window lets you see both a zoomed-out overview and a zoomed-in close-up writing area at the same time. You can use "Open In" in other apps send PDF files to Note Taker HD for annotation. Other features include: - Pages organized into documents and folders - Typed blocks of text with optional borders - 60+ highly customizable shapes - Insert and crop images from Photo Albums, Pasteboard, or the iPad/iPhone camera - Custom backgrounds from images or PDF pages - Free templates and clip art on the support web site - VGA/HDMI/AirPlay support with zoom, pan, and a moveable pointer - Wrist guard to avoid inadvertent touches - Layout variations better suited to some left-handed users - Optional fields in output footers like in a word processor - Extensive built-in help - Smooth and crisp ink on screen and in PDF output - Share editable copies of your documents with others - Backup to a single file for off-iPad/iPhone storage - Password protected folders - Support for the iOS Data Protection API - Support for languages written right-to-left - Full-screen preview mode - Automatic advance and auto-return in zoomed editing - Copy/Cut/Paste between pages, rotate/resize ink Note Taker HD was designed and programmed by Dan Bricklin, the same person who over 40 years ago came up with VisiCalc, the pioneering electronic spreadsheet that made working with numbers on a personal computer so easy. To see it in action, click on the Support link here or go directly to www.notetakerhd.com. ## Key features - Zoomed ink for detailed writing - PDF annotation capabilities - Insert photos and shapes - Typed text blocks - Organize with folders and tags - Export as PDF ## What do users think of Note Taker HD? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Fantastic app, great for engineering and customer communication - 👍 Text and sketching on the same page - 👍 Typed notes are more legible than handwritten - 👍 Typed text remains as editable text objects - 👍 Zoom window for precise drawing - 👍 Each element remains a distinct object that can be moved/modified - 👍 Useful for a variety of use cases **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes when exporting PDFs - 🐛 Crashes when adding photos - 🐛 Crashes and loses data - 🐛 Exporting to email not working well - 🔍 Interface not very intuitive, steep learning curve **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when exporting PDFs - Crashes when adding photos - Crashes and loses data - Exporting to email not working well **Most requested features** - Evernote integration - Ability to scroll between pages - Ability to underline, bold or italicize typed text - Ability to group objects together - Voice recording and clip function - Dropbox/iCloud sync and backup - Ability to convert handwriting to text - Folders and sub-folders for better organization - Ability to rotate objects ## Recent user reviews (10 of 573) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-hd/id366572045/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Still love this after all these years *2026-02-06, version 7.1.1* This was the first, but not last, Notetaking app I downloaded, but after at least twelve years or so it’s still my favorite. It’s basic and (mostly) simple to use, and that’s the charm. Anyone who wants a reliable app need not look any further. ### 5/5 — Great app *2025-06-05, version 7.1.1* Fantastic app, saved me tons of time…great app for engineering and sending exact information to customers. Superb ### 5/5 — Text and sketching on the same page! *2025-04-29, version 7.0.1* I have been using Note Taker HD for many years. It was the first note taking app I found where free-hand drawing and typed text can co-exist in same page. This is hands-down my favorite aspect of this app. Typed notes are so much more legible than hand-written. My handwriting is just so-so on regular paper and atrocious in sketch apps. As a bonus, the typed text remains as a text object rather than being incorporated into the page graphics, meaning the text can be edited at will. My second favorite feature is the zoom window that opens at the bottom of the page. This provide much more precision when drawing and prevents errant marks from wrist-detection, which I find rarely works in sketch/note apps. As mentioned above, every element on the page, including the page background, remains as a separate object. You may ask, “so what?” Well with each element remaining a distinct objet, that object can be moved, modified and even deleted without affecting other elements. For example, if you select a grid background because you are drawing mechanical-type illustrations, but don’t want the grid visible on printed output, simply change to a blank background and output. My only negative is that there is no direct way to export to Evernote, which is my document filing system. However, I use the “output” button and simply mail it to my Evernote email address which places it in my Inbox. Not really any different than capturing a drawing on paper using Scannable; I still have to type in a title and file it. With the Evernote email, I can get fancy with keywords in email subject to direct Evernote to place the note in desired notebook and assign desired tags to it. Lastly, I had been using Penultimate, but became extremely annoyed with the constant pop up of “Camera/Photo” whenever touching stylus to iPad writing area, and it’s inability to type in text directly. It appears Penultimate is now deprecated. So now I’m back to Note Taker HD, this time to stay. ### 5/5 — Easy to use, powerful, awesome! *2024-12-28, version 7.1.1* Rich features and easy to use, very friendly design and excellent to write, draw, paste image and so son. Absolutely useful. ### 5/5 — Does everything I need and never fails *2024-12-22, version 7.1.1* i’ve been using this app for probably 10 years not really sure, but I work as a professional interpreter, and I do all my notetaking on this app. That’s a lot of trust in an iPad app, because if we get stuck, having to read back our notes and we lose the notes or can’t read them for some reason we are toast. I have even been able to import a PDF background of the kind of notebooks. I typically use to take interpreting notes in, so it’s completely comfortable seeing the same lined page in the same separation on the page. Being able to switch colors is great. I use it primarily for handwritten notes, because interpreting notes are not really taken in complete sentences or words, words, but I’ve tried the other features, and they all work perfectly. ### 5/5 — Still very good! *2024-12-07, version 7.1.1* It remains my favourite after all these years. ### 5/5 — It will become priority software *2024-09-28, version 7.1.1* I don’t remember exactly when I started using NoteTaker HD, but it was long enough ago that it has been one of my first installs on several iPads by now. It is a favorite because of the many things it can do, and therefore because of all the solutions it provides me, as I process through all the dang information that moves across my consciousness every day. And, because Dan Bricklin is so engaged with the product (in the videos, responses to questions, etc.),I feel a personal connection to NoteTaker HD, unlike other soulless apps from God knows who. NoteTaker HD does so many things that, if you are new, you should allow yourself time to just play and wade into it. Before long, you’ll start to realize the power you can have to organize and manage all that information, and you, too, will have lots of wow moments and priority downloads onto new generations of iPads. ### 5/5 — Best thing since VisiCalc *2024-09-10, version 7.1.1* I remember doing a very complex spreadsheet by hand —.except it wasn’t called a spreadsheet then, and after several weeks of work, inputting the numbers into my new PC1 with VisiCalc in an hour one Sunday morning and then watching with amazement as the cells flickered and gave teh correct answers. Weeks of work reduced to one hour. I felt the same way when I started using NoteTakerHD HD many years ago. As an academic who has to synthesize the important points of many papers and publications, this is a life-saver. I cannot imagine doing my work without it. I have searched diligently, but found nothing comparable. I just wish it was available for Windows as well. Don Milliken ### 5/5 — Best pdf annotation app and note taker *2024-09-08, version 7.1.1* This is a must if you do any annotation or signing PDF’s. Note taking is easy, clean and functional. One of the few apps that works like it is supposed to. ### 5/5 — Solid as a rock, year after year *2022-10-06, version 7.0.1* I started using NoteTakerHD in 2010 on my iPad 2, entering data into my homegrown social work encounter form, imported as a .pdf and saved as a template. I chose NoteTakerHD because it was the only note taking app password protected and encrypted to HIPAA standard. I have used this app every working day since, now installed on an iPad Pro 11 inch. Never a glitch. Stone cold reliable. Other apps for taking notes may have more features, but I trust this only this one for my psychotherapy notes, all sensitive, health-protected documents. ## Frequently asked questions about Note Taker HD ### What can I do with Note Taker HD? Note Taker HD allows you to take handwritten notes and diagrams, annotate PDF files, and organize your documents. You can also insert photos, shapes, and typed text, with extensive options for customization and sharing. ### How does the zoomed ink feature work? The zoomed ink feature lets you zoom in on a page to write with more detail, as if using a very fine pen. This allows you to fit more text on a page and maintain clarity, with a zoomed-out overview visible simultaneously. ### How is my data organized and shared? Documents are organized using folders, tags, and date/time last modified. You can email pages as a single PDF, 'Open In' other apps, or print. Editable copies of documents can also be shared with others. ### Is this app compatible with styluses? Yes, the app is designed to work with iPad/iPhone-compatible styluses, allowing for more precise handwriting and drawing. It also includes features like a wrist guard to prevent accidental touches. ### What are the main use cases for this app? This app is ideal for students taking lecture notes, professionals annotating documents, artists sketching ideas, or anyone who prefers a digital handwritten note-taking experience with robust organization and PDF capabilities. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 7.1.1 — 2024-09-07 Version 7.1.1 fixes a crash bug with the "To Folder" tool. No other major changes. ### 7.1.0 — 2024-09-03 7.1.0 updates to a build targeting iOS 17.0 and above. No other major changes. ### 7.0.1 — 2020-06-01 7.0.0 was a major upgrade, mostly related to new support for iPhone as well as iPad Split View and screen sizes different than the original iPad. 7.0.1 adds wrist guard functionality in Zoomed Editing when the screen is narrow, fixes a bug with Selection Mode options, and also fixes an infrequent intermittent crash during Output. ### 7.0.0 — 2020-05-14 This is a major upgrade, mostly related to new support for iPhone as well as iPad Split View and screen sizes different than the original iPad. There were also various bug fixes. ### 6.12.1 — 2019-10-28 6.12 fixes a bug that sometimes caused crashes when outputting to PDF, includes better support of iOS 13, and other bug fixes. ## Apps similar to Note Taker HD | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Notability: AI Notes & Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530) | 4.8 (454,244) | Free | Productivity | | [Notes Writer Pro: Beyond PDFs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pro-beyond-pdfs/id1422480068) | 4.6 (3,193) | $9.99 | Productivity | | [Meeting Notes & Work Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meeting-notes-and-work-planner/id1476107990) | 4.1 (1,929) | Free | Productivity | | [Evernote: AI Notes & Notebook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108) | 4.4 (77,380) | Free | Productivity | | [Notebook – Notes, Notepad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebook-notes-notepad/id973801089) | 4.7 (23,845) | Free | Productivity | | [Sticky Notes: Free Note Taking](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sticky-notes-free-note-taking/id608937293) | 4.4 (5,949) | Free | Productivity | ## More apps by Software Garden - [Note Taker Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-lite/id342311693) All apps by Software Garden: https://appshunter.io/developer/342284710 ## Related topics [versatile notes](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/versatile-notes) · [note taker pdf](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/note-taker-pdf) · [pdf notes taker](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/pdf-notes-taker) --- *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 2026-09-01.*