# Note Taker Lite > Digital handwritten note-taking and organization app. (iPhone/iPad app by Software Garden.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-lite/id342311693 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Software Garden](https://appshunter.io/developer/342284710) - Category: Productivity, Utilities - Price: Free - Rating: 2.90/5 from 1,445 App Store ratings ยท 43 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 3.1 ยท 1 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2009-12-05 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-lite/id342311693/reviews.md ## What is Note Taker Lite? "Best App for Handwritten Notes" - O'Reilly Best iPhone Apps "Using Dan Bricklinโ€™s Note Taker is a beautiful experience, as the app is a brilliant workaround to a formerly sticky situation. More important, it works like a charm." - John Fuller, Macworld.com (writing about version 1.0 . . . and version 2.0 is even better!) Dan Bricklin'sยฎ Note Taker makes it easy for you to quickly write down and organize names, phone numbers, addresses, shopping lists, notes, and more. You write directly on the screen with your finger. It's like having a stack of note cards and a pencil always with you. Pages are flexibly organized by date/time last modified, tags, favorites, and more, with thumbnail images of part of each page to help you find them later. You can write in large letters on the screen rather than trying to make tiny motions like a pencil. Note Taker automatically shrinks your writing so you can fit a lot of text on the screen. You just keep writing and Note Taker automatically adds new writing next to the old. To quickly correct mistakes, it has a multi-level undo button as well as an eraser -- just drag your finger over the page to erase the "ink" under it. The "paper" your writing ends up on is equivalent to about a 3"x5" card. You can write anywhere on it, so you can cross out shopping items as you buy them, go back and underline, draw diagrams, and more. You lay out the page the way you want. Use any markings: stars, underlines, and characters in any language. Create multiple pages. You can email your notes as JPEGs, or save them to a photo album. This Lite version has a limit of 15 pages at a time in the page list. Note Taker was designed and programmed by Dan Bricklin, the same person who 30 years ago came up with VisiCalc, the pioneering electronic spreadsheet that made working with numbers on a personal computer so easy. See the Note Taker YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/DBNoteTaker -- MAKE SURE YOU WATCH THE "How to write on the screen" video or follow the "Try It" tutorial in the app itself to learn the "trick" to writing. ## Key features - Handwritten note-taking with finger - Organize pages by date, tags, favorites - Multi-level undo and eraser - Shrinks writing to fit more text - Email notes as JPEGs - Save notes to photo album ## What do users think of Note Taker Lite? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - ๐Ÿ‘ Simple and easy to use - ๐Ÿš€ Efficient note-taking with auto-advance - ๐Ÿ’ก Useful for sketching and diagrams - ๐Ÿ” Handwriting searchable in Evernote **Cons** - ๐Ÿ› Crashes and stability issues - ๐Ÿ“ฑ Not optimized for larger screens like iPad - ๐Ÿ”ค Lack of text input option **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when updating the app - Handwriting becomes illegible on iPad **Most requested features** - Add graph paper background - Implement text input and editing - Improve portrait mode support - Implement copy/paste and row deletion ## Recent user reviews (10 of 43) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-taker-lite/id342311693/reviews.md ### 2/5 โ€” When will you update so I can use for my current phone ? *2022-09-02, version 2.0.0* Hi it no longer works with my current iphone 11, will you please maintain the app so I can use the purchase? ### 4/5 โ€” Please update for 4 inch screen *2012-11-27, version 2.0.0* Great app but it would be awesome if this could get updated for the iPhone 5 ### 4/5 โ€” SImple, perfect *2012-08-02, version 2.0.0* After the short tutorial, this was incredibly easy to use, and does exactly what I was looking for: simple, stupid sketches with some written notes. Easy as pie. The only thing I might ask for is the option to type text instead of hand-writing it over a sketch. I mostly use this for making a quick sketch with written dimensions that I later use as a reference for CAD drawings. ### 5/5 โ€” Very Well Done. *2012-07-21, version 2.0.0* Easy to learn, great tutorial. Love this app for map drawing and such- will gladly get the full version now. ### 4/5 โ€” Handy app *2012-07-02, version 2.0.0* Well, this app was just what I wanted. I plan to use it for all of my assignments in the fall. As a grad student I've found going digital is easier than ever now. The app is simple easy and fast. I love writing on my iPod touch because it is quick and easy. Also it's easier to remember things if I have to actually write the letters. The app is slightly pixilated and the amount of notes is limited. I will buy the full program if this can help me replace my planner. ### 1/5 โ€” Note Taker *2012-05-10, version 2.0.0* Okay, I'm not a tech person so who can tell me WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NOTES after I updated Note Taker??!!! I guess maybe I shouldn't have updated?! Not too happy right now and surprised at what happened. I've updated all my apps in the past without any problems or major changes! Where did I mess up?? ### 5/5 โ€” Great simple app *2011-10-21, version 2.0.0* This is a nice little simple app but there are few little quirks to learn. First, I thought you couldn't work in portrait mode but you have to enable it in the options. I think the reason may have been the help won't show up in portrait so maybe it was easier to disable by default? In any case, it works if you need it. The other confusing part for me was when in landscape, how to move the paper up and down. If you are in drawing mode, obviously using one finger will draw and not push the paper. So I tried two fingers. The page moves, but opposite what you would expect! After reading the help, I found what you need to think about is that you are moving the blue rectangle around. If you want to push the paper around, you actually use three fingers. For myself, this wasn't intuitive. I think a simple two finger to move the paper would have been fine. The blue rectangle could have be constrained to always be visible on the part of the page you were looking and then you could drag it around. In any case, now that I understand what was implemented, no big deal. Great app and if I find I need more than the 15 pages, I will go for the full version! A couple quick comments. You can email to your evernote address to get the jpg in evernote. This also makes your handwriting searchable! As for people that complain the full version should be free. You can't be serious. A well written app for a couple bucks is less than you spend on a bottle of water. Developers will keep writing good apps as long as they can make a living doing so. And the developer has even provided a free version! Thanks Dan! ### 1/5 โ€” Meh *2011-03-29, version 2.0.0* If they made it free it would be awesome. The fact that the free version holds only a limited number of pages is garbage. As far as how the app works it is awesome, you just really shouldn't have to pay for it considering this is functionality that apple should have included with iPad. It's a shame Apple left so much out of the ipad further elevating the price of iPad if you want full functionality. ### 5/5 โ€” The best handwriting app. Period. *2011-02-19, version 2.0.0* I have literally tried well over a dozen different handwriting and note-taking apps. This and Note Taker HD for iPad are by far the best, most useable apps of their kind. The auto advance and text-shrinking functions allow me to quickly and easily take lots of notes with one hand while holding the iDevice with the other, wherever I am. Comprehensive tutorial helps get you started. Works great with Just Mobile's Alupen. ### 5/5 โ€” great *2011-01-22, version 2.0.0* Fantastic app. Using it all the time. !!!! ## Frequently asked questions about Note Taker Lite ### What is Dan Bricklin's Note Taker Lite? Dan Bricklin's Note Taker Lite is a mobile application that allows users to take handwritten notes directly on their device's screen using their finger. It functions like a digital stack of note cards, enabling quick capture and organization of various information like names, phone numbers, addresses, and shopping lists. ### How do I write and edit notes in the app? You write directly on the screen with your finger, similar to using a pencil on paper. The app automatically shrinks your writing to fit more content. It also features a multi-level undo button and an eraser tool, allowing you to easily correct mistakes by dragging your finger over the unwanted "ink". ### How are my notes organized? Pages in the app can be organized in several ways to help you find them later. You can sort them by date/time last modified, by tags you assign, or by marking them as favorites. Thumbnail images of each page are also displayed to aid in quick identification. ### Can I share my notes? Yes, you can share your handwritten notes. The app allows you to email your notes as JPEG images, or you can save them directly to your device's photo album for easy access and sharing through other platforms. ### What are the limitations of the Lite version? The Lite version of Note Taker has a limitation on the number of pages you can manage at one time within the page list. Specifically, it is limited to 15 pages in the page list, offering a taste of the app's functionality before potentially upgrading. ## Version history (last 1 release) ### 2.0.0 โ€” 2010-03-17 Version 2.0 is a major upgrade. Here are some of the changes: It adds thumbnails, tags, favorites, sorting, and more to the list of pages. Auto-advance now handles cursive handwriting better, especially when dotting an "i" or crossing a "t". The Lite version page limit has been raised to 15 pages. Writing is reportedly smoother on iPhone 3G and the older devices thanks to new code. 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*