# Corkulous vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is monetization model: Goodnotes at free with in-app purchases against Corkulous's subscription. Goodnotes also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 950). Corkulous's advantage is review sentiment (61% vs 34%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Corkulous sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Goodnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 457K ratings behind it against 950, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Corkulous's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Corkulous ships an update every 3 months, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Corkulous | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (950 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/corkulous-your-ideas/id1155543746/reviews) | **[4.7 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 950 | **457K** |
| Positive reviews | **60.5% of reviews** | 33.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#95** |
| Size | 128 MB | 795 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Corked Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1155543745) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Corkulous

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/corkulous-your-ideas/id1155543746)

Organize and share your ideas naturally on digital corkboards. Collect notes, photos, links, and tasks, then visually connect them. Supports multiple boards, sketching, and cloud syncing for seamless idea management across devices.

**Highlights:** Digital corkboards for idea collection, Support for notes, photos, links, and tasks, Visual connections and grouping of ideas, Sketch tools with gesture support, iCloud and Dropbox syncing, Export and share in multiple formats, Nested boards and templates

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corkulous Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Corkulous Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Subscription | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app
- 🚀 Great tool for ideas development
- 👍 Brilliant concept
- 👍 Superb and powerful
- 👍 Naturally smart

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Great but has issues
- 🐛 Useless file sharing
- 🐛 Unreliable autosaving
- 🐛 Lacks Windows integration
- 🐛 Small board kinda glitchy

**Reported bugs**

- Boards not opening
- Boards not syncing across devices
- Text disappearing from sticky notes
- Frequent crashes
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Allow drawing directly on board
- Increase canvas size
- Add ability to change default font
- Improve syncing and file sharing
- Add desktop version


### Goodnotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602)

**Currently charting:** #95 Top Grossing · Productivity, #116 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture ideas, enhance productivity, and unlock insights with advanced AI features. This app offers tools for professionals, students, and creatives, including infinite whiteboards, AI-powered transcription and summarization, and customizable digital notebooks.

**Highlights:** AI-powered transcription and summarization, Infinite whiteboard canvas, Digital notebooks with customizable templates, Study Sets for flashcards, Presentation mode with laser pointer, Real-time collaboration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Pass (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Goodnotes 6 (1 Year) | $9.99 | per year |
| Essential (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| Essential (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| Goodnotes Pro (Yearly) | $35.99 | per year |
| Bunny Oasis Stickers | Free | one-time |
| Medicine-Academia Sticker Shee | Free | one-time |
| Goodnotes 6 Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $6.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $8.99 | one-time |
| GoodNotes 5 Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $9.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $10.99 | one-time |
| Goodnotes 6 One-Time Payment | $28.99 | one-time |
| Special Edition | $35.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking experience
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🚀 Smooth writing with Apple Pencil
- 📁 Powerful organization with folders and notebooks
- 🖼️ Ability to annotate PDFs and documents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Syncing and iCloud issues
- 🔍 Lack of flexibility with text input
- 🔍 Limited eraser and highlighting options
- 🔍 Subpar performance on Mac app

**Reported bugs**

- Text box issues - unable to edit, resize, or move properly
- Handwriting recognition problems, especially with cursive
- Unreliable scrolling and page navigation
- Inconsistent behavior when using the zoom feature

**Requested features**

- Add bullet point and formatting options for typed text
- Implement a full-screen writing mode
- Improve the straight line and shape tools
- Integrate audio recording and synchronization
- Allow more customization of the toolbar and interface


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Corkulous free?

Corkulous is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Goodnotes free?

Goodnotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Corkulous or Goodnotes?

Goodnotes is rated higher. Corkulous averages 4.4 out of 5 from 950 ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 457K ratings.

### Do Corkulous or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Corkulous nor Goodnotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Corkulous or Goodnotes?

Corkulous ships an update every 3 months, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Corkulous was updated on September 19, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*