# Mural vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is rating: Goodnotes at 4.7 against Mural's 2.4. Goodnotes also leads on ratings volume (455K vs 68) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Mural's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.6). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Mural asks for nothing beyond the download.

Goodnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 455K ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Mural's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's.

Mural ships an update every 5 weeks, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mural | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.4 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mural-visual-collaboration/id1156631145/reviews) | **[4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 68 | **455K** |
| Positive reviews | 16.2% of reviews | **33.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#86** |
| Size | 30 MB | 794 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tactivos Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/655060814) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Mural

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mural-visual-collaboration/id1156631145)

This app provides a digital whiteboard for real-time and asynchronous team collaboration. It allows users to brainstorm, ideate, and align on projects from anywhere, fostering business-driving outcomes. Capture inspiration and share it with your team on the go.

**Highlights:** Real-time and asynchronous collaboration, Digital whiteboard for ideation, Freehand drawing and concept mapping, Sticky notes, shapes, and text boxes, Icon library for visual thinking, Voting sessions and reactions, Export murals as PDF, image, or zip

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🎨 Great collaborative whiteboarding tool
- ✏️ Apple Pencil support for drawing
- 📱 Mobile app allows work on-the-go
- 🔄 Real-time collaboration features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ App doesn't load or opens to blank screen
- 🔌 Forced app redirect from browser on mobile
- ❌ Missing key desktop features on mobile
- 📉 Poor performance on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or when opening boards
- White/blank screen on startup
- Stuck on logo screen indefinitely
- Login failures and authentication errors
- Microsoft authentication process hangs

**Requested features**

- Google and Apple login options
- Full desktop feature parity on mobile
- Proper keyboard and trackpad support
- Folder visibility and management on iOS
- Search functionality for murals


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Grossing · Productivity, #115 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 Mural free?

Mural is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

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

Goodnotes is rated higher. Mural averages 2.4 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 455K ratings.

### Do Mural or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Mural nor Goodnotes shows ads.

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

Mural ships an update every 5 weeks, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Mural was updated on August 27, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 24, 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.*