# Goodnotes vs WeNotes+

Goodnotes and WeNotes+ both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of WeNotes+'s written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's. WeNotes+ also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.6). Goodnotes's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and WeNotes+ sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Goodnotes against 4.8 for WeNotes+. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 457K ratings behind it against 2.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Goodnotes's written reviews are positive against 93% of WeNotes+'s.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, WeNotes+ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | WeNotes+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wenotes-plus/id1477319356/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **457K** | 2.2K |
| Positive reviews | 33.6% of reviews | **93.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#90** | — |
| Size | 795 MB | 91 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [传胜 贾](https://appshunter.io/developer/789568029) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #90 Top Grossing · Productivity, #117 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


### WeNotes+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wenotes-plus/id1477319356)

Capture thoughts, to-do lists, and ideas with a versatile note-taking and voice recording app. Personalize your notes with formatting options, photos, and color themes. Secure your data and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Personalized notes and voice recording, Shortcut toolbar for formatting, Photo insertion and automatic cropping, Export to PDF, JPG, HTML, TXT, Password and biometric security, iCloud synchronization, Calendar view and search functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| VIP Annual | $7.99 | per year |
| Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 💡 Useful for notes
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient
- 👍 Organized

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches/bugs
- 🔒 Forced 5-star review to unlock features
- 🔒 Limited free features
- 🐛 Crashes/freezes
- 🐛 Syncing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notes disappearing
- Freezing when adding photos
- Syncing problems between devices

**Requested features**

- More color/font options
- Ability to manually order folders
- Checkboxes for to-do lists
- Embed videos/audio
- Unlimited free notes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is WeNotes+ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Goodnotes or WeNotes+?

WeNotes+ is rated higher. Goodnotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while WeNotes+ averages 4.8 from 2.2K ratings.

### Do Goodnotes or WeNotes+ have ads?

WeNotes+ shows ads; Goodnotes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Goodnotes or WeNotes+?

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and WeNotes+ every 3 months. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 28, 2026 and WeNotes+ on August 8, 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.*