# Goodnotes vs Blue Sketch

Goodnotes and Blue Sketch both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of Blue Sketch's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's. Blue Sketch also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). Goodnotes's advantage is ratings volume (455K vs 327) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Blue Sketch sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. 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 4.7 for Blue Sketch. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 455K ratings behind it against 327, 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 77% of Blue Sketch's.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, Blue Sketch monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | Blue Sketch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews) | [4.7 (327 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-sketch-handwritten-note/id1491913803/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **455K** | 327 |
| Positive reviews | 33.6% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#88** | — |
| Size | 794 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [Masaki Ando](https://appshunter.io/developer/531132112) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #88 Top Grossing · Productivity, #114 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


### Blue Sketch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-sketch-handwritten-note/id1491913803)

This app allows you to quickly sketch and write ideas freely on a blue canvas. It offers essential drawing tools, page management, and sharing options. Focus on your creativity with a minimalist interface and robust organizational features.

**Highlights:** Handwritten note-taking, Drawing tools (pen, line, shapes), Undo/Redo functionality, Page size and scaling options, Image sharing (PNG, JPG, PDF), Document organization (folders, sorting), Read-only mode, Apple Pencil support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 pages | $0.99 | one-time |
| 30 pages | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and effective interface
- 👍 Great for kids
- 👍 Quick and easy to draw
- 👍 Simplistic nature is appreciated
- 👍 Straightforward interface for jotting ideas

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Annoying to buy pages
- 🤔 Frustrating to delete blank pages
- 🤔 Too difficult to use
- 💸 Rip off with per-page charges
- 🤏 Erasing is tedious, needs mass erase option

**Reported bugs**

- App crashed when attempting export on 2019 iPad Pro

**Requested features**

- More shapes for sketches (curves, polygons)
- TEXT field option for readable font
- Pinch/stretch to zoom
- Finer and less pixelated pencil strokes
- Option to add extra pages


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is Blue Sketch free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Goodnotes or Blue Sketch?

Goodnotes and Blue Sketch are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 455K and 327 ratings respectively.

### Do Goodnotes or Blue Sketch have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor Blue Sketch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Goodnotes or Blue Sketch?

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and Blue Sketch monthly. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 26, 2026 and Blue Sketch on September 19, 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.*