# Goodnotes vs BigPaper

The clearest difference is rating: Goodnotes at 4.7 against BigPaper's 4.0. Goodnotes also leads on ratings volume (455K vs 17) and chart position (#86 vs unranked). BigPaper's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and BigPaper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Goodnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 455K ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 34% of Goodnotes's written reviews are positive against 27% of BigPaper's.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, BigPaper every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | BigPaper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** | [4.0 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bigpaper-mind-map-pdf-markup/id1633929939/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **455K** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | **33.6% of reviews** | 26.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#86** | — |
| Size | 794 MB | 253 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [10happy Technology Development(Dalian) Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1567148260) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### BigPaper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bigpaper-mind-map-pdf-markup/id1633929939)

This app offers an infinite canvas for note-taking, PDF annotation, and mind mapping. Import various document formats and add text, handwriting, tables, and more. Efficiently organize and edit content without page limitations.

**Highlights:** Infinite canvas for freeform note-taking, Import and annotate PDFs and other documents, Mind mapping with element connections, Handwriting and drawing tools with Smart Shapes, Table creation and linking, Multi-format document import and export, Screenshot mode for quick content capture

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BigPaper - Full Version Unlock | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is BigPaper free?

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

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

Goodnotes is rated higher. Goodnotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 455K ratings, while BigPaper averages 4.0 from 17 ratings.

### Do Goodnotes or BigPaper have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor BigPaper shows ads.

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

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and BigPaper every 5 days. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 24, 2026 and BigPaper on July 5, 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.*