# Goodnotes vs XNote

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XNote at none against Goodnotes's 20. XNote also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 34%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.6). Goodnotes's advantage is ratings volume (455K vs 76) and chart position (#86 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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. XNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Goodnotes against 4.6 for XNote. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 455K ratings behind it against 76, 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 60% of XNote's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | XNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** | [4.6 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xnote-infinite-boards-and-notes/id1644300153/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **455K** | 76 |
| Positive reviews | 33.6% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#86** | — |
| Size | 794 MB | 40 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) | [华清 杨](https://appshunter.io/developer/1643454681) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #86 Top Grossing · Productivity, #110 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


### XNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xnote-infinite-boards-and-notes/id1644300153)

This app offers unlimited whiteboards, PDF annotation, and notebook creation in a simple, intuitive interface. It allows for jotting down ideas, studying materials, and taking daily notes with smooth performance and flexible organization.

**Highlights:** Unlimited whiteboards, PDF annotation, Notebook creation, File organization with folders, Web, photo, and file browsing within the app, Quick search functionality, One-click export and sharing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is XNote free?

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

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

Goodnotes is rated higher. Goodnotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 455K ratings, while XNote averages 4.6 from 76 ratings.

### Do Goodnotes or XNote have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor XNote shows ads.

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

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and XNote weekly. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 24, 2026 and XNote on August 11, 2026.

---

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