Comparison

Goodnotes vs ChatGPT

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Goodnotes

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
Read full description

Goodnotes has always been the place to capture your ideas — from quick notes to big plans. Now, it goes further. With powerful AI and new ways to capture information, Goodnotes helps you connect the dots, unlock insights, and turn ideas into action. *Existing Goodnotes 5 users can continue to use Goodnotes 5 indefinitely or upgrade to the new Goodnotes. Either way, your notes are safe!* For professionals: Increase productivity at work ■ Whiteboard + Goodnotes AI: Brainstorm, mind-map, and diagram freely on an infinite canvas that grows with your ideas. Enhanced diagramming tools and real-time collaboration make it easy for teams to workshop & ideate together, while Goodnotes AI helps you capture and organize key takeaways instantly. ■ Goodnotes AI Audio & Meetings: Stay fully present in every conversation while Goodnotes does the work for you. AI-powered transcription and live summarization automatically capture discussions and turns them into clear meeting minutes. After the meeting, merge transcripts with your own handwritten or typed notes to create polished, shareable documents in seconds. ■ Text Documents + AI: Create documents that think with you. Enjoy a superior typing experience with rich inline blocks, build on ideas with external insights, and collaborate seamlessly with teammates. With AI-powered summarization, automated note generation, and transcript support, turn rough notes and meetings into finished content faster than ever. ■ Present your notes, slides, and content directly from Goodnotes when you connect your device via AirPlay or HDMI to an external screen. ■ Use Laser Pointer to guide your audience's attention during your presentation. ■ Export your handwritten and typed notes to email, print, or share them anywhere as PDFs. ■ Send a link to your notebooks to work on the same notes. ■ Import documents by emailing them to your custom Goodnotes email. For students: Ace your exams with ease ■ Record audio notes that are magically synced to your iPhone or iPad exact moment you write: perfect for lectures, seminars, and presentations. ■ Take handwritten notes that stay fully searchable: instantly find any word across every class notebook, even mid-lecture. ■ Study and practice straight from your notes with study Sets: flashcards built on active recall and spaced repetition. ■ Use AI to summarize, shorten, change the tone of your words, and turn messy handwritten or typed student notes into polished, structured study material. For planners and journalers: Let your creativity flow ■ Plan your week, month, or year on your iPhone/ iPad with built-in and importable planner templates, fully customizable to match how you plan. ■ Keep a daily journal alongside your planner. Combine handwriting, typed reflections, photos, and stickers on the same page. ■ Use Goodnotes AI to summarize a week's worth of journal entries on your iPhone or iPad into key themes and takeaways. ■ Customize the size and color of your paper templates to create the planner or journal you want. ■ Add, create, or import stickers, stamps, washi tapes, images, and more on your iPad. Digital notebooks: unlimited notebooks for the price of a single physical one ■ Combine handwriting and typed text on one page, alongside images, stickers, diagrams, and doodles. ■ Create digital notebooks, planners, and journals with customizable paper templates, including Blank Paper, Ruled Paper, Cornell Paper, Checklists, Planners, and more. ■ Navigate long documents with ease. PDF tables of contents are automatically imported, or create custom outlines yourself. ■ Back up all your handwritten and typed notes to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, and use iCloud to sync across iPad, iPhone, and Mac — so your notes are always safe. ■ Edit your handwriting by resizing it, changing the text color, or moving it to another spot on the page. Privacy Policy: https://www.goodnotes.com/privacy-policy Terms and Conditions: https://www.goodnotes.com/terms-and-conditions

About

ChatGPT

This app provides access to advanced AI capabilities, including text generation, image creation from descriptions, and voice conversations. It offers personalized advice, creative inspiration, and instant answers for various tasks, syncing history across devices.

Highlights
  • Image generation from text
  • Advanced voice conversations
  • Photo upload and transcription
  • Creative inspiration and ideas
  • Tailored advice and planning
  • Personalized learning assistance
  • Professional brainstorming
Features
Read full description

Introducing ChatGPT for iOS: OpenAI’s latest advancements at your fingertips. This official app is free, syncs your history across devices, and brings you the latest from OpenAI, including the new image generator. With ChatGPT in your pocket, you’ll find: · Image generation–Generate original images from a description, or transform existing ones with a few simple words. · Advanced Voice Mode–Tap the soundwave icon to have a real-time convo on the go. Settle a dinner table debate, or practice a new language. · Photo upload—Snap or upload a picture to transcribe a handwritten recipe or get info about a landmark. · Creative inspiration—Find custom birthday gift ideas or create a personalized greeting card. · Tailored advice—Talk through a tough situation, ask for a detailed travel itinerary, or get help crafting the perfect response. · Personalized learning—Explain electricity to a dinosaur-loving kid or easily brush up yourself on a historic event. · Professional input—Brainstorm marketing copy or map out a business plan. · Instant answers—Get recipe suggestions when you only have a few ingredients. Join hundreds of millions of users and try the app captivating the world. Download ChatGPT today. Terms of service & privacy policy: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Goodnotes4 screens
ChatGPT4 screens

Verdict

The call

Goodnotes and ChatGPT both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of ChatGPT's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's. ChatGPT also leads on chart position (#1 vs #86) and ratings volume (11M vs 455K). Goodnotes's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and ChatGPT sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $8.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Goodnotes against 4.8 for ChatGPT. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChatGPT has 11M ratings behind it against 455K, 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 70% of ChatGPT's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Goodnotes versus ChatGPT: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoodnotesChatGPT
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (455K ratings)4.8 (11M ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.6% of reviews70.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings455K11M — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#86#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size794 MB227 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGoodnotes LimitedOpenAI OpCo, LLC

Customer experience

Goodnotes

All ratings454,853 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews6,458 reviews
Positive33.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative55.0%

ChatGPT

All ratings10,581,613 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews25,277 reviews
Positive70.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative25.4%

User reviews

Goodnotes

From 455K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and crashes
  • 🔍 Syncing and iCloud issues
  • 🔍 Lack of flexibility with text input
  • 🔍 Limited eraser and highlighting options
  • 🔍 Subpar performance on Mac app

ChatGPT

From 11M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and versatile AI assistant
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🤖 Impressive conversational abilities
  • 💡 Convenient mobile access to ChatGPT
  • 🧠 Vast knowledge base on diverse topics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional inaccuracies or inconsistencies in responses
  • 🔖 Limited to pre-2021 data, lacking real-time updates
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data usage
  • 🔍 Difficulty in navigating and managing conversation history

Bugs and requests

Goodnotes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

ChatGPT

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unexpected app crashes or freezes
  • Issues with login and account verification
  • Inconsistent performance on different iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to integrate with other apps and services
  • Support for voice commands and audio responses
  • Enhanced search and organization of conversation history
  • Customization options for the AI's personality and behavior
  • Improved accessibility features for users with disabilities

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Goodnotes

Subscriptions5
  • AI Pass (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Goodnotes 6 (1 Year)1 Year trial$9.991 Year
  • Essential (Yearly)7 Days trial$11.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Essential (Yearly)1 Year trial2 variants$11.991 Year
  • Goodnotes Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time11
  • Bunny Oasis StickersFree
  • Medicine-Academia Sticker SheeFree
  • Goodnotes 6 Free TrialFree
Show 8 more
  • Marketplace Content$1.99
  • Marketplace Content$6.99
  • Marketplace Content$8.99
  • GoodNotes 5 Unlock$9.99
  • Marketplace Content$9.99
  • Marketplace Content$10.99
  • Goodnotes 6 One-Time Payment$28.99
  • Special Edition$35.99
8 purchases

ChatGPT

Subscriptions5
  • ChatGPT Go$8.001 Month
  • ChatGPT Plus$19.991 Month
  • ChatGPT Pro 5x$100.001 Month
Show 2 more
  • ChatGPT Pro 20x$200.001 Month
  • ChatGPT Plus$200.001 Year
One-time3
  • 100 Credits$4.00
  • 500 Credits$20.00
  • 1000 Credits$40.00

Questions

Is Goodnotes free?
Goodnotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChatGPT free?
ChatGPT is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Goodnotes or ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is rated higher. Goodnotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 455K ratings, while ChatGPT averages 4.8 from 11M ratings.
Do Goodnotes or ChatGPT have ads?
ChatGPT shows ads; Goodnotes does not.
Which is updated more often, Goodnotes or ChatGPT?
Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and ChatGPT weekly. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 24, 2026 and ChatGPT on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Goodnotes or ChatGPT?
Goodnotes currently peaks at #86 in the App Store charts, and ChatGPT at #1. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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