# Goodnotes vs UltraNotes

Goodnotes and UltraNotes both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of UltraNotes's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's. UltraNotes also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). Goodnotes's advantage is ratings volume (455K vs 171) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). 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 UltraNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.6 for UltraNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 455K ratings behind it against 171, 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 82% of UltraNotes's.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, UltraNotes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | UltraNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** | [4.6 (171 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6468902627/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **455K** | 171 |
| Positive reviews | 33.6% of reviews | **81.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#85** | — |
| Size | 794 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [Skyjos Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/499470116) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #85 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


### UltraNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultranotes-note-taking-and-pdf/id6468902627)

This app combines powerful note-taking, handwriting, and PDF annotation features. Create rich text notes, sketch with various tools, and mark up documents. Organize, search, and sync your notes across devices.

**Highlights:** Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil, Rich text formatting and templates, PDF annotation and signing, Cross-device synchronization via iCloud, Searchable handwriting and text, Side-by-side multitasking on iPad/Mac, Audio recording with notes

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UltraNotes Pro Lifetime | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ✍️ Excellent handwriting and pen experience
- 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
- 🎨 Variety of pen styles and drawing tools
- 💰 One-time purchase with no subscription
- 🔒 Strong privacy policy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Writing/drawing input not registering properly
- 🐛 Frequent page scrolling when attempting to write
- 🔄 Slow or unreliable iCloud sync
- 📤 Export functionality issues
- 🔍 Search feature crashes the app

**Reported bugs**

- Writing and drawing input not working
- Page scrolling interferes with writing
- iCloud sync not functioning
- Export to other apps failing
- Hand gestures changing page zoom during writing

**Requested features**

- Ability to lock zoom while writing with Apple Pencil
- Resize shapes after cutting/moving them
- Export notes to PDF and other apps
- Dark/light theme toggle for pages
- Nested list item support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is UltraNotes free?

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

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

Goodnotes is rated higher. Goodnotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 455K ratings, while UltraNotes averages 4.6 from 171 ratings.

### Do Goodnotes or UltraNotes have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor UltraNotes shows ads.

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

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and UltraNotes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on September 24, 2026 and UltraNotes on September 23, 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.*