# Goodnotes vs Wordrunner

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wordrunner at 100% against Goodnotes's 34%. Wordrunner also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 20) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Goodnotes's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and chart position (#102 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Goodnotes is free to download; Wordrunner costs $1.99 up front. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Wordrunner asks for nothing beyond the download.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, Wordrunner every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | Wordrunner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (466K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **466K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 33.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#102** | — |
| Size | 776 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [Heiko Kiedrowicz](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779655608) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #102 Top Grossing · Productivity, #144 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


### Wordrunner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordrunner-reader/id6779655606)

Enhance your reading experience with a focused, distraction-free view that displays words one at a time. Adjust your reading speed and easily navigate through ebooks, articles, and documents without scrolling.

**Highlights:** Focused reading view, Adjustable reading speed, Import text from various sources, Distraction-free interface, Pause and resume reading, Supports ebooks, articles, PDFs, EPUBs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is Wordrunner free?

Wordrunner costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Goodnotes or Wordrunner have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor Wordrunner shows ads.

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

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and Wordrunner every 2 days. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on October 30, 2026 and Wordrunner on October 14, 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.*