# Goodnotes vs KotoJoy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: KotoJoy at none against Goodnotes's 20. KotoJoy also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). Goodnotes's advantage is chart position (#108 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. KotoJoy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, KotoJoy daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodnotes | KotoJoy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (467K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **467K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 33.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#108** | — |
| Size | 778 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) | [YUKA ARISADA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1781214218) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #108 Top Grossing · Productivity, #137 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture ideas, brainstorm, and create polished documents with powerful AI tools. Transcribe meetings, generate summaries, and organize notes effortlessly for work or study. Plan your life and journal your thoughts with customizable templates and creative freedom.

**Highlights:** AI-powered transcription and summarization, Infinite whiteboard for brainstorming, Handwritten and typed note organization, Customizable planner and journal templates, PDF annotation and document import, Study sets with flashcards, Presentation mode with laser pointer

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


### KotoJoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kotojoy/id6799082291)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Is KotoJoy free?

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

### Do Goodnotes or KotoJoy have ads?

Neither Goodnotes nor KotoJoy shows ads.

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

Goodnotes ships an update weekly, and KotoJoy daily. Most recently, Goodnotes was updated on November 3, 2026 and KotoJoy on October 29, 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.*