# Numbers vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Numbers at none against Goodnotes's 20. Numbers also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 34%). Goodnotes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Numbers against 4.7 for Goodnotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 223K and 461K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Numbers's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's.

Numbers ships an update every 3 months, Goodnotes weekly. Both last shipped on October 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Numbers | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (223K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbers-make-spreadsheets/id361304891/reviews) | **[4.7 (461K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 223K | **461K** |
| Positive reviews | **49.9% of reviews** | 33.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#101** |
| Size | 631 MB | 772 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Numbers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbers-make-spreadsheets/id361304891)

Design impressive spreadsheets with a flexible canvas, interactive charts, and powerful functions. Collaborate with others and access your work across devices. Includes tools for data analysis and text composition.

**Highlights:** Apple-designed templates, Flexible canvas for layout, Interactive charts and pivot tables, Hundreds of powerful functions, Cross-device compatibility via iCloud, Collaboration and real-time editing, Import/export Excel and CSV files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Apple ecosystem
- 🚀 Great for basic spreadsheet needs
- 🚀 Visually appealing charts and formatting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with Excel files
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to Excel
- 🐛 Frustrating editing experience on mobile
- 🐛 Disappearing spreadsheets after updates

**Reported bugs**

- Frozen headers issue
- Keyboard and text editing problems
- Spreadsheet data loss after updates
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Slow performance and loading times

**Requested features**

- Ability to lock individual cells
- More advanced formula and function support
- Improved collaboration and sharing options
- Better mobile interface and keyboard integration
- Customizable templates and formatting options


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #101 Top Grossing · Productivity, #152 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Numbers free?

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

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

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

Goodnotes is rated higher. Numbers averages 4.6 out of 5 from 223K ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 461K ratings.

### Do Numbers or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Numbers nor Goodnotes shows ads.

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

Numbers ships an update every 3 months, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Numbers was updated on October 13, 2026 and Goodnotes on October 13, 2026.

---

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