# Pages vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pages at none against Goodnotes's 20. Pages also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 34%). Goodnotes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#92 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. Pages asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Pages against 4.7 for Goodnotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 551K and 455K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Pages's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's.

Pages ships an update every 3 months, Goodnotes weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pages | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (551K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pages-create-documents/id361309726/reviews) | **[4.7 (455K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **551K** | 455K |
| Positive reviews | **59.4% of reviews** | 33.6% 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 | — | **#92** |
| Size | 656 MB | 794 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Pages

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pages-create-documents/id361309726)

Create visually appealing documents with a wide range of templates and editing tools. Enhance your work with multimedia, track changes, and collaborate seamlessly. Offers advanced features for writing, design, and presentation.

**Highlights:** Apple-designed templates, Add images, video, audio, Track changes and comments, Screen View for mobile editing, Interactive EPUB creation, Drawing and annotation with Apple Pencil, Writing Tools for AI assistance

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Versatile writing app
- 🎨 Excellent creative features
- 🤝 Collaborative capabilities
- 📚 Great for writing books/stories
- 🏫 Useful for school/work documents

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to find/organize documents
- 🖋️ Frustrating cursor and text editing
- 🔄 Inconsistent sync and file management
- 🔢 Limited font and formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Documents disappearing or failing to save
- Keyboard freezing and unresponsive typing
- Formatting issues when importing/exporting files
- Compatibility problems with older devices/OS versions

**Requested features**

- Add more font and formatting options
- Improve cursor and text editing controls
- Streamline document organization and search
- Enhance sync and offline editing capabilities
- Integrate grammar/spelling correction tools


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #92 Top Grossing · Productivity, #109 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 Pages free?

Pages 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, Pages or Goodnotes?

Goodnotes is rated higher. Pages averages 4.6 out of 5 from 551K ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 455K ratings.

### Do Pages or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Pages nor Goodnotes shows ads.

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

Pages ships an update every 3 months, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Pages was updated on September 25, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 25, 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.*