Note Taker HD vs GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Note Taker HD
This app allows for versatile handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation on iPad and iPhone. It offers features like zoomed ink, shapes, typed text, and image insertion, with flexible organization and sharing options.
- Zoomed ink for detailed writing
- PDF annotation capabilities
- Insert photos and shapes
- Typed text blocks
- Organize with folders and tags
- Export as PDF
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Zoomed ink, PDF markup, photos, shapes, typed text, folders and tagging, extensive AirPlay control, and much more. The latest upgrade of one of the first note taking apps designed specifically for the Apple iPad and now also available for the Apple iPhone, Note Taker HD has long been known as a powerful and stable application for writing and organizing handwritten notes and diagrams. Note Taker HD can also be used to annotate PDF files. It can shrink your writing so you can easily fit a lot of text on a page. You can read the reduced-size "ink" as if you had written those letters with a very fine pen. It gives you solid functionality and control to produce the pages you need. Documents are flexibly organized by tags, date/time last modified, favorites, and more, with a scrolling list of thumbnail images of part of each page to help you find them later. You can email one or more pages as a single PDF file, "Open In" other apps, or, if your device supports it, print. Note Taker HD lets you create pages by writing on the screen with your finger or an iPad/iPhone-compatible stylus. You can either write directly on the page for large drawings, or have the "ink" you write shrunk down. You can write in large letters on the screen rather than trying to make tiny motions like a pencil. You just keep writing and Note Taker HD automatically adds new writing next to the old. To quickly correct mistakes, it has multi-level undo and redo buttons as well as an eraser -- just drag your finger over the page to erase the "ink" under it. You can zoom in and out on a page using the pinch gesture while viewing or editing. The Zoomed Editing window lets you see both a zoomed-out overview and a zoomed-in close-up writing area at the same time. You can use "Open In" in other apps send PDF files to Note Taker HD for annotation. Other features include: - Pages organized into documents and folders - Typed blocks of text with optional borders - 60+ highly customizable shapes - Insert and crop images from Photo Albums, Pasteboard, or the iPad/iPhone camera - Custom backgrounds from images or PDF pages - Free templates and clip art on the support web site - VGA/HDMI/AirPlay support with zoom, pan, and a moveable pointer - Wrist guard to avoid inadvertent touches - Layout variations better suited to some left-handed users - Optional fields in output footers like in a word processor - Extensive built-in help - Smooth and crisp ink on screen and in PDF output - Share editable copies of your documents with others - Backup to a single file for off-iPad/iPhone storage - Password protected folders - Support for the iOS Data Protection API - Support for languages written right-to-left - Full-screen preview mode - Automatic advance and auto-return in zoomed editing - Copy/Cut/Paste between pages, rotate/resize ink Note Taker HD was designed and programmed by Dan Bricklin, the same person who over 40 years ago came up with VisiCalc, the pioneering electronic spreadsheet that made working with numbers on a personal computer so easy. To see it in action, click on the Support link here or go directly to www.notetakerhd.com.
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
This app offers robust PDF editing and viewing capabilities, alongside comprehensive file management tools. It allows users to annotate PDFs, manage files from various cloud services, and secure sensitive data with advanced encryption. Enjoy a superior reading experience with features like PDF Reflow and split-screen viewing.
- PDF annotation and editing
- Extensive file format support
- Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- AES-256 military-grade encryption
- Split-screen viewing for iPad
- File management and organization
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First released in 2009, GoodReader® is truly a veteran of the App Store. In the modern app business, it's not easy to stay relevant that long. We're proud to say that after 17 years and counting, we've been delivering wonderful updates with extraordinary new features. And we're going to keep doing that! GoodReader is a perfect combination of document-reading and file-managing capabilities. It's your one-stop shop for all your document needs on your iOS device. Use the app once, and you'll be hooked. Soon you'll be wondering how you ever managed to work without it. -= File Reading =- PDF, TXT, MS Office, iWork, HTML, pictures, music & audio-books, videos. This is what you can view in GoodReader, plus you can also annotate PDF files and edit TXT files. -= PDF Reading and Annotating =- PDF files is where GoodReader truly shines. Reading experience is so superior, it's hard to describe. To rephrase one of our customers' review, "try it, and you'll see." While you're at it, give our PDF Reflow feature a try. You'll be surprised how much better PDF reading goes when you don't have to scroll left/right all the time, for every single line of text. Annotating PDFs is another star feature of our app. Adding notes and drawings, highlighting text, and then sharing your annotated files or annotation summaries will be your main productivity and collaboration asset. -= File Management =- While reading files is a big part of GoodReader, it's not all it can do. It can also serve as a central hub for all your files, even those that can't be opened by GoodReader itself. It's like bringing your personal computer experience to your mobile device — easily managing huge collections of files and folders will make you forget you don't have your laptop around. -= Connecting =- Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box.com, WebDAV, SMB, FTP, SFTP — these are all accessible from inside GoodReader. Download, upload, and sync individual files or huge folder collections. -= Security =- With GoodReader, your data security steps up to the level previously only dreamt of. With Pro Pack®, our new set of professional-level super-features, you'll get AES-256, a military-grade encryption, for all your data, at a price of a cup of coffee! And it's completely independent from the built-in Apple's Data Protection, so even if a hacker steals and unlocks your device, your data will still be protected by another strong layer of security, our own. -= Multi-Windows =- Seamlessly view and manage multiple files simultaneously on iPad. -= Notes =- Capture ideas and comments while reading or studying a technical document without even leaving the app. Sort and group your notes into categories. (Note: Some features require a Pro Pack® subscription.)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer at 4.7 against Note Taker HD's 4.0. GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (14K vs 140). Note Taker HD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (84% vs 69%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Note Taker HD costs $4.99 and GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer $6.99 up front. GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Note Taker HD asks for nothing beyond the download.
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer has 14K ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Note Taker HD's written reviews are positive against 69% of GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Note Taker HD ships an update every 4 months, GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Note Taker HD | GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (140 ratings) | 4.7 (14K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews — better | 68.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 140 | 14K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #61 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Software Garden | Good.iWare, Inc. |
Customer experience
Note Taker HD
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
User reviews
Note Taker HD
From 140 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic app, great for engineering and customer communication
- 👍 Text and sketching on the same page
- 👍 Typed notes are more legible than handwritten
- 👍 Typed text remains as editable text objects
- 👍 Zoom window for precise drawing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes when exporting PDFs
- 🐛 Crashes when adding photos
- 🐛 Crashes and loses data
- 🐛 Exporting to email not working well
- 🔍 Interface not very intuitive, steep learning curve
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
From 14K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent for reading and annotating PDFs
- 📚 Powerful file management and organization
- 💻 Seamless integration with cloud storage
- 🎨 Customizable reading experience
- ⚙️ Robust set of features and capabilities
Room to improve
- 🔒 Subscription model for some features
- 🔀 Cluttered interface after recent update
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 📁 Difficulty migrating files from older versions
- 🖌️ Lacking palm rejection and customizable Apple Pencil controls
Bugs and requests
Note Taker HD
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when exporting PDFs
- Crashes when adding photos
- Crashes and loses data
- Exporting to email not working well
Requested features
9 requests- Evernote integration
- Ability to scroll between pages
- Ability to underline, bold or italicize typed text
- Ability to group objects together
- Voice recording and clip function
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- Dropbox/iCloud sync and backup
- Ability to convert handwriting to text
- Folders and sub-folders for better organization
- Ability to rotate objects
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
Reported bugs
3 issues- Syncing issues with cloud storage providers
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
Requested features
5 requests- Continuous scrolling for better reading experience
- Improved search functionality with advanced filters
- Ability to set custom color schemes and themes
- Enhanced support for ebook formats like EPUB
- Streamlined annotation tools and workflow
In-app purchases
Note Taker HD
No in-app purchases
GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer
- Pro Pack (monthly)7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pro Pack (annual)7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Auto Sync$59.99
- Pro Pack$89.99
Questions
Is Note Taker HD free?
Is GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer free?
Which has better reviews, Note Taker HD or GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer?
Do Note Taker HD or GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Note Taker HD or GoodReader PDF Editor & Viewer?
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