Comparison

DocuNote vs Goodnotes

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DocuNote

Access and manage your company's documents from the DocuNote system. Quickly find, browse, and share files, photos, and videos. Securely access your data with advanced login options and offline caching for faster retrieval.

Highlights
  • Instant access to company documents
  • Browse organization tree and recent files
  • Use favorites and saved searches
  • Search for documents, projects, and folders
  • Save photos, videos, and email attachments
  • Share documents via email or Dropbox
  • Offline caching for faster access
Features
Read full description

DocuNote is an app that integrates with the popular Document Management System DocuNote. The app requires a server setup and can be accessed with or without VPN, depending on customer preferences. The app has the following features. - Have all your company’s documents from DocuNote available instantly - Find documents and projects browsing organization tree - Browse most recent documents and projects for fast access to documents - Use your predefined Favorites to get to your desired documents - Find your documents, projects or folders by searching - Browse saved searches for getting status lists - Easy save photos and videos to your DocuNote - Send document from DocuNote by e-mail - Caching previously viewed documents and videos makes things faster - Advanced login functionality with possible expire makes it a very secure and flexible solution - Copy a document to DropBox for sharing using “Open in” functionality - Save e-mail attachments straight to your DocuNote - Swipe through Image galleries - Use received DNO shortcuts from DocuNote for finding documents and projects

About

Goodnotes

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
Read full description

Goodnotes has always been the place to capture your ideas — from quick notes to big plans. Now, it goes further. With powerful AI and new ways to capture information, Goodnotes helps you connect the dots, unlock insights, and turn ideas into action. *Existing Goodnotes 5 users can continue to use Goodnotes 5 indefinitely or upgrade to the new Goodnotes. Either way, your notes are safe!* For professionals: Increase productivity at work ■ Whiteboard + Goodnotes AI: Brainstorm, mind-map, and diagram freely on an infinite canvas that grows with your ideas. Enhanced diagramming tools and real-time collaboration make it easy for teams to workshop & ideate together, while Goodnotes AI helps you capture and organize key takeaways instantly. ■ Goodnotes AI Audio & Meetings: Stay fully present in every conversation while Goodnotes does the work for you. AI-powered transcription and live summarization automatically capture discussions and turns them into clear meeting minutes. After the meeting, merge transcripts with your own handwritten or typed notes to create polished, shareable documents in seconds. ■ Text Documents + AI: Create documents that think with you. Enjoy a superior typing experience with rich inline blocks, build on ideas with external insights, and collaborate seamlessly with teammates. With AI-powered summarization, automated note generation, and transcript support, turn rough notes and meetings into finished content faster than ever. ■ Present your notes, slides, and content directly from Goodnotes when you connect your device via AirPlay or HDMI to an external screen. ■ Use Laser Pointer to guide your audience's attention during your presentation. ■ Export your handwritten and typed notes to email, print, or share them anywhere as PDFs. ■ Send a link to your notebooks to work on the same notes. ■ Import documents by emailing them to your custom Goodnotes email. For students: Ace your exams with ease ■ Record audio notes that are magically synced to your iPhone or iPad exact moment you write: perfect for lectures, seminars, and presentations. ■ Take handwritten notes that stay fully searchable: instantly find any word across every class notebook, even mid-lecture. ■ Study and practice straight from your notes with study Sets: flashcards built on active recall and spaced repetition. ■ Use AI to summarize, shorten, change the tone of your words, and turn messy handwritten or typed student notes into polished, structured study material. For planners and journalers: Let your creativity flow ■ Plan your week, month, or year on your iPhone/ iPad with built-in and importable planner templates, fully customizable to match how you plan. ■ Keep a daily journal alongside your planner. Combine handwriting, typed reflections, photos, and stickers on the same page. ■ Use Goodnotes AI to summarize a week's worth of journal entries on your iPhone or iPad into key themes and takeaways. ■ Customize the size and color of your paper templates to create the planner or journal you want. ■ Add, create, or import stickers, stamps, washi tapes, images, and more on your iPad. Digital notebooks: unlimited notebooks for the price of a single physical one ■ Combine handwriting and typed text on one page, alongside images, stickers, diagrams, and doodles. ■ Create digital notebooks, planners, and journals with customizable paper templates, including Blank Paper, Ruled Paper, Cornell Paper, Checklists, Planners, and more. ■ Navigate long documents with ease. PDF tables of contents are automatically imported, or create custom outlines yourself. ■ Back up all your handwritten and typed notes to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, and use iCloud to sync across iPad, iPhone, and Mac — so your notes are always safe. ■ Edit your handwriting by resizing it, changing the text color, or moving it to another spot on the page. Privacy Policy: https://www.goodnotes.com/privacy-policy Terms and Conditions: https://www.goodnotes.com/terms-and-conditions

Screenshots

DocuNote3 screens
Goodnotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: DocuNote at 100% against Goodnotes's 34%. DocuNote also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 20) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Goodnotes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (457K vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DocuNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 457K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of DocuNote's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DocuNote ships an update every 2 months, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 2, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
DocuNote versus Goodnotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDocuNoteGoodnotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (457K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better33.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1457K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#101 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB795 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIntraNote a/sGoodnotes Limited

Customer experience

DocuNote

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Goodnotes

All ratings456,958 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews6,458 reviews
Positive33.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative55.0%

Bugs and requests

DocuNote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Goodnotes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

DocuNote

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

Goodnotes

Subscriptions5
  • AI Pass (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Goodnotes 6 (1 Year)1 Year trial$9.991 Year
  • Essential (Yearly)7 Days trial$11.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Essential (Yearly)1 Year trial2 variants$11.991 Year
  • Goodnotes Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$35.991 Year
One-time11
  • Bunny Oasis StickersFree
  • Medicine-Academia Sticker SheeFree
  • Goodnotes 6 Free TrialFree
Show 8 more
  • Marketplace Content$1.99
  • Marketplace Content$6.99
  • Marketplace Content$8.99
  • GoodNotes 5 Unlock$9.99
  • Marketplace Content$9.99
  • Marketplace Content$10.99
  • Goodnotes 6 One-Time Payment$28.99
  • Special Edition$35.99

Questions

Is DocuNote free?
DocuNote 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, DocuNote or Goodnotes?
DocuNote is rated higher. DocuNote averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 457K ratings.
Do DocuNote or Goodnotes have ads?
Neither DocuNote nor Goodnotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DocuNote or Goodnotes?
DocuNote ships an update every 2 months, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, DocuNote was updated on June 2, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 28, 2026.

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