# Elemental vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is rating: Goodnotes at 4.7 against Elemental's 2.2. Goodnotes also leads on ratings volume (457K vs 18) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Elemental's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 34%) and in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Goodnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 457K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Elemental's written reviews are positive against 34% of Goodnotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Elemental ships an update every 3 weeks, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 6, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Elemental | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.2 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental/id518655328/reviews) | **[4.7 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 18 | **457K** |
| Positive reviews | **73.4% of reviews** | 33.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#93** |
| Size | 8 MB | 795 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dotmatics Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/518655351) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Elemental

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elemental/id518655328)

This free utility allows users to easily draw chemical structures and reactions on their mobile devices. It offers features like property calculation, file sharing via email and Dropbox, and a built-in periodic table. Users can also export structures as image files or MOL/RXN formats.

**Highlights:** Draw chemical structures and reactions, Calculate cheminformatics properties, Tweet chemical structures, Dropbox integration, Open MOL/RXN files, Email structures as files/images, Built-in Periodic Table

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Grossing · Productivity, #113 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 Elemental free?

Elemental 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, Elemental or Goodnotes?

Goodnotes is rated higher. Elemental averages 2.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 457K ratings.

### Do Elemental or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Elemental nor Goodnotes shows ads.

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

Elemental ships an update every 3 weeks, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Elemental was updated on July 6, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 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.*