# Book Writer One vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is rating: Goodnotes at 4.7 against Book Writer One's 2.5. Goodnotes also leads on ratings volume (457K vs 16) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Book Writer One's advantage is review sentiment (44% vs 34%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Book Writer One sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Goodnotes sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Goodnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Goodnotes has 457K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Book Writer One'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.

Book Writer One ships an update every 3 weeks, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Book Writer One | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/book-writer-one/id917579461/reviews) | **[4.7 (457K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **457K** |
| Positive reviews | **43.8% of reviews** | 33.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#95** |
| Size | 73 MB | 795 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Good Effect](https://appshunter.io/developer/432391844) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### Book Writer One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/book-writer-one/id917579461)

Easily create interactive multimedia books with text, images, voice, and video. Organize your thoughts, make photo books, diaries, or even PDF documents. Share your creations with the world or publish them as paperbacks.

**Highlights:** Create multimedia books with text, images, and video, Organize thoughts and notes, Design photo books, diaries, and PDFs, Interactive page elements, Drag-and-drop interface, Share books via Book World, Dropbox, or email, Paperback publishing option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Book Writer Unlimited | $3.99 | one-time |


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #95 Top Grossing · Productivity, #116 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 Book Writer One free?

Book Writer One is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Book Writer One or Goodnotes?

Goodnotes is rated higher. Book Writer One averages 2.5 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Goodnotes averages 4.7 from 457K ratings.

### Do Book Writer One or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither Book Writer One nor Goodnotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Book Writer One or Goodnotes?

Book Writer One ships an update every 3 weeks, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, Book Writer One was updated on September 19, 2026 and Goodnotes on September 28, 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.*