# PaperCut vs Goodnotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaperCut at none against Goodnotes's 10. PaperCut also leads on iOS requirement (14.7 vs 18.6). Goodnotes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months) and chart position (#99 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodnotes sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. PaperCut asks for nothing beyond the download.

PaperCut ships an update every 7 months, Goodnotes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PaperCut | Goodnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (469K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodnotes-ai-notes-docs-pdf/id1444383602/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **469K** |
| Positive reviews | — | 33.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#99** |
| Size | 16 MB | 781 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.7** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [manubu gmbh](https://appshunter.io/developer/686525689) | [Goodnotes Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708570616) |

## What reviewers say

### PaperCut

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papercut-mobile-bill-scanning/id930930198)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Goodnotes

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

**Currently charting:** #99 Top Grossing · Productivity, #157 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture ideas and unlock insights with powerful AI tools for note-taking, brainstorming, and document creation. Enhance productivity for professionals and students with features like AI transcription, summarization, and interactive study sets.

**Highlights:** AI-powered transcription and summarization, Infinite canvas for brainstorming and diagramming, Handwritten notes with searchable text, Interactive study sets with flashcards, Document creation with rich text blocks, Real-time collaboration on notes, Presentation mode with laser pointer

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Pass (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Essential (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| Essential (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| Goodnotes Pro (Yearly) | $35.99 | per year |
| Goodnotes 6 Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $1.99 | one-time |
| Marketplace Content | $9.99 | 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 PaperCut free?

PaperCut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Goodnotes free?

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

### Do PaperCut or Goodnotes have ads?

Neither PaperCut nor Goodnotes shows ads.

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

PaperCut ships an update every 7 months, and Goodnotes weekly. Most recently, PaperCut was updated on October 29, 2026 and Goodnotes on November 10, 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.*