If you’re looking for an app to take notes, study, organize your life, or use a digital planner, you’ve probably come across two very popular options: Goodnotes and Freenotes.

Both apps are designed for digital note-taking and organization, and they have a lot in common. You can write by hand, import PDFs, use digital planners and notebooks, add images, install fonts, customize your pages and organize your documents.

So, which one should you choose?

The truth is that both Goodnotes and Freenotes are excellent and very complete apps. Instead of thinking that one is simply better than the other, it’s more useful to look at what each one offers and decide which fits your needs best.

Goodnotes vs Freenotes: Are they really that different?

Not really.

Both apps can turn your tablet into a complete digital workspace for studying, working, planning and creativity.

With both Goodnotes and Freenotes, you can:

• Take handwritten notes
• Type with a keyboard
• Import and annotate PDFs
• Use digital planners
• Use digital notebooks
• Add images
• Add stickers and other elements
• Organize documents into folders
• Customize your pages
• Use different writing tools
• Install fonts
• Create personalized notes
• Annotate documents
• Create your own digital organization system

This is why choosing between Goodnotes or Freenotes isn’t always easy. They offer many of the same possibilities, and both can be used for much more than simply taking notes.

You can use either app for university, work, planning, journaling, creative projects, digital stationery or simply keeping all your documents organized.

Goodnotes: A popular choice for digital notes

Goodnotes has been one of the best-known digital note-taking apps for years, particularly among iPad users.

Its interface is focused on handwriting, documents and organization, making it easy to create different notebooks and folders for your notes.

You can use it for studying, working, planning your week or keeping a digital planner.

What can you do with Goodnotes?

Goodnotes lets you:

• Create digital notebooks
• Import and annotate PDFs
• Write by hand
• Type with a keyboard
• Highlight and mark text
• Add images
• Use stickers and other elements
• Organize documents into folders
• Use templates
• Import digital planners
• Use different writing tools
• Install fonts
• Search through your documents
• Work with digital documents

One of its biggest advantages is its versatility.

You don’t have to use Goodnotes exclusively for school notes. You can have a university notebook, a work notebook, a digital planner, a journal, a recipe book or any other type of digital document you need.

How much does Goodnotes cost?

Goodnotes currently offers two main plans: Essential and Pro.

The right option depends on how you use the app and which features you need.

If you’re mainly looking for basic tools to write, study and organize your documents, you may not need all the features included in the Pro plan.

If you use Goodnotes regularly and want access to more advanced possibilities, Pro may be a better fit.

It’s always worth checking the features included in each plan before subscribing and considering which ones you actually need.

Freenotes: A growing alternative to goodnotes

Freenotes is another powerful digital note-taking app that offers many of the same features you would expect from an app like Goodnotes.

It has also been gaining a lot of popularity on social media, especially among people sharing digital notes, study setups, digital planning and digital stationery.

One particularly interesting feature is that Freenotes can be used on both iPad and Android devices.

This makes it an especially interesting option if you don’t exclusively use Apple devices.

What can you do with Freenotes?

Freenotes offers plenty of tools for creating and customizing your digital documents.

You can:

• Create digital notebooks
• Import documents
• Work with PDFs
• Take handwritten notes
• Type with a keyboard
• Add images
• Use stickers
• Organize documents into folders
• Use digital planners
• Use digital notebooks
• Customize your pages
• Install fonts
• Use writing and drawing tools
• Annotate documents
• Organize your notes
• Create personalized pages

This means Freenotes can be much more than a simple note-taking app.

You can turn it into your digital planner, journal, study notebook or creative workspace.

Is Freenotes Free?

This is one of the differences that may be particularly interesting if you’re just getting started.

Freenotes can be used for free in its entirety, so you can start using the app without needing a subscription to access its main features.

However, if you want to expand the possibilities available within the app, Freenotes also offers premium options, including Freenotes Plus and Freenotes Pro.

This means you can start with the free version and upgrade later if you decide you need additional features.

If you’re interested in trying the premium options, you can also use the code IPAD to get Freenotes Pro and Plus

Goodnotes vs Freenotes: Which one has more features?

This is where the comparison gets tricky.

Both apps are very complete, and many of their features are similar.

Both allow you to create notebooks, use digital planners, import PDFs, write by hand, add images, install fonts and customize your documents.

So rather than asking which one has “more features”, it may be more useful to ask:

Which features do you actually need?

If you want an app mainly for studying and taking notes, both can work really well.

If you want to use a digital planner, both are suitable.

And if you enjoy customizing your notes with different fonts, colors, images and decorative elements, both offer plenty of creative possibilities.

Using digital planners with Goodnotes and Freenotes

If you’re interested in digital planners, there’s good news: you can use digital planners with both Goodnotes and Freenotes.

You can import your planner and use it to organize:

• Tasks
• Appointments
• Classes
• Exams
• Work
• Routines
• Habits
• Finances
• Goals
• Projects
• Lists

You don’t have to limit yourself to a traditional planner either.

You can combine a digital planner with different notebooks to create a complete organization system. For example, you could have one notebook for university notes, another for personal projects and another for journaling.

Can you install fonts?

Yes.

Both Goodnotes and Freenotes allow you to install and use fonts, which can be especially useful if you enjoy creating aesthetic notes or customizing your digital planner.

You can use different fonts for titles, headings and other elements, then combine them with colors, images and stickers to create your own style.

This is one of the reasons digital note-taking apps can be so much more creative than traditional notebooks.

Goodnotes vs Freenotes: which devices can you use?

Device compatibility is another important difference to consider.

Freenotes can be used on iPad and Android, making it a convenient option if you use devices from different brands.

Goodnotes, on the other hand, offers a multi-device experience, allowing you to work with your documents across supported devices.

If being able to access your notes from different devices is important to you, it’s worth checking the compatibility and synchronization options available for your particular setup.

So, Should you choose Goodnotes or Freenotes?

The short answer is: it depends on what you’re looking for.

If you want a well-established app that is especially popular among iPad users and offers a polished digital note-taking experience, Goodnotes is an excellent choice.

If you want to try a growing alternative, use the app for free and have the option to use it on both iPad and Android, Freenotes is also a great option.

Most importantly, you don’t have to think of this as a competition where one app is good and the other is bad.

They are both powerful tools for studying, working, planning, journaling and digital stationery.

Goodnotes

Goodnotes may be a great choice if you want:

• A well-established note-taking app
• A polished experience
• Digital studying and note-taking
• Digital planners
• PDF annotation
• Organized folders and notebooks
• A multi-device experience

Goodnotes offers two main plans: Essential and Pro.

Freenotes

Freenotes may be a great choice if you want:

• An alternative to Goodnotes
• A very complete free option
• Digital notebooks
• Digital planners
• Highly customizable notes
• Compatibility with iPad and Android
• Optional premium features

Freenotes can be used for free, with Plus and Pro options available if you want additional possibilities.

You can also use the code IPAD to get a discount on the premium options.

Which one should you choose?

If you’re still unsure, the easiest solution is to try both.

Create a notebook, import a digital planner, write a few pages, organize your folders and experiment with the customization tools.

After using both for a while, you’ll probably notice which one feels more natural to you.

And if you’re already happy with one of them, you don’t necessarily need to switch just because another alternative exists.

Goodnotes and Freenotes are both excellent digital note-taking apps, and both offer plenty of possibilities for turning your tablet into a space for studying, organizing, working and being creative.