Best Note Taking Apps For iPad

To help you take better notes and create streamlined to-do lists, we've rounded up the best note-taking apps for iPad based on pricing, reviews, features, and compatibility so you can write your notes like a pro.

Noteability

Notability is a premium notes app that offers a simple interface and powerful capabilities. Users can add multimedia elements such as audio and video to their notes, and the app includes various formatting tools. It combines several different types of note-taking apps and offers features such as journal creation, ink tools, and highlighters. However, the app requires a paid Plus membership subscription, and document sizes are limited.

Notability

Productivity

Welcome to Notability: powerful, yet wonderfully simple note-taking and PDF annotation. Apple Editors' Choice and top ranked app worldwide on App Store, regularly #1. Students, teachers, artists, and professionals use Notability daily to enrich their lives. Notes are just the beginning; find inspiration, capture ideas, and unleash your creativity with Notability. CREATE MEMORABLE MULTI-MEDIA NOTES • Work with a variety of note-taking, journaling, and drawing tools like ink, highlighter, text, and audio. • Mark up imported textbooks, documents, lecture slides, class assignments, and images. • Instantly create notes from a selection of templates with customizable spacing and backgrounds. • Explore endless ideas with continuous page scroll. • Add photos, GIFs, web pages, and more. STAY ORGANIZED, PAPER-FREE • Always keep your notes with you, without the weight, the hassle or the paper waste. • Group notes with customizable subjects and dividers. HANDWRITE AND SKETCH NATURALLY • Ink is fine-tuned for the Apple Pencil for the most responsive, precise writing experience yet, including double-tap gesture for switching tools, erasing, and more. • Precisely erase freehand ink or shapes with varied brush sizes. • Quickly switch between ink or eraser styles with the Favorites Toolbar. RECORD AND PLAYBACK AUDIO • Get more out of your lectures and meetings when you record them. • Replay audio recordings and tap anywhere on your note to hear what was said at that moment. SHARE IDEAS IN PRESENTATION MODE • Present ideas in full screen without distracting toolbars when connected to an external display. • Engage an audience with all of Notability's tools including a Laser Pointer. DO MORE WITH MULTI-NOTE • Work with two notes side-by-side. • Quickly switch between notes and Drag & Drop handwriting, typed text, images, etc. TYPE ANYWHERE • Full-featured, left-aligned typing with word count and a wide range of fonts, custom fonts, sizes, and colors. • Create outlines, interactive checklists, and text boxes. IMPORT AND SHARE • Import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs, and more. • Easily create searchable multi-page PDFs using the built-in Document Scanner. FIND AND SHARE INSPIRATION • Publish your notes for the world to see in the Notability Gallery. • Browse notes from the community, search topics/tags, save your favorites for later, and download notes! --- Download Notability for free on iPad, Mac, and iPhone and enjoy the Notability experience with limited editing and features. Unlock unlimited note taking and premium content with a Notability subscription. Subscribers have access to: • Unlimited edits, Auto Backup support, and iCloud sync. • MyScript Handwriting Recognition and Math Conversion technology. • Premium content like academic planners, journals, stickers, and much more! --- Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled, and will be charged via Apple iTunes account on an annual basis. Prices may vary by location. You can manage your subscription in account settings after purchase. Family Sharing is not supported. For technical assistance reach out to our team at support@gingerlabs.com Visit notability.com to learn more, or connect with us @notabilityapp on Instagram and Twitter. Privacy policy: https://notability.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://notability.com/terms Notability is a registered trademark of Ginger Labs, Inc.

$8.99

Free

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is a free notes app. Notes are organized by notebooks, sections, and pages, with the ability to create sub-notebooks and sub-pages. Users can add text, files, draw, change paper styles, and record audio. The app also provides a pressure-sensitive pen tool and highlighter that can be customized with different colors, including glitter options. In addition, users can save an unlimited number of favorite pens and markers in the toolbar.

Microsoft OneNote

Productivity

Capture your thoughts, discoveries, and ideas and simplify overwhelming planning moments in your life with your very own digital notepad. With OneNote, you can plan that big event, seize that moment of inspiration to create something new, and track that list of errands that are too important to forget. Write memos, make a digital sketchbook and save notes right on your phone. Sync your notes via OneDrive to access them anytime, anywhere. Whether you're at home, in the office, or on the go, your notes are available to you across all of your devices. Get the complete Microsoft Office experience when you sign in with your Microsoft Account. Take notes, share ideas, organize and collaborate when you download Microsoft OneNote today. Capture Anything: • With OneNote, you can plan that big event, save ideas to create something new and track that list of errands that are too important to forget. • Save pictures of whiteboards, photos or printed documents in your notes with Office Lens. Quickly take a picture, automatically crop and insert the image into your notes. Organize, Search and Secure: • Quickly organize your notes in a way that works best for you with powerful organizational tools. • Find your most recent notes quickly and pin the pages you use most. • Secure your notes with a password and use touch ID to quickly access them. Sync your Sticky Notes: • Quickly save your thoughts and ideas with colorful sticky notes on the go. • Sync your sticky notes to access them from anywhere on any device, anytime. Save, Share, and Collaborate: • Save to the cloud (OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint) and access your notes on anytime and on any device. • Collaborate and work together in a shared notepad. Write & Draw on iPad: • Use a variety of pen colors and settings to create beautiful handwritten notes and drawings. • Draw with confidence with "Convert to Shapes" mode: OneNote will automatically convert hand drawn shapes into crisp, perfectly regular polygons and circles. • Use a stylus or the touchscreen to write notes or use OneNote as a sketchbook. OneNote is free on iPhone and many other devices. Get started today! Download OneNote and sign in with your Microsoft Account or the account assigned to you by your work or school. Monthly Microsoft 365 subscriptions purchased from the app will be charged to your App Store account and will automatically renew within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period unless auto-renewal is disabled beforehand. You can manage your subscriptions in your App Store account settings. This app is provided by either Microsoft or a third-party app publisher and is subject to a separate privacy statement and terms and conditions. Data provided through the use of this store and this app may be accessible to Microsoft or the third-party app publisher, as applicable, and transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or the app publisher and their affiliates or service providers maintain facilities. Please refer to the Microsoft Software License Terms for Microsoft 365. See “License Agreement” link under Information. By installing the app, you agree to these terms and conditions.

Free

CollaNote

CollaNote is a free note-taking app that offers a wide range of functionality. It comes with a classic pen, pencil, highlighter, lasso and eraser tools, and users can customize colors and save their favorite color combinations and thicknesses. The app also includes a laser pointer, adjustable ruler, stickers, voice notes, templates for paper types, and a digital journal. One of its biggest advantages is the collaboration feature, allowing notes to be collaborated with others and to merge everyone's notes. However, the text tool is not easy to use, as it requires a separate screen to write or write text.

CollaNote: Note, Journal & PDF

Productivity

CollaNote : Most powerful Note-Taking App, PDF Reader and Annotator, Whiteboard, Digital Planner - All in one - Best handwriting experience with low latency powered by remarkable vector ink engine. - Smart Dark Mode: Better for your eyes to take note and read PDFs in the dark. Write once, you notes will look perfect in dark and light mode. - Record audio, your handwritings are synced to the Audio. Play audio and your handwritings animate like Karaoke. - Import PDF, annotate or sign, then export your notes to PDF. - Real-time Collaboration with zero delay & unlimited participants . - Whiteboard for online teaching, learning, doing homework together. - More than 150 paper designs & beautiful templates. - Add multimedia to your notes: insert Image, Text, Sticker, interactive Web Widget and Link. - Draw, talk and make friend with stranger around the world. - Never lose your notes again: All notes are stored in System Files app, easy to sync, backup and restore your notes. - Detect and draw perfect shapes, powered by AI. - Support Pencil tool, mimic physical pencil. Make CollaNote not only great for notetaking, but also for drawing and sketching CollaNote is an app designed and built on the side by a student in Hamburg University for everyone who loves working with digital paper.

Free

Notebook by Zoho

Notebook is an application that allows users to combine written notes with hand-drawn diagrams or handwritten notes. The app offers full customization of pencil, pen and highlighter colors. It also has features like locking specific notes and scanning documents to annotate directly. However, the downside to Notebook is that handwritten notes are kept separate from other types of notes, making it less useful for those who like to mix different types of notes on the same page.

Notebook - Notes,To-do,Journal

Productivity

*An App Store 2016 Best App of the Year* Experience the simple, intimate joy of ad-free Notebook. Meticulously designed with attention to detail. Free to download. Accessible through web and Mac apps, and Web Clipper for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. TAKE NOTE - Write notes with text, images, sketches, checklists, and audio in a single note. - Attach PDFs, word docs, spreadsheets, and more using the file note card. - Stay organized with dedicated checklist note cards. - Record ideas, meetings, and lectures using the audio note card. - Capture moments using the photo note card. - Scan business cards, documents, and more. - Sketch ideas and take notes with finger or Apple Pencil using the sketch card. SMART CARDS - Content in Notebook is intelligently formatted into beautiful, distinct cards. - Recipe Card, Video Card, Link Card, Flight Card are a few Smart Cards. ORGANIZE NOTES - Organize notes in notebooks. - Group notes together. - Reorder notes within a notebook. - Move or copy note cards between notebooks. - Link related notes. - Favorite notes for quick access. SYNC - Sync all your notes and notebooks across devices and to the cloud. NOTABLE GESTURES - Swipe notebook or note card for more info. - Pinch to stack note cards. - Flick to find needed note cards. - In landscape view, pinch to fold note cards like an accordion. CUSTOMIZE - Customize note card colors. - Select notebook covers or create your own. - View note cards in grid or landscape views. - Enable dark Mode. SECURE NOTES - Lock individual notebooks and notes with TouchID or a passcode. FIND NOTES - Search notes within or across notebooks. - Search objects and text within photos and more. REMINDERS - Set reminders to stay on top of things. PERFECT NOTEBOOK FOR iOS - Audio notes are searchable as text. - Share notes via iMessage. - Use Siri to dictate text, checklist notes, and search for photo notes. - Quickly jot down notes with 3D Touch Quick Actions. - Access recent notes from the Notification Bar. iPAD PRO - Drag and drop notes and content across apps. - Take notes in Split View. APPLE WATCH - Record audio notes on Apple Watch. - Scribble notes on Apple Watch. - View recent notes on Apple Watch. SHARE - Privately share notes. - Create public notes with shareable links. NOTEBOOK PRO - Increase storage, create longer notes, and add larger files. - Collaborate in notebooks. - Save emails as notes by emailing them. - Access premium notebook covers. - Premium customer support via chat and phone. - Set custom recurring reminders. - Make documents searchable and editable. - Scan and save business cards as contacts. Price varies by location. Subscriptions charged via iTunes. Subscription auto-renews if applicable, cancel 24 hours before current period ends. Manage subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. Privacy Policy - https://www.zoho.com/privacy.html Terms of Service - https://www.zoho.com/terms.html For queries, please reach out to us at support@zohonotebook.com or @zohonotebook on Twitter. Find more information at zoho.com/notebook.

Free

Apple Notes

Apple's default Notes app is a handy note-taking app that comes with basic tools like pen, highlighter, pencil, eraser, lasso tool, and an adjustable ruler. There are also different paper styles and the ability to scan documents using the phone's camera. Scanned documents are kept as attachments and cannot be marked with the pen. The app also allows for syncing across multiple devices and handwriting with the Apple Pencil.

Notes

Productivity

Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you. Features Powerful note-taking • Add attachments - photos, maps, web links, documents, and more. Scan paper documents with the built-in document scanner. • Secure sensitive or personal data in a locked note. • Create checklists. Make a grocery list, a wish list, or a to-do list, then tap to check off items as you go. • Apply different text styles, such as heading or body, bulleted lists, and more. • Add tables to quickly organize information. • Use your finger, or Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, to sketch right in your note. Choose from a variety of brush styles and colors, and add lines and grids to a note for easier writing and drawing. Organize and search • Search for text in notes, your handwriting, and even inside scanned documents and photos like receipts or bills. • Keep your notes in folders and subfolders, and sort them in the order you prefer. • Use tags as a fast and flexible way to categorize and organize your notes. Add one or more tags by typing or handwriting them directly in the note - like #activities or #cooking. • A Tag Browser in the sidebar lets you tap any tag or combination of tags to quickly view tagged notes. • Automatically organize notes in a Smart Folder based on filters. Create rules to filter for Date Created, Checklists, Attachments, and more. Collaborate • Collaborate on entire shared folders or on specific shared notes. • Mention friends to notify them of important updates and link them directly to a shared note. • View edit times and dates with highlighted text color-coded to match collaborators in the note. • See what others added into a shared note while you were away with Activity view, a day-to-day list summary of activity from each collaborator. Take notes anywhere • Just swipe with an Apple Pencil or finger from the bottom right corner on any compatible iPad to start a Quick Note outside the app. You can also use Fn-Q (Globe-Q) on a keyboard, or create Quick Notes on iPhone from the share menu in an app. • Add deep links from an app or website to a Quick Note to mark your place. Certain features are available only in select languages and regions.

Free