Whether you're in a meeting or solo brainstorming, you take notes—and immediately forget they exist. There's a better way: taking notes on your iPad to access them anytime, anywhere.

iPad note-taking apps do more than replace the iconic duo of paper and pen. These apps store and organize your notes, import links and media files, record meetings, mark up PDFs, foster team collaboration, and much more.

It's like carrying around one magical notebook instead of 463 dog-eared, coffee-stained hot messes. But which top iPad note-taking app is right for you? I tested them all so you don't have to.

The 8 best note-taking apps for iPad

• GoodNotes for the most paper-like notebook experience

• Apple Notes for text-based notes for Apple users

• OneNote for cross-platform sync with Windows

• Noteful for layered notes

• Milanote for creative project planning

• Nebo for handwriting-to-text

• Agenda for combining your notes and calendar

• Notes Writer Pro for outstanding AI tools

What makes the best note-taking app for iPad?

Like you, I've been taking notes since elementary school. I'm sure you agree our notes now are more essential to daily life than scribbles about photosynthesis, right?

In my opinion, these are the five features that the best notes app for iPad needs to have:

• Apple Pencil support. Good note-taking apps make full use of Apple Pencil with pressure sensitivity and tilt support to make writing on the screen feel like paper. For those who prefer to type, apps should also offer full keyboard support.

• Organization tools. The benefit of digital storage can also be its downfall: nearly unlimited storage can turn you into a packrat. These apps offer easy ways to find your notes, such as folder (or "notebook") organization, categories, tags, and more.

• Multi-device syncing. For most of us, our iPad isn't our main work device. You need to be able to easily access your notes—and preferably edit and create them—from all your devices.

• Exporting and sharing options. Whether you want to archive, print, or email your notes, you'll probably need to save them as a PDF. Great apps go even further with collaboration tools and additional formats.

• Productivity boosters, including AI. Today's top note-taking apps offer audio recordings, media imports, and handwriting recognition as standard, but the best note apps also harness the power of AI.

With these criteria in mind, and after weeks of testing apps with my usual workflow of creative brainstorming and client meetings, these are the eight best iPad note-taking apps. And if you're looking for the best free note-taking app for iPad, you're in luck: all of these apps are either completely free or have a free version.

The best iPad note-taking apps at a glance

Best iPad note-taking app for an authentic paper-like experience

GoodNotes (macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Windows, Android)

GoodNotes 6 pros:

• Highly customizable

• Imitates a physical paper notebook look and feel

GoodNotes 6 cons:

• Used to be a one-time purchase, now a subscription model

I personally use GoodNotes as my main iPad note-taking app. Yes, I'm one of those #aesthetic nerds who use textured paper templates to make my fake digital notebook feel more like the real thing. Combined with the ability to customize ink colors by HEX code, choose a pen style, highlight, and turn any transparent PNG image into a sticker, GoodNotes has, in my opinion, the right combination of style and substance.

Besides the stylish pen and formatting options, GoodNotes is packed full of useful and productive features such as audio recording, so you can record a meeting or lecture while taking notes, and replay it later or break it into smaller clips. While the recording plays, what you wrote or typed during the time it was recorded is also highlighted in sync with the audio like a magically-appearing instant replay perfect for studying or reviewing concepts.

Something I use all the time is split screen to work on two GoodNotes documents at once, as well as the digital sticker book function where you can store any transparent PNG as a reusable element to drop into any of your notebooks—perfect for planners. Importing PDFs and templates is seamless, too, offering a nearly unlimited capacity to customize your GoodNotes the way you like it.

One of my favorite features is the ability to combine handwriting with the Apple Pencil or typed text boxes anywhere on any page. Just start writing, or click and drag text boxes around, to create documents and notes with complete freedom of formatting. Need to rearrange? Select handwriting with the lasso tool or drag text boxes anywhere else on the page. It's great for flexible note-taking or quickly sketching out plans and ideas.

To me, GoodNotes offers the best mix of the most important features a note-taking app should have combined with an intuitive user interface. What more could you ask for?

GoodNotes 6 pricing: Free for up to 3 notebooks. Full version is $9.99/year or $29.99 one-time payment (Apple devices only), or $6.99/year for Android/Windows devices.

Best iPad note-taking app for text notes

Apple Notes (macOS, iPadOS, iOS)

Apple Notes pros:

• Easy to use

• Great automatic organization with Smart Folders and tagging

Apple Notes cons:

• Can combine text and Apple Pencil writing in the same note, but would be nice to have more flexibility

Made by Apple, Notes comes pre-installed on your iPad and offers an intuitive user experience and flawless syncing to all your Apple devices over iCloud—and it's free. For many people, those are enough reasons to use Notes as your main note-taking app.

Notes supports handwritten text or sketches with the Apple Pencil, typed text, links, photos, and videos, and it offers some basic text formatting options like checklists, lists, and headings. In short, it's got most of the features you probably want for simple note taking, and it's easy to use from the second you open it.

There are a few drawbacks for more advanced (read: picky) note-takers. It's awkward to combine typed text and handwriting within the same note. Similar to other text-first apps like Evernote, in order to handwrite with Apple Pencil, you have to add a handwriting "section" inside a note. You can insert multiple "Pencil sections" within a note, but this segmented, document-style format of alternating rows of text and handwriting can be limiting. Even the act of inserting a section can be enough to disrupt your creative workflow if you enjoy sketching out ideas. It left me wishing I could type or write wherever I wanted. Overall, it feels clunky.

What Notes lacks in formatting freedom it makes up for in organization. Smart folders allow you to set criteria to sort new notes into, which can be as simple as placing notes with the same hashtag within a folder. These smart folders sync across devices to keep you organized anywhere. The ability to quickly sort your notes by typing a hashtag is a super time-saver.

If you mostly prefer to type notes and want seamless syncing between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone, Apple Notes could be the perfect iPad notes app for you.

Apple Notes pricing: Free

Best iPad note-taking app for Windows users

OneNote (MacOS, iPadOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Web)

OneNote pros:

• Great interface that makes organization and writing workflow easy

• Full cross-platform sync support

OneNote cons:

• Not as many ink styles, color, and customization options for handwriting as other apps

OneNote is nearly perfect as an iPad note-taking app for those who use Windows or Android devices alongside their iPad. Many of the other apps on this list are also cross-platform, but OneNote will feel most familiar to diehard Windows users. And as of 2024, it includes support for Apple Pencil handwriting as well.

OneNote is so well-executed, it's almost perfect, even for Apple-only users. I like OneNote's approach to organization the most: sections on the left, pages within the section in the middle, and a large note space on the right. It makes it incredibly easy to stay organized while having a bird's eye view of your notebook at all times. The efficiency of being able to jump around in a digital notebook without having to open menus and tabs cannot be overstated.

OneNote also does a great job of working with both text and Apple Pencil handwriting, as of its major 2024 update. You can combine both within the same note and easily switch between text mode and Pencil mode, and move elements around later on if you need to.

Overall, OneNote offers the best cross-platform, free note-taking option for those who like to stay organized across all their devices, especially if many of those are Windows or Android devices.

Plus, you can extend OneNote's functionality even further with helpful Zapier integrations, like automatically creating a new note for calendar events, or my favorite, make new Todoist tasks from OneNote notes. Learn more about how to automate OneNote, or get started with one of these pre-made templates.

OneNote pricing: Free. Premium plans allow for more storage and access to all Microsoft 365 apps, starting at $6.99/month for individuals or $9.99/month for family sharing.

Best iPad note-taking app for layered notes

Noteful (iPadOS, iOS)

Noteful pros:

• Layered notes are infinitely useful for everything from studying to work meetings

• Easy sharing and exporting options

Noteful cons:

• Syncing across devices is a premium feature

Part of the reason digital notes are so popular is that they can do things a physical piece of paper can't, like contain multiple layers. Yep, Noteful is like the Photoshop of iPad note-taking apps. You can type or handwrite notes on multiple layers and show or hide any of them.

Cool, but… why? Besides the obvious of students using it to quiz themselves, layered notes are also helpful at work. Write notes from a client meeting on one layer and your action items (or mindless scribbles) on another. Hide the layer with your messy scribbles (or secret company info) and export only the layer with nicely formatted notes meant for your client's or team's eyes.

Layers also work well with Noteful's presentation mode to turn your notes into a click-to-reveal slideshow when mirroring your iPad to an external display. (Hot tip: hide your snarky scribble layer before mirroring.)

One (small) complaint I have about Noteful is I kept accidentally drawing with my finger. I'm used to GoodNotes, which you can set to only draw with the Apple Pencil and ignore finger pokes. I'm so used to being able to scroll around a document with one finger instead of leaving a pen smear. Classic iPad gestures like pinching in/out with two fingers to zoom and the three-finger swipe to undo still work in Noteful, though.

If you regularly share notes with clients or your team—or doodle swear words during conference calls—Noteful's layered notes can save you a ton of time (and disciplinary action).

Noteful pricing: Free; for multi-device syncing and additional features, the Pro plan is a one-time payment of $4.99.

Best iPad note-taking app for creative project planning

Milanote (macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Web Browser, Chrome extension)

Milanote pros:

• Flexible but structured layout

• Beautiful built-in project templates

Milanote cons:

• There are almost too many formatting options and features. (Translation: this app is nearly perfect.)

At first glance, Milanote looks very similar to Apple Freeform. And in some ways, it is: you can use a mix of typed text or handwritten notes and include links, photos, and other media. Milanote is more of a "Pinterest-board style" app instead of a notebook format, and comes packed with built-in project plan templates, stock photos, task organization, and other tools to power creative teams.

Milanote describes their iPad note-taking app as allowing people to turn "nothing into something." It's open enough that you can start typing, writing, or adding elements anywhere, but also structured as it auto-aligns elements and offers specific formats creative people will appreciate, such as color cards with built-in HEX codes.

Anyone can use Milanote, though it excels in project planning for designers, writers, filmmakers, marketers, and other creatives. Team collaboration is deeply embedded, with changes instantly visible for everyone in the same board. You can also leave comment cards anywhere, with the ability to tag users and reply in threads, similar to Google Docs.

Milanote is like if Freeform, Notion, OneNote, Pinterest, and Trello had a baby… and that's a beautiful thing.

Milanote pricing: Free for up to 100 notes/10 files. The unlimited Pro plan is $12.50/month for individuals, $49/month for 10 users, and $99/month for 50 users.

Best iPad note-taking app for notes and calendar together

Agenda (iPad, iOS)

Agenda pros:

• The best execution of notes and calendar tasks together in one app

• Organized note-taking structure

Agenda cons:

• Apple Pencil handwriting support could be better

Listen, my brain is a bit of a mess. I'm sure you can relate: a million to-dos, calls, projects, etc. To manage it all, I have a cobbled-together system of Google Calendar, Todoist, and a notes app. Agenda completely changes the game by combining your calendar items with your notes in a presentation that somehow works just as well for iPad note-taking as it does for daily to-do lists and keeping your appointments.

Other apps do this to varying degrees, but Agenda is the most seamless pairing of notes and a calendar together that I've tried. Agenda really shines for text-based notes with plenty of formatting and organization options. You can also assign dates to notes so that they show up alongside calendar events, and link to and cross-reference notes with each other. It's perfect for making daily to-do lists or having your notes ready for an important meeting.

My one complaint is that Apple Pencil support is only in the premium version of the app and currently limited to converting your handwriting into text instead of allowing for handwriting and drawing.

Agenda is already a fantastic calendar/notes app that includes collaboration and plenty of ways to share your note files, but if they improved the Apple Pencil functionality, I'd say it would be the best iPad note-taking app on the market.

Agenda pricing: Free. For premium features like collaboration, custom colors, and enhanced Apple Pencil options, paid plans are $34.99/year for all Apple devices or a $119.99 one-time payment.

Best iPad note-taking app for handwriting-to-text

Nebo (macOS [M1 and M2 only], iPadOS, iOS [read only], Windows, Android)

Nebo pros:

• Most accurate handwriting-to-text output that I've ever tried

• Minimal UI and infinite canvas is easy to open and start writing notes quickly

Nebo cons:

• Syncing across devices is a premium feature

Nebo organizes notes a little differently than most. A "Note" is an infinite canvas to handwrite or type notes, add doodles, arrows, stickers, shapes, and more. A "Document" is like a traditional Word file, breaking your handwriting or text into separate horizontal sections. You can also import and markup PDFs. Any of these formats can live inside folder-like notebooks.

Nebo really shines at converting your handwriting into text. The accuracy is pretty good, considering my handwriting is often unreadable even to myself. Handwriting to text is great for taking work notes and turning them into professional-looking typed summaries or emails. If you're way smarter than me, Nebo can also convert handwritten math formulas into equations.

Nebo features several new updates in 2024, including AI-powered summaries to explain complex things in simple terms, and ask questions to get answers, ChatGPT-style. These new features are in addition to time-saving tidbits like "scribble to erase," so you can erase words with your Apple Pencil instead of needing to select the eraser, and automatic shape recognition, where holding your Apple Pencil for a moment instantly straightens your lines to draw perfect circles, squares, and more.

Most of Nebo's features are free to use, including all three note formats and its impressive handwriting recognition. The only reason I can see to upgrade is for multi-device syncing, which sadly isn't included in the free plan.

If you often type up handwritten notes after meetings, Nebo can save you a lot of time.

Nebo pricing: Free; unlock syncing and more for a one-time payment of $8.99.

Best iPad note-taking app for outstanding AI tools

Notes Writer Pro 2024 (MacOS [M1+ only], iPadOS, iOS)

Notes Writer Pro pros:

• The most robust and powerful AI tools built into any note-taking app

• Can handle all formats from text files to imported PDFs and more

Notes Writer Pro cons:

• Could use more ink size, color, and customization options

Formerly called Notes Writer, the new Notes Writer Pro 2024 has been substantially updated with better Apple Pencil support and notes organization. But its killer feature is the power behind the built-in AI tools, which is like merging ChatGPT seamlessly into your note-taking workflow.

At first, it may seem like, "Why bother?" since you can open up ChatGPT or another AI writing tool in a browser window and, if you wanted to, copy and paste content back and forth, right? After testing out Notes Writer Pro 2024, I was blown away by how much easier it is to have this right inside the app. Summarize content, explain concepts, and generate ideas, outlines, and content with a few taps, then insert the parts you want directly into your note or document. Refine it, then export it as a PDF, text file, or share it via email, cloud storage, and more—all in one place.

Plenty of apps have AI tools these days, but none execute it as well, or offer as many options, as Notes Writer Pro 2024. There's everything from simple text prompt "ask a question, get an answer" output, to grammar and spell-checking, to writing jokes (hey, that's my job), and translating content into 20 different languages—to name a few. The amount of value here for $2.99/month is mindblowing.

Plus, you can draw and handwrite to your heart's content inside any note, though the ink and color customization does leave a lot to be desired.

While the more aesthetic approach of GoodNotes entices me, I can't overlook the sheer value and time-saving features Notes Writer Pro 2024 contains for anyone who works with a lot of text or ideas, from fellow writers and marketers to nearly every modern workplace role. This one is a keeper.

Notes Writer Pro 2024 pricing: $6.99 one-time payment for the app, plus an optional $2.99/month for AI Assistant features.

Other iPad note-taking apps

It's hard to choose a note-taking app when there are so many options. The truth is, you have to test them to see what works best for you. I believe the eight options above represent the best choices for most people, but there are a few more I enjoyed testing that didn't make the final cut:

• Notability: Popular with students, Notability was one of the first to offer audio recording and remains a top-ranked note-taking app that's often compared to GoodNotes.

• Notion: Though it doesn't currently support Apple Pencil, Notion has powerful database features that make it perfect for your second brain.

• LiquidText: If you edit a lot of documents, create contracts, or conduct research, LiquidText will be your new BFF for organization.

• Bear: Though better Apple Pencil support is coming in the future, Bear is currently best for those who enjoy writing in Markdown.

• Freeform: Included free on Apple devices, Freeform is a great option for brainstorming on an open canvas.

• Concepts: Perfect for designers, architects, or other technical professionals with its vector-based, precise drawing tools and AutoCAD export.

• Workflowy: A well-rounded iPad note-taking app with amazing built-in Zapier integrations to connect it with all your other workflow tools.

Which iPad note-taking app is best for you?

The best iPad notes app for you depends as much on how you like to take notes (keyboard or Apple Pencil?) as on what you take notes about (visual planning or meeting minutes?).

Sure, you can let me tell you what to do by picking one of the apps above. But the best way to find your One True App is to test them all and see which one best fits your workflow needs and—most importantly—your personal style.

Related reading:

• The best note-taking apps

• The best note-taking apps for Mac

• Automate your note-taking to turn ideas into action

• How to export all your Apple Notes

This article was originally published in 2019 by Tim Brookes. The most recent update was in February 2024.