The Best Handwriting Apps for iPad in 2026
Every app here is great for writing with an Apple Pencil. The real differences are what happens after you write: studying, organizing, recording, and what you pay. Here's how they compare, in plain English.
Checked against each app’s own website in September 2026.
Quick picks
- Best all-in-one for studying
Strawberry Notes
Infinite pages, flashcards with FSRS, image occlusion, tasks, and AI study tools in one simple, private app.
Get Strawberry Notes - Best for recording lectures
Notability
Audio that replays with your writing is still its signature feature.
Strawberry Notes vs Notability - Best paper-notebook feel
Goodnotes
The classic digital notebook, with a huge template and planner library.
Strawberry Notes vs Goodnotes - Best free and built in
Apple Notes
Already on your iPad, with handwriting that tidies itself up.
Strawberry Notes vs Apple Notes - Best on Android tablets
Notewise
Smooth writing on Android, plus a one-time offline plan.
Strawberry Notes vs Notewise - Best cheap one-time upgrade
CollaNote
Free to start, with Premium for a one-time price that's often on sale.
Strawberry Notes vs CollaNote
All of them, side by side
Scroll sideways to see every app.
| Feature | Strawberry Notes | Notability | Goodnotes | Notewise | Freenotes | CollaNote | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 a year (7 days free), $4.99 a month, or $39.99 once | Free for 5 notes. Paid plans from $5.99 a month or $14.99 a year. Pro is $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year | Free for 3 notebooks. $11.99 a year, or $35.99 a year for Pro with sync across devices | Free for 10 notes. $19.99 once without AI or sync, or AI and Cloud from $4.99 a month | Free with ads. Plus $9.99 a year or $29.99 once. Pro $19.99 a month or $39.99 a year | Free. Premium is $13.90 once, often on sale | Free. More iCloud storage from $0.99 a month |
| Works on | iPad and iPhone. Android, Windows, and Mac coming soon | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, and web | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, and web | iPhone, iPad, and Android. View notes on the web | iPhone, iPad, Android, and Apple silicon Macs | iPhone, iPad, and Apple silicon Macs | iPhone, iPad, and Mac, plus iCloud.com |
| Handwriting | Yes:Smooth, realistic-looking ink with pens, pencil, highlighter, study tape, and shape recognition | Yes:Smooth Apple Pencil writing with pens, highlighters, study tape, and shape recognition | Yes:Smooth Apple Pencil writing with pens, highlighters, and shape recognition | Yes:Smooth writing with pens, shape recognition, lasso, and tape | Yes:Smooth writing with pens, shape tools, and recall tape | Yes:50+ pens and brushes, with shape recognition | Yes:Smooth writing, shape recognition, and handwriting that tidies itself up |
| Page style | Yes:Infinite notebook or infinite whiteboard, with infinite zoom and templates | Pages, scrolling or one at a time | Yes:Page notebooks, plus infinite whiteboards | Pages, with 20+ templates. No infinite canvas yet | Yes:Page notebooks with templates, plus an infinite canvas | Pages, with 180+ paper templates | One scrolling note with drawing areas. No infinite canvas |
| Write on PDFs | Yes:Write on PDFs and scans, or read side by side | Yes:Also Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files | Yes:On every plan, even free | Yes:PDFs, docs, and slides | Yes:Highlight, underline, and comment | Yes:Also opens PowerPoint and Word files | Yes:Write on PDFs and scans |
| Record audio | No:Not yet | Yes:Its signature feature: recordings that replay with your writing | Yes:Recordings synced to your writing | Yes:Recording and transcription | Yes:Records with live transcription | Yes:Recordings linked to your writing | Yes:Recordings with live transcripts on newer devices |
| Flashcards | Yes:Built in, with FSRS spaced repetition, image occlusion, and Anki import | Yes:Spaced repetition and Anki import | Yes:Study Sets with spaced repetition. No image occlusion that we could find | Partly:AI quizzes, but no flashcards or spaced repetition | Partly:Study sets from your pages. No spaced repetition or image occlusion that we could find | Partly:Flashcards and shared decks. No spaced repetition or image occlusion that we could find | No:No |
| AI study tools | Yes:Chat, summaries, study guides, games, and quizzes with matching, fill-in-the-blank, and ordering questions. Free starter credits, then pay only for what you use | Yes:Summaries, quizzes, and flashcards on Plus. Chat with notes on Pro | Yes:Summaries, quizzes, and Q&A. 5 a month free, full AI on Pro, heavy use $9.99 a month extra | Yes:AI notes, chat, quizzes, and podcasts on paid plans | Yes:Summaries, chat with PDFs, and homework help | Partly:Handwritten math solver and translation. No AI quizzes | Partly:Writing tools and summaries with Apple Intelligence, on newer devices |
| Organize and link | Yes:Subjects, folders, subnotes, tags, links, backlinks, and Sky View, a map of your notes | Partly:Subjects and dividers. No links between notes that we could find | Partly:Folders, and links from typed text to other pages. No subnotes or map that we could find | Partly:Links to pages and other notes. No subnotes or map | Partly:Links for planners. No subnotes or map that we could find | Partly:Links between pages. No subnotes or map that we could find | Partly:Links between notes, and folders. No subnotes or map |
| Works offline | Yes:Yes. Everything saves on your device first, then syncs to your other devices through iCloud | Yes:Yes, then syncs when you're back online | Yes:Yes | Yes:Fully offline on the one-time plan | Yes:Yes, notes are stored on your device | Yes:Core features work offline | Yes:Yes |
| Where your notes live | Yes:Your device, plus your own iCloud if you want it. Back up your whole library as one file anytime. We can't read your notes | Notability Cloud, their servers, or iCloud. AI features process your notes in the cloud | iCloud, or Goodnotes Cloud on Pro to sync across devices. AI runs in the cloud | Yes:Your device, or Notewise Cloud if you subscribe | Partly:Your device, with optional iCloud or Google Drive. Shows ads that track you, per its App Store label | Your device and iCloud | Yes:Your device and your own iCloud, with optional end-to-end encryption |
App by app
1. Strawberry Notes
The all-in-one study app for iPad and iPhone.
- You want notes, flashcards, and tasks in one simple app, with docs and a calendar coming soon
- You write by hand on infinite pages with infinite zoom
- You want to link your notes and see them all on a map
- You want flashcards scheduled with FSRS, plus image occlusion and Anki import
- You want to use AI and only pay for what you use
- You want your notes private, on your device and your own iCloud
2. Notability
The classic iPad app for recording lectures while you write, now with AI on paid plans.
- You record lectures and want the audio to replay with your writing
- You need Android, Windows, or the web right now
- You want to write on notes with classmates, live
- You want a huge library of templates
3. Goodnotes
The best-known digital paper notebook, now with whiteboards, docs, and AI.
- You love the paper-notebook feel and planner templates
- You love to fine-tune everything, with tons of settings to tweak
- You need Windows, Android, or the web right now
- You want full typed documents next to your handwriting today
- You write notes with classmates, live
4. Notewise
A handwriting app for iPad and Android tablets, with a one-time offline plan.
- You're on an Android tablet and need it today
- You want AI to write notes for you from recordings
- You want AI podcasts made from your notes
5. Freenotes
A free, ad-supported handwriting app for iPad and Android, with paid AI extras.
- You want to start for free and don't mind ads
- You're on Android and need it today
- You want to record lectures and get a transcript
6. CollaNote
A free Apple Pencil app with a cheap one-time upgrade and live collaboration.
- You want a free app with a cheap one-time upgrade
- You want to write on the same notes with friends, live
- You love planners, stickers, and paper templates
- You want audio recordings that follow your writing
7. Apple Notes
The free notes app built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
- You want something free that's already on your iPhone
- You mostly jot quick notes and checklists
- You want to record lectures with a transcript
- You want Math Notes that solve equations as you write
Questions people ask
It depends on what you do with your notes. For studying, Strawberry Notes puts handwriting, PDFs, flashcards with spaced repetition, tasks, and AI study tools in one app. Notability is best for recording lectures, Goodnotes for a paper-notebook feel, and Apple Notes if you want something free and built in.
Strawberry Notes schedules flashcards with FSRS and adds image occlusion cards. Notability and Goodnotes also have flashcards with spaced repetition. We couldn't find spaced repetition in Notewise, Freenotes, CollaNote, or Apple Notes.
Apple Notes is free and built in. Freenotes is free with ads, and CollaNote is free with a one-time Premium upgrade. Goodnotes and Notability have free plans with a small number of notebooks or notes. Strawberry Notes has a 7-day free trial on its yearly plan.
More roundups
- Best Flashcard and Spaced Repetition Apps
- Best Note-Taking Apps for Students
- Best AI Study Apps for Students
- All one-on-one comparisons
Every app here is a trademark of its maker, and Strawberry Notes isn't affiliated with any of them. Prices are in US dollars and can change, so check before you buy. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.