10/14/2021 Goodnotes 4 Vs Notability Ipad Pro
I have been using both GoodNotes and Notability for a bit now. Both purchases were made after recommendations and some research. Most people seem to pit these two against each other as if they are rivals. But I beg to differ. I’ll tell you why at the end.
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GoodNotes
What really attracted me to GoodNotes is the Zoom Window feature. It is second to none in its class. A zoomed in view bar of the selected line section of your page appears from the bottom. Here you can write as you normally do in quite comfortable large handwriting. What appears is a smaller version of your handwriting looking very neat. As you reach the end of the window line a greyed-out window appears at the beginning (left-hand side) showing you the end of your writing. To continue just write in the grey area. This means you can write continuously without breaking your writing speed. Very neat.
This implementation is better than Notability’s version of the Zoom Window in which the greyed-out area (right-hand side) is already there and into which you write. After a long enough pause the writing moves to the front. It is this pause which breaks your writing speed. Notability’s version isn’t bad but GoodNotes’s implementation is just better if not the best.
With this point said I would like to point out that even though they use the a similar kind of handwriting input system their purposes are different.
There are several feature differences between GoodNotes and Notability which make them different beasts (like tigers and lions). Firstly, GoodNotes has a TV-out AirPlay ‘hide use interface’ feature for projectors and TV screens. This is a strange feature to have for a so-called “note-taking” app. Sure you want to use it for annotating research PDFs but do you do it on-screen? Hardly.
For me this feature is what I use most for for filling in answers in textbook gap-fills or for highlight important parts of the textbook for students to see. In other words my students can focus on what I want them to focus on. But because the handwriting input system is so good I can use it as a whiteboard as well.
In short, the handwriting input system and on-screen mode are the selling points for GoodNotes.
Notability
So what about Notability? As I said they are like lions and wolves (as ferocious as each other but one is felid, the other canid). The core design to Notability are the Library and Notes Views. The Library View is designed to let you organise and navigate your notes easily and quickly. Looking rather like a folder window on your desktop even down to the collapsable divider tree makes visualising how you organise your notes easy to understand. Limited to three “tiers” – divider, subject and notes – it is more than enough and keeps things uncomplicated. That only the divider tier is collapsable makes organising subjects easy. And that only notes go into folders means things are found quickly and organised neatly. notice also your notes are notes and not notebooks. This makes a huge difference to your thinking and approach to them. One no longer sees a need to fill in an entire notebook with that pretty cover but that they can be as long or short (more often short) as you want them. They are like loose leaf pages to be put into subject “folders” when necessary.
So coming to notes as I said they are like loose leaf pages. The input method can be either handwriting and/or keyboard. Whereas GoodNotes aims to be handwriting input based Notability aims to be keyboard based. Why I say this is because this is where it excels. The entire page of a note can be used for continuous typing. This is unlike GoodNotes which uses only text boxes. Not only that the other objects (images, figures, webclips, stickies, etc) automatically work around – or rather wrap around – the text. In other words the text dominates the landscape with other things working around it. This is highly intuitive for digital text and is something well implemented by Notability. The fact that Notability chose to force the app to use the entire width of the iPad screen means Notability was never concerned with looking at the entire page as if it is some kind of PDF but as a note-taking tool.
This is thinking outside the box on the parts of both Notability and GoodNotes. GoodNotes is, in my opinion, suitable for projector/TV presentation-based of content effectively, while Notability is suitable for serious note-taking that keeps people focused on that. This is evidenced by the difference in their concentration of text input methods (handwriting vs. keyboard) and in the difference in uses (on projector screen vs. on tablet screen). Both are same but different, but both are just as effective and as deadly in the killer-app sense.
Conclusion … use them for what they do best
These two apps were designed to serve different purposes. GoodNotes is great for on-screen productivity. While Notability is great for not-taking. They are both good at what they do and shouldn’t thought of as doing the same work. GoodNotes fans will tell you it is great for handwriting and they are right. Notability fans will tell you it is great for taking notes and they are equally right. But whether you want to do your note-taking in handwriting or keyboard is the question. Personally I don’t really need my notes to be handwritten. But I do love being able to handwrite on-screen all over my digitalised textbooks and workbooks so GoodNotes is my app of choice for classroom teaching productivity. But equally I do love the organisation and ease of note-taking with Notability so that is my app of choice for research productivity. No one ever said I had to either use GoodNotes or Notability. Why not use both for what they do best and not what you are told they are intended for.
[note: the original has been corrected from “… as tigers and lions …” to “… as lions to wolves …”. Both tigers are and lions are feline. Again I get this mixed up as I did as a child.]
Do you love the tactile experience of taking notes on paper but prefer the organization features of digital note-taking apps? We do, too.
And until recently, the best compromise we’d found was taking notes on paper and then scanning them into an app like Evernote.
While this approach worked, it wasn’t as seamless as we wanted. So for a while now, we’ve been experimenting with ways of taking handwritten notes with an iPad. And we’re excited to share that we’ve finally found a method that combines the best parts of writing by hand with the best parts of digital note-taking.
The key is to use a quality stylus, a screen protector that mimics paper, and, most importantly, the right note-taking app.
In this post, we’ll show you six of the best note-taking apps for the iPad. With a bit of practice, these apps will give you all the benefits of writing by hand without sacrificing the convenience of digital organization.
Note: All of the apps below work for both the iPad Pro and Classic, though the Pro’s larger screen size makes note-taking easier.
1. Notability
If we had to recommend just one iPad note-taking app, it would be Notability. The app offers a delightful writing experience, yet it also makes it easy to embed images, annotate PDFs, and even record voice memos.
Sketching and drawing in Notability is easy and downright delightful. Being able to doodle and quickly sketch out illustrations is one of our favorite things about taking notes on paper. Notability does an excellent job of emulating this experience, while also allowing you to do things you can’t do on paper such as resizing and moving your drawings.
In addition, Notability includes a variety of flexible layout options. This allows you to, for instance, have a slide or reference material open on one side of the page while you take notes on the other.
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And beyond the layout of individual pages, you can also organize your notes using digital “Dividers” (which is perfect if you’re used to taking notes in a physical binder).
Finally, Notability gives you plenty of options for exporting and sharing your notes, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and AirDrop.
Price: $8.99
Check out the video below to see Notability in action:
2. Noteshelf
Noteshelf was our favorite note-taking app for the iPad before we discovered Notability, and it’s still a superb option.
It has many of the features we love in Notability, including the option to annotate PDFs and multitask with the iPad’s split screen. You can also record voice notes to go along with your handwritten notes, which is perfect for recapping a lecture or meeting at a later date.
If you speak/write multiple languages, you’ll also be pleased to know that Noteshelf can recognize handwriting in 65 different languages. This makes it a powerful tool whether you’re taking a language class or learning a language on your own.
Finally, Noteshelf lets you export your notes to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Evernote. The option to export to Evernote is noticeably missing from Notability, making Noteshelf our top pick for serious Evernote users.
Apple Watch users will also benefit from the app’s ability to record voice notes using the Noteshelf Apple Watch app.
Price: $9.99
3. GoodNotes 5
Up next, we have GoodNotes 5. This app has everything you want for taking notes, including the ability to switch between typing and writing. Plus, you can choose from several built-in note layouts and templates, as well as import your own.
Notably, GoodNotes 5 lets you adjust the sensitivity and palm recognition of the pen to match your writing style. This is perfect if you’re like me and tend to press very hard when writing.
Finally, GoodNotes 5 includes a “Presentation Mode” that lets you turn your iPad into a digital whiteboard. Using either AirPlay or an HDMI cable, you can project what you’re writing onto a larger screen while still being able to see the GoodNotes interface on your iPad. This is handy whether you’re giving a class presentation or pitching a business idea.
Goodnotes Versus Notability
Price: $7.99
Want to learn how to take better notes? Check out our guide to the best note-taking systems.
4. Apple Notes
We couldn’t discuss iPad note-taking apps without mentioning Apple Notes. The app comes free with macOS/iOS devices, and it does a great job of letting you type or take notes by hand. The app’s drawing features are also solid, making it easy to add sketches and illustrations to your notes.
Aside from being free, the biggest advantage of Apple Notes is its deep integration with iOS. If you use iCloud and other Apple devices, you can effortlessly switch between taking notes on your iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
Plus, everything you create is automatically backed up to iCloud, and you can even create voice notes using Siri while you’re on the go.
Price: Free
5. Penultimate
Developed by Evernote, Penultimate is designed to be the go-to note-taking app for Evernote users. It has all the standard note-taking features you want, including a variety of layouts and the ability to search your handwritten notes with optical character recognition.
If you already use Evernote, then you can seamlessly add Penultimate to your workflow. Once you sign into the app with your Evernote account, all your notes will automatically sync to the Evernote notebook of your choice.
While the additional writing features of Noteshelf still make it our preferred note-taking app to use with Evernote, Penultimate remains a solid choice (especially if you’re looking for a free app).
Price: Free
6. Microsoft OneNote
Odds are, you’ve used (or at least have access to) Microsoft OneNote at work or school. But did you know that the OneNote iPad app allows you to take handwritten notes?
OneNote lets you write notes either on a blank page or a layout that emulates a sheet of lined paper. The general setup of the app mimics a physical binder, allowing you to organize your notes by topic.
OneNote for iPad also offers a variety of multimedia features. You can type text, insert graphics, and even include voice recordings. You can also search notes for specific words and view your notes across devices. And everything you create in OneNote is automatically backed up to OneDrive.
If you’re already a serious Microsoft app user, then OneNote will integrate seamlessly into your workflow.
Price: Free (with a Microsoft Account)
Start Taking Notes With Your iPad Today
I hope this article has shown you the exciting options you have for taking notes with your iPad. It’s now easier than ever to get the benefits of writing on paper without sacrificing the organization features of digital apps.
Of course, to benefit from taking notes, you need to make it a habit. If you’re looking to build the habit of taking notes (or another productive habit), you’ll love our latest course.
Click the button below to learn how you can take it (and thousands of other classes) for free:
Take My New (Free) Class: Productivity for CreativesGoodnotes 4 Vs Notability Ipad Pro 11
If you do creative work—writing, taking photos, making videos and music, etc.—then this class will help you boost your output and take that work to the next level.
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