Note-taking applications for an iPad with the Apple Pencil are a great way to jot down your ideas, thoughts, or any upcoming event reminders anytime and access them from anywhere. They are more like your digital notepad, which gives the feel of hand-typed notes while at the same time giving you the ease of digital syncing and organisation.
Surely, we can’t compete with the modern way of collecting notes with the traditional handwritten notes that were calming and let our minds absorb more of them. But to choose the convenience of being able to access all your crucial notes over them, these applications play a significant role.
However, with countless apps available on the App Store, it becomes a tedious task to choose the best note-taking app for your iPad.
Thus, to help you out of this problem, we have come up with the tried and tested best freemium and premium iPad note-taking applications with the Apple Pencil of 2023, which will fulfill both your individual and professional requirements.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into them.
Best Note-taking Apps for iPad with the Apple Pencil (Free + Paid)
Using note-taking apps is a great way to quickly go through all the major events, jot down your expenses, and set a time limit on your iPhone and iPad devices. So, let’s get to know about these amazing, efficient apps.
1. Notability
The greatest and most well-known free note-taking app for iPads with a pencil on our list is Notability. It has consistently garnered positive reviews and is currently the most popular app worldwide. It is very user-friendly because all folders are on the left bar and notes are on the right. Creating a subject will allow you to group each of your notes beneath it. You can bookmark your favourites for easy access using favourite toolbars.
Additionally, Notability offers numerous customization options, such as a wide variety of pad designs. In presentation mode, one can interact with multiple notes, switch across them, and even share ideas. The sketching experience with Notability is also really good, with the ability to quickly switch between ink colours, shapes, and arrows.
Moreover, you can import notes in multiple formats, including PDF, Doc, GIF, and more. And if you want to search any of them, you can do that using tags.
Drawbacks:
- The free version offers limited functionality.
- There is no automatic iCloud synchronisation.
Pricing:
The app offers the following subscription plans:
- Free
- Monthly subscription at $2.99
- 3 months of subscription at $9.99
- Annual subscription at $14.99
- Family subscription at $34.99
2. Evernote
Due to its features, which are used by both individuals and businesses, Evernote is another of the finest free note-taking apps for the iPad. You can create an infinite number of notebooks, tasks, and questionnaires using it. Similar to the rest of the note-taking programmes, Evernote has a tonne of functionality. You can put graphics, written content, digital media, PDF files, and an array of other things in your notes, for instance.
Additionally, it creates your recorded note, saving you a lot of time compared to a typical workday. You can digitise your analogue content by scanning documents and photos with your camera. Also, cloud sync keeps all of your devices up to date at all times. Overall, Evernote is a great app for your everyday note-taking routine so that you never miss a deadline.
Drawbacks:
- The free version of the app does not let you access offline features and is restricted to a limited number of devices.
Pricing:
The app offers the following subscription plans:
- Free
- Evernote Premium at $6.99
- Evernote Personal at $11.99
- Evernote Plus at $5.49
3. Apple Notes
This app must be mentioned while talking about iPad note apps. You can compose or create written messages with Apple Notes, that is already installed on iOS devices. The sketching capabilities of the tool are very strong, making it simple to add sketches and images to your notes. Additionally, you may use Siri to record voicemails while commuting.
The most noticeable feature of the app is its strong connection with iOS, which is in addition to the fact that it is one of the best free note-taking applications for iPad. When you use iCloud, switching from taking notes on your iPad to another iOS-based gadget is simple.
Additionally, whatever you type is automatically stored to iCloud be it a doc file, web link, or any media file. And if you want to organise or oragnize your notes, you can do that with the tags feature.
Drawbacks:
- The best part is that the app has no limitations.
Pricing:
- Free.
4. GoodNotes 5
The GoodNotes 5 is the next top free note-taking app for the iPad that, by enabling you to convert your writing to text, closely matches the feel of a traditional pen and paper. You may construct cards, change the font type of your writing, search among your notes, choose from a variety of paper designs, and more. The software uses electronic ink capabilities to display your artwork and illustrations in high definition.
You can effortlessly save your data to third-party platforms like Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, and more with the intuitive exporting tool. This implies that you won’t have to be concerned about misplacing your crucial notes and can access them from any part of the world be it the doc files, sketches, folders, PDFs, and others.
Drawbacks:
- This app too has no limitations.
Pricing:
The app is available in the following plans:
- Free
- Full Version Unlock at $9.99
- Dotted Squares: Draft Papers at $0.99
- Happy Place Covers at $0.99
- Good Morning – BuJo Stickers at $0.99
- Relax Rabbit Stickers at $0.99
- Pam the STEM Champ at $0.99
- The Ultimate Sticker Pack at $1.99
5. CollaNote
Another great note-taking app for the iPad using Apple Pencil is CollaNote. The application comes with a number of beneficial features, including a colour fill tool for enhancing and a curve builder for making beautiful diagrams and graphs. Do you recall using Notability’s automatic synchronization to record speech notes? That is included in CollaNote, and the best part is that using CollaNote is free; there is no need to pay for membership.
When taking notes, you can utilise CollaNote in dark mode. The notes you wrote in light mode won’t be corrupted if you switch to dark mode because it contains dynamic colours. Additionally, a variety of stickers and more than 150 unique formats with eye-catching templates are offered to make the notes look more appealing.
Drawbacks:
The app does not let you easily organize and manage your folders and notes.
Pricing:
Free.
6. Whink
Whink is a straightforward notebook software for the iPad that everyone can use, especially those who have trouble with tech. You can take notes swiftly and effortlessly thanks to its easy-to-use layout. Whink’s pencil tool, in contrast to most other note-taking programmes, imitates the use of gel pens with conventional ink hues, providing the appearance of a handwriting with a pen on parchment. Additionally, you may change the line’s width and choose from a variety of colour schemes.
Its multitasking capabilities are yet another outstanding aspect. Whink’s split-screen mode enables you to take notes as you watch a film or read other material. Although you may modify this via your iPad’s options, doing it this way is much simpler. Furthermore, you can import all your crucial notes from other applications like email using Open-in.
Drawbacks:
- The app offers you limited functionality.
Pricing:
The app lets you access all its features for $5.52, which is comparatively cheaper than other apps.
7. Loose Leaf
If you like to take notes visually, Loose Leaf might be the perfect note-taking tool for you. It is the iPad’s next-best iOS note-taking software. It differs from other note-taking programs. The pages are heaped here, not like a notebook, but like a mound of papers. Instead of using a notebook, it will feel like you are creating something on an actual piece of paper. Using the two-finger gestures on the iPad, you can swipe across the sections and delete them.
You can arrange all of the pages into one file using gestures. Additionally, you can import pictures and use them in your notes very easily. There are only five colours available, which can be sufficient if you only need a basic note-taking tool. And the app also offers beautiful templates of different formats such as grid, lined, and more.
Drawbacks:
- The app offers fewer limited customization functionality.
Pricing:
Free.
Wrapping-Up
That’s all for now! We’ve put together a list of the top note-taking iPad apps, both free and premium. We hope you found these apps worth reading.
And you’re wondering about which note-taking software I ought to be using right now. Well, that totally depends on your needs and the scenario. For instance, Notability may be the best iPad notetaking applications for teams and individuals, while Apple Notes is a great option for quick notes.
Once again, we are not endorsing any particular app. You only need to analyse your needs before deciding which software to utilise for regular note-taking tasks.
