OrigNotes is a powerful, free digital note-taking app built for iPad and iPhone.
Whether you're taking handwritten notes, annotating PDFs, organizing ideas with mind maps, or capturing inspiration with images, audio, and video, OrigNotes gives you the tools to keep everything in one place.
Write naturally with Apple Pencil, convert handwriting into editable text, search through your notes, and customize your workspace to fit the way you think and work.
OrigNotes is free to use, and we're committed to keeping it that way.
If you're enjoying OrigNotes, we'd greatly appreciate a 5-star review. Your support helps us continue improving the app and building new features for everyone.
Have an idea or feature request? Leave us a review or contact us directly through the app. You can also check our Future Plans inside OrigNotes to see what we're working on and follow the progress of upcoming features.
KEY FEATURES
• Handwriting & Drawing
Enjoy a natural writing experience with a variety of pens, brushes, and creative tools designed for Apple Pencil.
• PDF Reading & Annotation
Import PDFs to read, highlight, annotate, draw, and take notes directly on your documents.
• Mind Maps
Create mind maps to organize ideas, study topics, and brainstorm visually. Add topics and subtopics, drag and rearrange nodes, and customize your mind map to fit your ideas.
• Handwriting to Text
Turn handwritten notes into editable text for easier editing, organizing, and reuse.
• Powerful Search
Find information faster by searching handwritten notes and text inside PDFs.
• Images, GIFs, Audio & Video
Bring your notes to life with images, animated GIFs, audio, and video—all within your notebook.
• Personalized Notebooks
Customize covers, paper templates, and themes to create a workspace that feels like your own.
• Custom Toolbar & Tool Box
Arrange your favorite tools around the way you work and keep the ones you use most within easy reach.
• Smooth Writing Experience
Optimized handwriting, palm rejection, and Apple Pencil interactions help writing feel smooth, responsive, and natural.
• Easy Organization
Organize and sort your documents, bookmark important pages, and quickly get back to the content you need.
• Data Protection & Backup
Multiple backup options and improved data protection help keep your important notes safe.
• Cloud Backup
Back up your notebooks to cloud storage for easier long-term storage and management.
MADE FOR THE WAY YOU TAKE NOTES
From class notes and study materials to work documents, PDF annotation, brainstorming, and everyday ideas, OrigNotes gives you a flexible space to capture, organize, and develop your thoughts.
Simple when you need it. Powerful when you need more.
Write. Think. Create. Organize.
All in OrigNotes.
I’ve been using this notebook app for school and work, and I literally cannot get over how perfect it is. As an app that’s completely free, I expected to be bogged down with pop up or banner ads, to reach a notebook capacity, or something else that I encounter on every app, but this one has… none of those. It truly amazed me when I first started using it, and it’s exactly what I needed. Seriously, the only recommendation I would give is the ability to upload your own notebook cover photos. But it’s so amazing, that’s literally my only complaint. Keep doing what you do, because it’s so wonderful!
Developer Response
Thank you for your support and feedback. You can customize the cover and paper template. Please configure it in Settings - Cover and Paper.
Love the App; How to contact for new features/improvements
PinkPower24
Hello, I’ve recently downloaded the app, and I’ve been enjoying using it for storyboarding and note-taking tasks. I do have a a few suggestion for new features and improvements. Is there a way to contact you so that I can explain these suggestions to you?Edit: I’ve been using this app for a couple of weeks. I still love it, but there are a lot of bugs present in it. I’m just gonna paste in the list of bugs and requested features. I wish I could post images of what I’m experiencing on this review.A drawing that’s been copied needs remain available for until I copy something else, not just for one time. (Explanation: The app removes the ability to paste after only pasting once)Pencil strokes keeps randomly changing from small to big for no reason.Allow us to rotate the page using our fingers when sketching on whiteboard or notebook for better drawing experience.Issues where undoing a stroke also undos an erased stroke after only pressing once.Allow us to directly upload photos from our photo library instead of on the stickers tabSelecting a single stroke selects other strokes.Also, there’s a whiteboard I’ve made, and every time I try to export it as pdf, it crashes. I followed the instructions to reduce the chances of it crashing, including lowering the threshold, as well as deleting and reinstalling the app. However, it has continued crashing. The whiteboard is ~ 250MB, just to let you know. Could you please help me with this?Sorry if this is long to read.
Developer Response
Thank you for your support and for enjoying the app! We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to contact us at wlsx_support@126.com with any feature requests or feedback. We truly appreciate input from our users and look forward to hearing from you!
App accessed my private PDFs that were elsewhere on my iPad, not linked to this app.
specialappssk
I did NOT agree to the privacy policy that popped up- it had links to 3rd party SDKs entirely in Chinese for example (how can I agree to something I can’t read?) BUT when I went to DELETE the app immediately after reviewing these policies, it instead showed a preview of all my documents in the app. Somehow without granting any permission whatsoever, the app read my private PDFs that I have generated elsewhere on my iPad, from years ago, and placed them within their app. I never gave access to any of my data through this app, because after I read their privacy policy I did NOT AGREE, and I immediately took steps to remove the app from my device. This serves as notice that this developer/company must remove and delete any data gleaned or viewed through the installation and opening of this app, as I did NOT agree to the privacy policy and I did NOT grant permission for that data to be used.
Developer Response
Thank you for your feedback. We strictly adhere to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Regarding third-party SDK agreements: these are provided by the third-party platforms themselves and cannot be modified by us. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.Concerning the ability for OrigNotes to access PDF files: this functionality is part of Apple's system rules. If an app can open PDF files, a long-press on it within the system may trigger a quick action menu to help users select PDFs. This is a system-level feature provided by Apple, not a function built into our app.We appreciate your feedback and understanding.
Incredible App
hcassi14
This app is incredible! The fact that it has no in app purchases for the features it contains is such a blessing. As a college student, I tell all of my friends and peers about this app. It is better than GoodNotes and Notability because there are no purchases required or limits within the app. I also enjoy the future version section where you can see what the developers are working on to further enhance the app. So simple, useful, and handy, I cannot thank the developers enough! ✨
2.0.0 Release Notes:
Improvements:
Improve the stability of the system
Version 2.0.1
The developer, Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Identifiers
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.
Size
100.7 MB
Category
Productivity
Compatibility
Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 14.0 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.