ZoomNotes Desktop is a note taking and sketching app for Mac OS. It is fully compatible with the iOS version
(ZoomNotes, and ZoomNotes Lite) and shares a similar user interface for easy learning. It has many unique
features including
- Import PDF planner documents and display and manage events and reminders from the Calendar app.
- Use the digital planner template to create your own digital planner which will show events and reminders from the Calendar app.
- Write over PDF files or blank paper.
- Infinite whiteboard mode (aka Infinite Canvas).
- Handwriting recognition (14 different languages).
- Sub-documents.
- Typed Rich Text
- Layers let you control what is visible on a page, also options for 'master layers' which show on all pages.
- Near-Infinite zoom range.
- Record and playback sound.
- Bookmarks to record view points within documents.
- Drawing guides for lines and arcs.
- Symbol library.
- Polygons, free-hand shapes, tables, arrowed lines, colour fill tool.
- Documents Management - Documents, Folders and Sub-folders. Tags for documents and pages within
documents.
- Export as Images, PDF, Video or SVG.
- Integration with Finder to allow 'Quick preview' and drag-drop of ZND, PDF, ZIP, JPEG, PNG and MOV files.
- ICloud enabled for easy synchronization between iOS and Mac OS.
This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Inexpensive for Features Offered but Unforgivably Cumbersome
DrJJWMac
I have ZoomNotes for my iPad Air. It has been a workhorse for me as a substitute for developing ideas instead of using pen+paper. I also project the ZoomNotes from my iPad using AirPlay to act as an infinite whiteboard. Over the past 3-4 years, I have gathered a significant stash of documents in ZoomNotes on my iPad.The one significant plus for ZoomNotes is that it is a feature-rich app on the iPad and on the desktop. In this regard, ZoomNotes is available a significantly lower cost compared to other macOS desktop apps that offer the same or comparable tools and features.That being said, I already have my workhorse drawing app on macOS. The ONLY reason I purchased the Desktop version of ZoomNotes is to gain access to my stash of proprietary-formatted .znd backup files from the iPad that I have backed up to a Dropbox repository.The desktop version lacks absolutely any sense to follow the macOS paradigm for its toolbar, folders, and document management. The UI layout is exactly the same as the iPad. Where this approach to the UI layout is at times just unforgivably cumbersome to use on the iPad, it becomes horribly difficult to swallow for a macOS desktop app. For doing any work beyond creating only one document, one might at some point just decide to give up and go elsewhere.Finally, two features keep me with ZoomNotes on the iPad despite the plethora of other better-designed drawing apps. One is the the ability to have a wrist protector from the bottom of the drawing region and the other is the ability to layout a toolbar on the left side with just the tools I want and no more. The former need will disappear with a future update to an iPad Pro + Apple Pencil. The latter desire (user-designable toolbars on the left side of the drawing frame) is now (finally) being offered in other iPad drawing apps (with far better UI design). Let me project this back to ZoomNotes on macOS. At some point, I foresee also abandoning ZoomNotes on the iPad because its UI is too frustrating. At that point, the only reason I would keep ZoomNotes on macOS will be to access legacy drawings.
Grateful for desktop companion
Dini7775
I have an older Mac stuck on Catalina and I am grateful that I can still get the updates for this well-maintained app. It is one of my few apps from the App Store that still gives frequent updates for my Mac. The main reason I wanted this app is to access and edit my notes from my iPad (also old, also still supported) without having to export them as pdf because I don’t like the thought of the zoomnotes file format being trapped in my iPad. So I’m very grateful for this. I do not need it syncing and haven’t tried that. I already have OneNote for the notes that I keep synced between devices; also Joplin, the Evernote replacement. ZoomNotes is for completely different use. It is great that older Mac OS and older iOS are supported because not everyone can afford to update their devices, and the old ones still work perfectly. Also, I like the appearance of the UI. It has a simple charm. I did not have trouble figuring out the UI and I like that the iPad and desktop versions are so similar. Overall I appreciate Zoomnote and the great support on the website.
Ultimately not what I need or expected
esotaria
I'm intrigued by Zoomnotes' ability to display Google/Apple calendar events and Apple reminders. I bought this desktop companion app so that I could do the bulk of that set-up work on the computer and then do minor updates/upkeep on my iPad, but it hasn't been working that way for me.* The desktop app frequently displays pages incorrectly, showing a zoomed in/cropped version of a page instead of the full page when I've done nothing to zoom or crop. Quitting the app and then opening it again sometimes but not always fixes this problem.* Syncing between my computer and ipad is unbearably slow.* The interface is different enough between the ipad and desktop versions that things get really confusing. I figure out how to do something on the ipad and then spend another twenty minutes trying to figure out how to do the exact same thing on the desktop.My computer is from 2019, so I'm willing to believe that some of the technical issues I'm having are from running an older machine. Still, I have the machine I have, and the app is functionally useless for me.
I wish I could get a refund
A.BellaDonna
I purchased this instead of Goodnotes for 1 feature and that was the fact that there IS a desktop app at all. After turning on sharing and followint all the instruction I can't get anything to sync from my ipad to my mac book. And that is the only reason I bought this. The feaatures on the destop version don't really work. The instructions and tutorials I have found online are all for the ipad app. I can't share anything between my own devices with out airdropping it to myself and that is just stupid. Because I have to do it every time i make a change. I regret this purchase immensly. The help section on the website and the user manual are less than useless. This was a disappointing waste of money.
Support for PDF annotation comments - long press and choose ‘Comment’. You can import pdf files with these comments in as well as export then to a PDF file.
Fix for youtube previews
Datable tag can now be used for calendar shapes on day pages
Other enhancements and optimisations
If you are enjoying using ZoomNotes please leave a review - thanks.
Version 9.1.25
The developer, Deliverance Software 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 Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
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Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
