If you’ve been sceptical about going paperless when it comes to notetaking, GoodNotes 5 will convert you.
Whether you’re using your finger or Apple Pencil, the app’s proprietary vector ink engine makes every stroke feel natural. Plus, the Zoom Window feature gives you even more creative freedom.
It works like a treadmill for your pen: just keep writing towards the edge, and the window automatically scrolls back into frame. This way, you don’t have to slow down to move to the next line – and risk losing your train of thought.
This feature isn’t only useful on iPhone, but also handy when coupled with Split View on iPad. Write in the window below while keeping track of your overall progress above at a glance.
If you like the aesthetic of an old notebook, customise your digital book with exquisite covers and useful page templates. Choose from single-lined paper to journal pages. You can set page sizes and select portrait or landscape, whatever best fits your needs; you can even import your own covers and page layouts.
GoodNotes also comes with a powerful search function. Forget about sifting through piles of notes; just enter a few keywords and instantly search through all of your notes, whether they’re handwritten, typed or in PDF format. (The search function for handwritten notes is only available in the full version of the app, which you can access for a one-time fee.)
You can also organise your notes categorically. GoodNotes 5 allows for unlimited subfolders. If you want to create a Favourites list, tap the star icon to add your notebooks or folders to it.
If you feel like adding something extra, the GoodNotes Shop has stickers, templates and planners to suit your needs.
Unlock the full version to use the versatile Lasso tool. Not only will it cut, copy and move anything you select on the page, it will also instantly convert handwritten notes into tidy, typed text. Want to make changes? Edit and annotate your notes and PDFs. Need to share to another platform? Not a problem.
Go on, shelve your old notebook. With GoodNotes, now’s the time to turn over a new technological leaf.