CollaNote: Handwritting & PDF 4+

Simple and useful paper replacement

I believe this is the best free notes app on iPad right now. I use my iPad to do homework instead of using paper (cuz I have to scan them and upload anyway). I like how it’s page structured instead of infinite scrolling like the One Note or apple notes, because when I try to export those into A4 size pdf some of the content get spliced into different pages as there isn’t any obvious page breaks when writing in those apps. For this app, it’s literally like a digital paper with notes structured in pages instead of a huge canvas, and tons of paper templates to choose from. Sure, it might not be as powerful as notability or goodnotes, but this is completely free! (Shame on you notability with your subscription model…)

Some cons: the ui design is not my favourite, I prefer a more serious look or more consistent iOS ui style. But this doesn’t affect the usability in any way so I can look pass it,
Another thing is the ui layout might be a bit confusing, some of the buttons and menus are in different/unintuitive places. For example, the some of the settings like dark mode are only accessible in the notes settings instead of the main app settings. At the core, this app I really good, but it might need a bit more polish in the ui/ux design.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the detailed tips - I will work on the UI. The dark mode is in the note because some people prefer to switch it directly while they are working on the note and don't want to search in the main settings first - maybe it can be put in both places.... Best regards, Quốc Huy

CollaNote Review

As a student I have to say that this is the best free note taking app that I have used! It has most features that other paid note taking apps have and it provides us with a variety of templates to choose from and it allows us to organize our notes which is something that I found really useful about this app. This app also has a special feature that other note taking apps do not have and that is the ability to automatically switch the notes from light to dark mode,without having to change the pen colours used in light mode(meaning notes with a light background to a dark background color) to fit the darker background,all with just a click of a button feature that they have. So I would definitely recommend this amazing app to everyone and I would like to thank the developers for creating this app for free as it helps many students around the world to take notes digitally easier:)

Excellent app

I have been using this app for almost a year on my ipad and this is such an excellent app. The features are easy to navigate and it is extremely easy to organize my notes. Apart from that, I can export and share my notes to my friends or to other application. This is also especially useful if you are a student who needs to write lots of study notes as you can highlight the words, organize them easily and you can also decorate your notes. Afterwards, you can even share the notes with your friends. I would highly recommend this app to everyone especially to those using an ipad to write notes. The best part of this app is that it is absolutely free!