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.
Thank you so much to the devs for making the absolute best note taking app. I hate the apps that claim to be free but constantly bombard you with membership deals and lock important features behind a paywall. I am so so so happy to say that isn’t the case with Orignotes. There isn’t a single thing I don’t love about this app. I just hope this app continues to remain completely free and unlocked. My only request to the devs is to never ever lock any feature behind a paywall. Please keep it like this forever! Thank you again!
I have little problem
Minna mon
The app is excellent and free, offering all the features found in subscription-based apps. However, there is a disappointing issue: recently, some files have stopped displaying with their original formatting and colors. I also hope you add an account feature, as I lost all my notes before I could back them up to cloud storage.
Developer Response
Thank you for your support and feedback! ❤️If the files with formatting or color issues are PPT files, we recommend converting them to PDF before importing, as PPT files may have compatibility issues. We also provide three different PDF rendering modes, so you can try switching between them to see which works best for your file.For backup and sync, you can connect your own cloud storage account, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Baidu Netdisk, and Aliyun Drive. Go to Settings in the top-right corner → Cloud Drive Settings, sign in to a cloud service, then choose your backup schedule and which notes to back up. OrigNotes will automatically upload them to your cloud drive regularly to help keep your notes safe.
❤️❤️❤️
BBXFAISL
I love this app! I have two suggestions: when extracting text with the Lasso tool, please show an instant paste notification so I can paste the text directly without long-pressing the file. Also, please allow users to drag and drop selected items using the Lasso tool instead of having to copy and paste them.Thank you for your amazing work. This app is absolutely awesome!❤️
Developer Response
Thank you so much for your support! ❤️ OrigNotes has a built-in AI feature that integrates directly with your notes. After selecting content, choose “Ask AI” from the pop-up menu to send the selected content directly to AI.You can also choose your preferred AI model and enter your own API key, giving you more flexibility over which AI service you use.Thank you again for the suggestion and for supporting OrigNotes!
Great!
Mairairia
Orignotes is awesome. Not only is it free, the developers are consistent with updating the app and adding functionality- my only suggestion would be the ability to arrange notebooks and folders but thats purely aesthetic. In terms of usability, its effective and user friendly! 10/10 reccomend
Developer Response
Thanks for your feedback. We will fix this issue in version 1.8.6
2.0.4 Release Notes:
New Features:
1. Added support for importing notes from and automatically backing them up to Quark Drive and OneDrive.
2. Added Mac canvas controls for drawing with a mouse, panning, zooming, turning pages, and using common editing shortcuts.
3. The AI assistant now renders Markdown and math formulas as responses stream. You can also choose separate models for chat and image recognition.
Improvements:
1. Improved chat history loading, scroll positioning, and image sending in the AI assistant.
2. Added hourly cloud backup intervals, clearer upload status, and improved options for keeping a copy or replacing a note during restoration.
3. Improved image and text box selection and resizing, with easier-to-grab handles on small selections.
4. Improved scratch paper previews, mind map node text, and thumbnails for some complex PDFs.
Bug Fixes:
1. Fixed a layout issue when switching between list and grid views while the home screen was refreshing.
2. Fixed an issue switching between Favorites and Thumbnails with two windows open, and a potential crash when dragging page thumbnails.
3. Fixed a potential crash when swiping to select photos and added an error message when image sharing from Quick Access fails.
4. Fixed unintended marks when writing while the canvas was still scrolling, and an issue that could prevent drawing after quickly switching to the eraser.
5. Fixed an issue where the feedback form could be cut off at the bottom or close unexpectedly while typing.
Version 2.0.4
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 based, for example, 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
Provider
Hangzhou Future Writing Technology Co.,LTD.
Size
111.2 MB
Category
Productivity
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.