Noteful: Note-Taking on PDF 4+

I'd really like to thank the developer(s). This really is a joy to use. All of the features that I need, with no unnecessary ones, and an extensive free mode to let me fall in love with it naturally. At this point, I have tried every note taking app and this one is the best deal. The biggest reason for me has got to be the shape input. I don't think the AppStore listing sells this feature hard enough, so here's my experience. 1. Draw approximate shape, and hold at closing vertex 2. While still holding, adjust size and rotation. 3. Release pen to enter vertex edit mode, where the shape can be fine tuned. (Once you've stopped editing vertices though, the shape is locked in) No other app gets this right. Shape input is *so* natural, versatile, and consistent. The only improvement I could ask for is allowing the editing of a shape that has already been finalized. I understand that if the shape is no longer a vector object that this makes it impossible, but a nerd can dream. - A very very happy customer

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Wonderful news: They have continued improving this app. The new keyboard shortcuts are quite handy, even if some of them are placed on the right-side of the keyboard. I hope they offer options for customizing these hotkeys soon.

After 2 other well known writing apps cost themselves customer loyalty (one because of a terrible update, the other because of another tired bait-and-switch tactic of charging a subscription for an app already paid for), I went on a search for an alternative. One where the developers respect their customers and listens to feedback. One with a respectful privacy policy (which definitely was NOT the case with one of the aforementioned popular writing apps). And one that refrains from this greedy trend of charging subscription fees instead of a one-time reasonable price.

In Noteful, I think I’ve found such an app.

One-time price? Check. Clear and concise privacy policy? Check. Feature rich? Check, check, and checkmate. This app has everything I need. It’s layout is beautiful, it’s UI is intuitive, and the developer seems committed to the user base.

One more “note” about privacy: when a developer has the talent to make an app this good, yet still has a privacy policy that makes it very clear that data mining is not part of his business structure? THAT is the kind of developer who we should all be supporting. In fact, I would encourage this developer to consider putting in a tip jar, because users like me who are fed up with apps cavalierly violating that basic principle will gladly contribute regularly to someone doing things the right way. Thank you, Noteful.

I’ve used Notability for about 10 years, but this year, the cost to keep the app is ridiculous. So, I switched to Noteful because I’ve heard that the UI is very similar. After using Noteful for about a month, I do agree that Noteful is the best (and much more affordable) alternative to Notability. The transition to the app was seamless and learning how to use the tools was very easy. I was able to work on this app for college immediately.

My only complaints (very small issues tbh) are that there’s no handwriting search, no color coding for folders, and the resizing of handwritten notes. The option to search for handwritten words would be very helpful as I have hundreds of ppt slides, and it’s hard to look for certain words that I personally wrote myself. I also have a lot of folders within folders, and the titles of my folders tend to be long course names. So, arranging them by color would be beneficial. Lastly, the resizing of handwritten text reminds me of Goodnotes, which I personally don't like. I much prefer to resize/rotate handwritten text by using my fingers with the “zooming in” motion, rather through the current boxes.

Overall, I am still very much pleased with Noteful. And despite the small complaints, I hardly miss Notability after using this wonderful app!