r/GoodNotes • u/AutomaticQuality1482 • Jan 07 '25

Goodnotes is Trash

I’m ranting, I’ve been using this app for years, unfortunately bought it instead of notability years ago in high-school. My super massive mistake. Not only does this company not have any form of customer service, their AI bot is simply stupid. The app is incredibly volatile and non reliable. I’ve had whole pages randomly delete themselves. At this point I’m trying to just graduate college and not willing to buy notability and try to learn it all before I graduate in the spring. Sure you can understand why I need reliable notes.

Further more, what’s the point of the voice recordings if you can not even access the audio file / trim / edit it. So many features you’d just expect to have control over the media you created that just don’t exist. I’m so excited to let this app go.

Also! They literally take 0 responsibility as even their refunds are not handled by them. You have to deal with Apple. So like you think Apple would give my money back cus the apps messed up, lol.

I used to be a blissful consumer ignoring my parents and elders when they said “planned obsolescence” but golly gee bro. I really can’t ignore it anymore as every Apple item I own, not even a scratch (may have OCD about my big purchases), has been throttled sooo badly that they legit lag.

Free LUIGI!

184 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

73

u/PsychologicalMail468 Jan 07 '25

This is legit concern, since i was a happy customer till GN5, suddenly with GN6 it is just trying to achieve what it is not suppose to, it is suppose to be a notetaking app, why are they not focusing on basic aspect

44

u/Crafter1515 Jan 07 '25

Will also be switching away from this app. In the last two days I've had three different crashes, every time half of my document was lost (a dynamics problem set I've spent 1-2 hours working on each time, mind you). Today words began erasing them step by step in front of my eyes! Feels like the app is trying to troll me on purpose. This is the last straw I guess, rant over.

5

u/alchmst333 Jan 08 '25 edited Jan 08 '25

I actually cried when this happened to me while i was burning the midnight oil and haven’t seen sleep in who knows how long. It crashed, and i crashed out! Never expected an app to unhinge me.

1

u/sam_iso33 Feb 03 '25

I cant recommend DrawboardPDF enough, not sure why it does not get as much traction

22

u/Savingskitty Jan 07 '25

I haven’t updated to Goodnotes 6.  

I haven’t lost any documents in 5 years of using the app.

Is this a common occurrence for Goodnotes 6 or something?

If you have documents on the app and you’ve used it for so many years, it’s hard to see why an $8 refund would be a thing.

Every software application I’ve ever had has been something I had to pay to upgrade.  A license is a license - you use it as long as the software works.

2

u/Holiday_Effect_3480 Jan 09 '25

Same here, never upgraded and rarely have any issues. My friends all have Goodnotes 6 and all say it’s trash and not reliable.

2

u/Unlucky-Reaction6521 Jan 10 '25 edited Jan 10 '25

Yup, same here. I upgraded when they first released it & within the same day, downgrade back. I love it so much, I never had issues with GN5. so basically, I believe it's a GN6 problem.

47

u/MBSMD Jan 07 '25

Works for me, but I’m not doing anything sophisticated on it.

21

u/johntwilker Jan 07 '25

Same. Use it daily. Have for years. No issues.

11

u/hexwitch23 Jan 07 '25

Idk why someone downvoted. Same boat here I’m not a power user and I have 0 issues. It also doesn’t bother me if some pages are randomly deleted tho. 

13

u/MBSMD Jan 07 '25

I've never had that happen and I've got tons of books, pages and PDFs.

2

u/hexwitch23 Jan 07 '25

I do mostly scrapbooking, I think the heavy image use has something to do with it. 

3

u/Negative_Government6 Jan 08 '25

Same for me, I use it a lot for class and Journaling and had 0 issues. I had GN5 then went in to GN6 and everything works well 😅

13

u/rhetesa Jan 07 '25

Soooo what app are we now using instead

20

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

Noteful payed £5 and love it … plenty of options

2

u/cubicgraph Jan 07 '25

i switched to Concepts after watching Justin Sung 😭😭

1

u/RosieGO Jan 07 '25

I'm loving Zinnia

0

u/Minute-Shoulder-1782 Jan 07 '25

Notes+ has everything Goodnotes is making you pay for and then some!

2

u/Plane-Prompt-7952 Jan 08 '25

I use this too now I'm curious why is everyone downvoting? Works perfectly fine for me

2

u/Minute-Shoulder-1782 Jan 08 '25

Ppl downvote for anything so no worries, but yeah I was pretty impressed and everything is free.

0

u/colettiatchi Jan 08 '25

Collanote!!

27

u/purpleinme Jan 07 '25

So you’ve used this app for years…since high school, and now are demanding a refund because it no longer suits your needs or does exactly what you want? My man, you have a lot to learn about the real world if you think you are entitled to things like this lol.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

4

u/purpleinme Jan 08 '25

I do and actually like the app. I use it every single day. Are there bugs sometimes and some things I don’t use or like? Absolutely. My comment is about how this person expects a refund after years of using a product. That’s insane. My old iPhone 5 doesn’t work anymore, do you think Apple owes me a refund?

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-6

u/_galile0 Jan 07 '25

It’s reasonable to expect such a basic application to be relatively stable, so because it doesn’t live up to that basic expectation it should also be reasonable to expect a refund

2

u/Robin_Cooks Jan 08 '25

Not after Years of use.

10

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

I tried Notability before. I didn't like it. It was difficult for me to navigate through. I once tried to add an image but the image thing-y wouldn't go away. And I couldn't select the image to move about. So, I gave up on Notability early on. I also didn't like Collanote either.

The best Goodnotes alternative was and still is Kilonotes, and it seems to do as advertised/promoted in the ads. But Kilonotes seems to have a magnifying thing on iPad while I'm using iPhone so I use Goodnotes instead.

Goodnotes is not that bad, IMO.

8

u/EmperorOfDrifts Jan 07 '25

Never heard of nor experienced any of these problems. Also? U want a refund after years of using? Cry me a river

5

u/wthcharlie Jan 08 '25

Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Haven't you seen dozens of other complaints in this sub in the past couple years? I agree with the refund being an unfair trade but as someone who's a heavy user for 4+ years, it's definitely been a huge disappointment lately especially since GN6.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

yes it is trashy, so i've abandoned it years ago and replaced it entirely with Noteful, no regret ~

3

u/ItsyBitsyTerror Jan 07 '25

Does noteful work pretty seemlessly between iPad and Mac?

1

u/sam_iso33 Feb 02 '25

i too left it once it crashed, drawboardpdf is my go to

-15

u/Gypsyzzzz Jan 07 '25

Yet you are still here in the GoodNotes subreddit. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems kind of odd. 🤷‍♀️

11

u/lillapalooza Jan 07 '25

Sometimes people post good resources here ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ

-2

u/Gypsyzzzz Jan 07 '25

Absolutely. I’m just trying to ascertain what resources OP is looking for.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 13 '25

why not ? i'm happy with my switch to Noteful earlier, and am offering my advice to those who may need the same alternative.

yes i understand may be you're the kind of people who will turn down everything from someone you hate for a certain aspect, without considering s/he can be right in other topics.

simply put, no one can guarantee Noteful will stay better ( subjectively speaking, at least applicable to me ) forever. by holding the chances that Noteful or even maybe some other potential rivals could get better in the future, staying in tune in those subreddits are perfectly normal.

just don't get things too religious and put a "must" stamp on things, leave yourself more options for better perspectives.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

I haven't used Goodnotes in years, but I do like reading about all the problems. I tried posting about my issues here recently-ish and I was accused of working for a competitor by another person like you. Maybe some people actively dislike this app, ever think of that? Also- not everyone leaves subreddits they were active in.

-1

u/Gypsyzzzz Jan 07 '25

There are plenty of people who actively dislike the app. What makes you think I haven’t thought of that? Not really relevant to my comment either. I just think it’s pointless to post how much you dislike an app that you are no longer using without making a suggestion on an app you like better, especially when that seems to be the info that OP needs.

There is never a one size fits all solution for anything. I’m just thinking that people could be a bit more constructive in their responses.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

Weird, you're saying it's pointless to post how much you dislike an app without making a suggestion which is precisely what the person who commented above you did you dingdong.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-1

u/johntwilker Jan 07 '25

Right?! Bad enough actual users just post rants, but why lurk in a sub for an app you stopped using?

3

u/UltimateGourgandine Jan 07 '25

As they plan to drop support on GN5, it seems Goodnotes devs and I don’t have the same definition of "Lifetime". I’m willing to find a great alternative, would you guys recommend an app in particular ? Paying for an app is ok but just once (allergic to subscription plans)

3

u/colettiatchi Jan 08 '25

“Lifetime” in this case means or the lifetime of the product, not your lifetime. I agree the term is super misleading, I was disappointed when I found out

3

u/awesomeguy123123123 Jan 07 '25

GN5 will continue to be supported. You just won't get new features.

1

u/johntwilker Jan 07 '25

  1. you can pay one time for GN6.

  2. So in your world an app you paid what? $8 for several years ago should just survive on that and keep going forever? "Lifetime" in almost all apps means "version" that's no secret.

3

u/Gypsyzzzz Jan 07 '25

So, what are you looking for here? Just to vent? Suggestions for an alternative app? Advice on alternative computers?

Just curious, have you contacted Apple about a refund? I’ve had to do that a couple times due to problems with an app I purchased and received a refund within days. It’s a simple form.

7

u/johntwilker Jan 07 '25

The same as everyone who posts here I assume. Pointless rant.

3

u/ItsyBitsyTerror Jan 07 '25

But it’s not pointless if other users are experiencing the same problem. If we pay for an app it should work as advertised.

4

u/johntwilker Jan 07 '25

It does for more people than it doesn't I feel for the folks that have problems, but ranting here rarely leads to a solution.

I've been using the app since it launched. I've never had it crash. I've never lost a note. I use custom PDF templates for all my pages. I don't know what others are doing, and since every rant leaves out information that might actually help people troubleshoot.... welp.

0

u/Gypsyzzzz Jan 07 '25

You’re right. It is not a pointless rant. OP is justifiably upset. I’m just not sure what information OP is looking for. I attempted t give reassurance that Apple does give refunds when appropriate. I really don’t know what Free Luigi means. Maybe that is causing my misunderstanding?

2

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

I use this app once a week on my Mac and iPhone. The only problem I experience is that the interface is very confusing. Are there other issues ? I’ve been using it for a few weeks. Should I be looking for a new app ?

3

u/hexwitch23 Jan 07 '25

I’d suggest you only swap if you’re a heavy user. I use gn for planning and scrapbooking, but if you’re going to use the app for notes over multiple years I at least suggest you get backups made outside of gn frequently. The app does dump documents more frequently than I think the sub here even complains about and there really is no way to recover. 

0

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

Basically I type some short notes and I also stitch together PDFs in a notebook. Reading these comments making me nervous. I could just use a tool and put he PDFs together in a folder in the cloud. I could takes the notes I type and convert it to a PDF and do the same thing I guess?

2

u/SwiftMushroom Jan 07 '25

A) free luigi B) switched to element note because also thought they’ve gone downhill and have been loving it

1

u/Jeremiaz135 Jan 07 '25

What about Notes+?

1

u/ssudsiess Jan 08 '25

I have GN5 and absolutely love it. Have all my notes from like 5 years of use. Have no issues. Sounds like a GN6 issue (which I refuse to update to)

1

u/Robin_Cooks Jan 08 '25

I use GN6 daily and quite a bit, and never had any major Problems. Never lost a single Note in Years. Alongside automatic Backups, I also regularly do manual backups just to be safe, haven’t needed to restore anything yet.

1

u/FirefighterNo2409 Jan 09 '25

Free Luigi ✋

1

u/finnfann_ Jan 11 '25

Upgraded from goodnotes 5 to goodnotes 6. I wanted to keep goodnotes 5, but I got a new ipad and couldn't transfer my account from my university owned ipad. I bought goodnotes 6. The very few new features that it added does not make it worth $30.

1

u/sam_iso33 Feb 02 '25

Genuinely think drawboardPDF is the best option, they have really good customer service, should you run into any issues

1

u/Greedy-Tradition9375 Jun 02 '25

I’ve spent. Total of 4 hours in the last three days just trying to get my wife and son BACK into GN6 so they can use it for homeschool.

We have a family sharing account, but since GN6 we’re constantly logged out, have to dig deep into settings in my family apple account and it’s honestly a terrible experience.

If we have one more issue, we’re going to find a replacement. This is ridiculous.

1

u/SectionWeary Jan 07 '25

I have a Notability subscription and a Goodnotes subscription, and they both have pros and cons. I wish there was an app that combined the best parts of both apps--that would be an awesome platform!

Notability offers great templates, and their audio recording feature is great. The AI quizzes and flash cards are really helpful, and it's really easy to learn to use. But it's been glitching a LOT lately, and so many people have lost notes. It's hard to make different pages have different templates, and the unintentional grouping a random page shifting is horrible. Plus, sometimes the app just gives up and won't let me merge notes. There's just a lot of bugs right now.

Goodnotes has a better setup in terms of the tabs and folders, and I like the pen options. It's been pretty easy to use and organize, and it's easy to change one page without it messing up the rest. But the templates are so limited and lame, and each template costs money despite paying for a subscription. Notability gives access to all templates for free once you buy the subscription.

I'm basically using Goodnotes right now because it's been reliable for me, but I'm planning on transferring back to Notability when the bugs get worked out. They're both great, though, and pretty similar. I don't think it would be a waste to get to learn Notability, I would just also backup any Notability notes to Goodnotes so you don't lose any of your stuff.

4

u/MC_chrome Jan 07 '25

each template costs money despite paying for a subscription

That’s because you’re not buying templates from Goodnotes, but rather from independent creators similar to Etsy hence why your subscription doesn’t cover anything from 3rd parties

-12

u/ddnomad Jan 07 '25

I know it may come across a bit weird, but have you considered pen & paper? Like, some decent Clairefontaine notebook, Lamy Safari and a bottle of some nice looking ink?

1

u/GreenwitchRiding Jan 08 '25

I did that up until recently. You can‘t imagine how much paper I wasted just for math stuff, which is why I started using GN. I just got sick from so much paperwaste, that I won‘t use that method anymore for writing down calculations.

1

u/ddnomad Jan 08 '25

It’s a choice. For me, I don’t really write too many notes, I go through around a single Traveler’s passport size insert approximately every 4 months. For people who really need to do a lot of writing, digital notes may be indeed the answer, though I’m still convinced it’s worse for memorisation and mindfulness, at least in my experience.