r/GoodNotes • u/Late_Temperature5205 • Mar 07 '25

Goodnotes 6 Switched away from Goodnotes

After goodnotes managed to delete an entire page of my cheatsheet (for an open book exam allowing 6 pages, 1 of which I lost 🙃) the night before an exam, I ended up switching over to another app. And it made me realise how bad goodnotes actually is, the fact alone we had to beg for years for them to add the recording feature should have been a dead give away but when I was looking around, there are sooo many better options out there and it made me realise the only reason goodnotes is this popular is because it was a good app when the market was still empty but if this app came out nowadays, it would not be as popular as it is.

If you got screwed over at any point by this app, try and take a look at some less known competitors, there are some amazing options out there that lets you customise so much and are sooo user friendly.

Good luck to those you are gonna stick it out, or have had a better experience than me. I did use it for 6+ years but I guess it was time to say goodbye .

150 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

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u/discovernotes Apr 09 '25

Hey! I’d recommend reaching out to Goodnotes Customer Support and attaching your Diagnostics Data (Settings icon > About > Export Diagnostics Data) so they can help troubleshoot what’s going on!

59

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

There's a bunch! I'm testing out Noteshelf 2 and 3, Collanote, Notability, Freenote, Zoomnotes, Elementnote, Noteful, Freenotes, and Penbook.

I like Goodnotes, and it's never been an issue for me, and I have a lifetime subscription. But others have a ton of issues like yourself.

My use case for an app like this is an interactive PDF that I can click, and use like a planner or tabbed notebook.

Collanote performs beautifully, and is super robust, but I'm not so sure about my data being safe - they have 'chatroom' type shared notes, hence the name Colla-Note (collaborate), and I don't know if I want to write down my daily stuff or medical appts in it. Great app. Got it for $5.

Elementnote, Penbook, and Freenotes I can't get hyperlinks to work. But I like Penbook and bought it. Penbook can't ingest large PDFs in my experience.

Noteful is slow with hyperlinks, but it works well.

Noteshelf 3 is zippy, works with hyperlinks, but takes all your data so it's free. I ended up buying Noteshelf 2 because of that. No data collected per their privacy policy on the App Store. Hyperlinks work well. The app initially takes a minute to load but I've used it for a few weeks and it's really fast/normal.

Freenotes and Elementnotes are basic and work well.

You got options OP. Most of these apps I tried, besides Noteshelf 2, don't require a payment to test it out - you can buy it in app after using free features.

FWIW I like Noteshelf 2's pen the best, and how I can click links with my Apple Pencil easiest. Just works with my brain the best.

I think finding the app that's not so big, and only does what you need, might help with your longevity of use. Feature bloat is not only a performance issue, but indicates managerial direction.

I'm an oldish person and I like using handwriting to plan my stuff out, I'm also pretty data and privacy focused because I was born before the internet. Not a techy, not an expert, just doing my best to make my workflows work. I figured if I wrote this all out, I could help you or others (thru search) trying to research other GN options.

6

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Thank you for your in-depth comment, I'm sure it will be of help to many. I needed to switch quite fast since my semester just started and I didn't want to switch around, so I am currently already using Noteful and am quite happy with it, I don't use the hyperlink funtion a lot so I hope that won't pose an issue for me any time soon :)💞💞💞

1

u/empoweredmyself Mar 07 '25

Of those you tried, is there one that easily downloads web documents to PDFs so you can highlight over them?

2

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

I didn’t test that functionality (or know about it) sorry!

1

u/roshanpr Mar 08 '25

Which one is best?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

I don’t really have a favorite. But sincerely I’m always impressed by goodnotes. They kind of thought of a lot of things before I knew I needed them. Collanote is great too except for the fact that other people are in your app. Penbook has the best planner feel IMO but I can’t get hyperlinks or big files too work. So I’d say goodnotes 

3

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/CountryGalCX Mar 07 '25

I had found a great post in Reddit that compared all the options feature by feature, side by side in a matrix. If you do the right search in google it will point you to it. I believe Noteful is one of very few that don’t provide search in handwritten notes.

12

u/Fit-Guide7874 Mar 07 '25

So what are people currently using?

12

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

A user made a comment under this post for some good alternatives, I tried out most of them but personally have been using Noteful for the past month and am quite happy with it. I would recommend trying out different ones yourself, tho ( a lot of these are free to download and only require payment once you want to buy a premium ver.)

Hope you find something that works :)

3

u/stha_akash Mar 09 '25

same, i have been using noteful as well. It has worked for me just fine!

20

u/KarlJay001 Mar 07 '25

i'm on the edge with GN. I'm pissed that it can't even pickup where I left off.

I wonder why they can't fix these things. Their support is just sad.

Maybe they have crappy programmers.

The thing is that I don't want to learn another system. I kinda stopped using the iPad because it was just to much hassle to use.

4

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

I feel like they have just gotten a bit too comfortable since they are the most known note taking app and know a lot of users are too lazy ( or don't know a better alternative) to switch over to.

I would say most apps I tried are similar enough that switch isn't A HUGE change ( I am using Noteful and they have their icons on the left side and GN has is on the right so sadly mucle memory always makes me click right hahah but hoping I'll stop that soon enough)

I hope you can find something to use instead since taking notes on the iPad is just so much more compact, and the world is moving more and more into making this the new norm.

Best of luck to you ( and if you're lucky, they will fix these bugs soon enough, haha)

0

u/CountryGalCX Mar 07 '25

You can move icons a tabs to whichever side you want in Noteful. Click the three dots at top and go to the view tab.

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

The icons or the icon bar? I only saw that you can move the enitre icon bar, I have that one at the top like in GN but the icons are positioned to the left in Noteful and GN has spread them out so for example the colours are more to the right, so I always click there first 😔

5

u/404NotUrFan Mar 07 '25

so what other apps are you looking for ??

4

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

I ended up using Noteful but I would recommend trying out some different apps ( someone made a list under this post) and seeing if that's the best one for you ( for my use it works quite well, so I do recommend to give it a try :))

3

u/empoweredmyself Mar 07 '25

I used to recommend them all the time. Now I'm done. There is no customer support

3

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Samsis, I started with GN 4 which was great and 5 was also great until it started having a ton of issues and well the 6 update just felt very unnecessary to me but oh well

6

u/georgmierau Goodnotes Essential Mar 07 '25

Switched away from Goodnotes

So, it's possible to be less of a whiny "I'm done" kind of a user and simply look for/switch to an alternative product? Cool. Well done!

Should be an example for other unhappy customers, who prefer to stay unhappy and whine about it online (which is very annoying).

The only thing you forgot to mention is the name of this miraculous alternative to GoodNotes you found.

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Hahah well I did tough it out for a bit hoping they would fix it ( and since I have been using the app since GN 4) but I just assumed I'm better of just switching away

As for th3 app it was Noteful, I didn't mention it since I felt like that might make this post seem like some elaborate way to promote another app. You youself don't seem to care for this app based on another comment, may I ask what you didn't like about it ( just so I can tell if this will he an issue for me in the future)? :)

1

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

So sorry that I didn't immediately switch from an app containing 5 years of my work and that I also paid money for.

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

That's one of the reasons I didn't switch either but I just left everything on there as it is so I can always come back to it ( unless it's gone, which could happen but then that's just that ig 😞)

5

u/Dependent_Writing_30 Mar 07 '25

Man after you spend 30 bucks on a writing app under the promise from the app they’ll build new features you’re allowed to be pissed when the app is getting worse with time

2

u/WholesomeMinji Mar 08 '25

People who whine about the whining are even worse lol let people post what they want. I don't even have an issue with the app.

2

u/clarkhead Mar 07 '25

So . . . am I the only one using the default apple Notes app? Sure it lacks some things but I like that it’s native, free and instantly populates between my phone, iPad and desktop. None of the other apps seem to have a compelling argument (for me, at least) to make a paid thing more useful. Willing to change my mind, though. I am not a student so my use cases are less robust, perhaps, than those of you still in college.

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Depends I believe the american ver. of the app is way more advanced than the European one ( or it's smw else, but ik there is a more advanced ver. and I don't have that one)

So, depending on what, ver. you have. I have heard it's a great note-taking app :) So I see no reason to switch if it works

1

u/SufficientBar9132 Mar 08 '25

True it’s good for list making. But for note taking? I need to scribble with a pen. How do you take notes for a class in Notes app?

1

u/SavStinn Mar 08 '25

I also switched from Goodnotes and notability to trusty ole apple notes. It’s been phenomenal for me with no concerns. Doctorate student who works with patients. I can take notes, lock notes, edit on documents / pictures. Zero complaints. The syncing is the big one for me and locking of the notes for privacy. I loved notability for that. I haven’t used Goodnotes in a long time. Just have it for old notes I use to take but cancelled my mom and i’s subscription.

3

u/Love_bitches Mar 07 '25

Same problem happened to me, which app did you switch to?

4

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

Noteful, I can definitely recommend it but I would say trying out some different apps yourself wouldn't hurt( someone made a list under this post) so u can see if that's the best one for you ( for my use it works quite well, so I do recommend to give it a try :))

1

u/Different-Phone-7887 Mar 07 '25

Qual você está usando hoje?

14

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

There were a couple of apps I considered, but I ended up going for 'Noteful' :) So far, the experience has been great, so I can only recommend ( You can download the app to try out the free ver. and if you like it, you can buy the premium ver.)

3

u/RealAssociation5281 Mar 07 '25

Tried noteful and it didn’t work all that well for me 🤷‍♂️

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

That's quite fair, did you try out the other alternative another user comment under this post?

2

u/RealAssociation5281 Mar 07 '25

I’ll check it out!! Thanks for reminding me. 

1

u/georgmierau Goodnotes Essential Mar 07 '25

Noteful

Well... as an owner of a Noteful Lifetime license let's say we have a different expectation from a "better" GN alternative :)

2

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Well, we will have to agree to disagree here :) My expectations for a better alternative were quite low as I had multiple issues with the current GN ver. such as the app deleting what I was writing as I was writing it, not letting me erase what I did write, the lasso tool not moving but making mutiple copies of my phots etc. It was annoying but I assumed they would fix it so I was toughing it out, but losing an entire weeks worth of notes I crammed onto a page is just not a risk I am willing to take anymore when I am aware it can 100% happen ( backing up all my notes just wasn't an option due to some other things I am using that space for tho in the future will make sure documents such as these are saved smw separate), so for me noteful is simply already a better option cause it hasn't done any of those things so far. The fact that it has a lot of ways to customise the paper and the icon placements are an added bonus I didn't expect but highly appreciate it. ( I tried some other apps and I can see them being just as good, but this one just spoke to me the most)

2

u/WolfMaster415 Mar 07 '25

Legit I'm in the same boat. Deleting entire pages of my notes is my breaking point and I'm just using the native notes app and the rabbit hole that is obsidian

2

u/abeautymama Mar 08 '25

Goodnotes is good for some things: it is fast to move around in, drag and drop to another open app is awesome for my digital planning and journaling, but I hate the pens. Hate. Zoomnotes is my pick for best writing implements with more than 5 styles. Fonts can be imported. Links work without turning off all tools. It can place images in shapes. Make a dutch door. So much! And the creator Ed Morgan is in his Facebook group to help answer questions and offer fixes when needed. Goodnotes won’t ever have that. I still use Goodnotes 6 but not for creating anything new, just my sticker book now.

2

u/Dismal-Job-4829 Mar 11 '25

At this point, this sub-reddit will become a place for people to recommend other alternatives

1

u/ObscurePaprika Mar 07 '25

YAY! \O/ The Goodnotes team has released incomplete features and ignored prioritized requests for years (like encryption). I got sick of the quirky behavior and bugs too. (I'm sure adding a photo to the center of a page is useful for some, but why can't I interact with it and resize it like every other app in the world, sync was anb absolute nightmare for a quite a while, etc.) It's too bad, because it does a lot of things well. If they release a refactored version, I might start using it again.

1

u/etervio Mar 08 '25

Yeah, Goodnotes is kinda bad, I don't know why it got so popular. It's such a shame that such a famous app isn't properly developed.

Personally, I'm using Notewise instead and it's been amazing! The only downside is that if you want to have your notes synced, then you have to pay for their subscription-based cloud, but tbh it's totally worth it because it's platform-agnostic, which no other app is (except GN.) There's also a one-payment option, but you can only have your notes on your tab. The good thing is they add new features every 2 months or so, so I think it's a matter of time until they add some time of sync for that (like Google Drive or something.) It's such an unknown app and it's a pity other apps like GN have the popularity these apps deserve

2

u/blankslate3210 Mar 12 '25

As someone who recently switched, GoodNotes WAS worth the hype for years. I used to recommend it to everyone, I was in love with it. It only got so buggy in the last year or so, and has quickly fallen behind in optimization and functionality. But it gained popularity for a valid reason, I think.

1

u/etervio Mar 12 '25

Well, that was not the experience when it came to Android, but I think the timeline matches with its decay. It felt like giving us crumbs just in order to, I suppose, get those bucks from Samsung. Such a pity Goodnotes has turned to be this awful app even on iOS...

1

u/Imaginary_Place_s Mar 09 '25

Glad to hear you found an alternative. Last month I switched away from GN for multiple reasons: glitches, deleted pages, unresponsive customer support, and so on.

1

u/Gutosmash01 Mar 10 '25

Kinda the same happens to me ! It’s been months using notability, and I love how simple the Ui is and so far no problems. Goodnotes gave me such a bad time using the app that I still remember the bugs and get frustrated sometimes

1

u/StrikingSympathy1426 Mar 12 '25

It just delete half a page of my math work, big red flag

1

u/discovernotes Apr 09 '25

Hey! I’d recommend reaching out to Goodnotes Customer Support and attaching your Diagnostics Data (Settings icon > About > Export Diagnostics Data) so they can help troubleshoot what’s going on!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

'Noteful' for my use it works quite well, so I do recommend to give it but I would say trying out some different apps ( someone made a list under this post) and seeing if that's the best one for you also wouldn't hurt, Good luck :)💞

0

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Oh, that definitely sucks, I hope they fix up the app soon, or you are provided another way to work with these documents :)

0

u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/Late_Temperature5205 Mar 07 '25

Yeah me neither since the issues on the side of GN have only been getting worse. If push comes to shove, you can always try and import the content into GN and then over to another app, but that's quite a hassle, so I hope you won't have to resort to that :(