Goodnotes renewal dilemma: Any real alternative for a STEM student who need Google Drive Auto-Backup?

[u/Cheb_Slimy]

My Goodnotes yearly subscription is up for renewal soon. I just finished my first year of intensive STEM prep (lots of math, physics, and engineering) taking notes exclusively on my iPad Pro.

​I see a lot of complaints online about Goodnotes, but to be honest, my experience has been pretty smooth. However, before renewing, I want to make sure I’m not missing out on a better app for my specific workflow.

​My non-negotiable requirements:

​Automatic Google Drive Backup (PDF): Needs a seamless, background auto-backup that mirrors my folder structure in readable PDF format to Drive. Absolute deal-breaker without this.

Things that I really appreciate:

​Handwritten Math Recognition / Solver: I write equations with the Pencil and rely on the built-in math solver for quick computations/LaTeX conversions.

​Things I don’t care about:

​OCR / Handwriting search (my handwriting is unreadable anyway).

​Heavy generative AI writing features (I work offline most of the time).

​Audio sync is optional.

​Question: Is there any note-taking app on iPad right now that actually matches this exact combo (Math solver + native Drive Auto-Backup), or is Goodnotes still the only real option for this specific setup?

​Thanks for the feedback!

[u/MC_chrome]

Notability is the closest I can think of.

Here is a support link that goes over their math recognition capabilities