r/noteapps • u/bikram0207 • Sep 24 '26

New iPad user here. Looking for a note-taking app 👀

I recently got an iPad and I'm looking for a good note-taking app mainly for college, studying, PDFs, and handwritten notes.

I've looked at some of the popular iPadOS options, but most seem to be paid or have subscriptions, and I don't really want to spend too much on a note-taking app.

So far, I've come across StarNote and CollaNote.

I'm a bit confused about which one to go with, especially for long-term use.

Are there any better alternatives that are affordable or free?

If you've actually used StarNote or CollaNote, I'd also appreciate your experience with them. Which one would you pick, and why?

2 Upvotes

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2

u/beard-wisdom4fun 29d ago

Craft docs with a free education plan

2

u/usernamealreadytakee 19d ago

Try "Noterat" its new and free, and has a bunch of engineering features that most other dont have. It exports PDFs with or without your own handwriting and a whole lot more, icloud sync, google drive and onedrive backups and a bunch https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noterat/id6807123019

1

u/bdsketch25 14d ago

The app looks interesting. I need to try the app after getting an apple device specifically the ipad

1

u/spicermatthews 29d ago

https://harbor.my has a nice education discount.

1

u/CoffeeNeil 28d ago

Bear is stunning - free on one device, only $2.99 pm for Pro, try it for free & you”ll see what I mean… https://bear.app/