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Notability

Free · $15.99/yr · ranked #28 of 30
Reviewed by Rick Castro, Founder & lead analyst · Last updated July 2026
Heads up: This is a handwriting and PDF-annotation app built for stylus and tablet use. The SoftwareScore rates every app on the same typed note-taking axes, which do not measure handwriting feel or PDF markup, so this score understates it for that use. A dedicated handwriting category is coming to rate these apps fairly. How we score →
★ 4.8 / 5 · 451k user reviews · App Store + Capterra + G2, cross-referenced · display-only, not part of the SoftwareScore
ValueEaseFeaturesSyncOwnershipCollabAI
54
SoftwareScore · ranked #28

A popular Apple handwriting and PDF note app known for audio recording that syncs to your notes, a longtime favorite for students and lectures.

Value (price vs features) 6
Ease of use 8
Feature depth 5
Cross-platform & sync 5
Data ownership / privacy 4
Collaboration 3
AI capability 5
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How this score is calculated →

Notability pros and cons

Pros
  • Signature audio recording that syncs to your handwriting, so you can replay a lecture from any note
  • Smooth handwriting and PDF annotation in a polished, easy interface with templates
  • Syncs across iPad, iPhone, and Mac via iCloud, with OneDrive support (4.8 on the App Store)
Cons
  • No Windows version, and the Android app is brand new and unproven
  • Cloud sync and loading can be slow, with occasional notes-not-loading bugs
  • The shift to subscription pricing drew backlash, and there is no real-time collaboration
Best for Apple users, especially students, who want handwriting plus recorded-audio lecture notes.

On the SoftwareScore, Notability is strongest on Ease of use (8/10) and weakest on Collaboration (3/10). That's what drives its 54/100.

Hands-on notes from Rick Castro

I leaned on Notability on my iPad through 2025 and into 2026, mostly in lectures, for recorded audio, split-screen notes, and marking up textbook PDFs. The audio recording is the reason to use it: it ties my handwriting to the playback, so I can tap a word and hear exactly what was said, and the newer AI can spin a recording into a quick quiz or summary. The friction for me was the walls around it. The free tier disables iCloud sync, the full AI features are pricey, folder nesting is shallow, and it is Apple-only. I would hand it to any student who wants audio tied to their notes, but not if you need deep folders or anything beyond Apple.

Compare Notability head-to-head

Notability vs Goodnotes 56
The market-leading handwriting and PDF note-taking app for tablets, with rich pen tools, templates, and handwriting search, now well beyond the iPad.
Notability vs Evernote 55
The classic web-clipping notebook, reliable capture and search across devices, though pricing has climbed and the free tier is thin.
Reflect 53
An AI-forward networked-notes app with end-to-end encryption, frictionless capture with GPT built in.
Notability vs Roam Research 50
The networked-thought pioneer built around bidirectional links, powerful for research graphs, pricey with a steep curve.