For occasional sketches and audio recorded inside a note, start with Apple Notes. If you want a handwriting-centered notebook, PDF annotation, or tighter links between handwritten marks and playback, compare Goodnotes and Notability. The right choice depends on how you use handwriting and audio—not on a universal feature-count winner.
Start by defining what “handwriting” means on your Mac
Apple Notes supports freehand drawing, shapes, lines, and text boxes through its Markup palette. Those tools suit adding a sketch or visual annotation to a note. Goodnotes and Notability instead describe handwriting-focused workflows, including notebook-style writing and PDF markup. A drawing area inside a note is not the same workflow as keeping a library of handwritten notebooks.
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Apple’s guide explains how to draw in Notes with Markup: Draw or write in Notes on Mac.
Decide how closely audio needs to connect to your notes
Apple Notes: audio recorded in the note
Apple documents recording audio directly in a note while continuing to edit that note. On Macs that meet the transcription requirements, Notes can also generate a transcript; the transcript is searchable, and selecting a passage jumps to its corresponding point in the recording. Apple’s instructions are at Record and transcribe audio in Notes on Mac and Search transcripts in Notes on Mac.
#1 Best Overall
- A digital notebook for all your writing needs - Replace your stack of notebooks with a single device purpose-built for writing, reading, and thinking. No notifications or social media.
- With AI tools to transform your notes - Convert messy handwriting into readable font, summarize your notes, and change their length and tone with built-in AI notebook tools.
- Feels like pen on paper - See, feel and hear your thoughts meet the page with every stroke of the Premium Pen. No need to set up or charge, just start writing.
- Easily import and mark up documents - Import documents and PDFs using Send to Kindle, and mark them up directly on the page.
- Capture insights as you read – Just start writing on a book's page and Active Canvas will create space for your notes. Expand the margins to add more notes, or collapse them to see the original page.
Goodnotes and Notability: audio-linked handwriting features
Goodnotes’ feature comparison describes audio recording with notes synced to audio for both Goodnotes and Notability, as well as live transcription. Notability calls its linked playback feature “Note Replay”: tapping a handwritten note, sketch, or image takes the user to the corresponding point in the recording. These are vendor-described features, not independent performance findings. See Goodnotes’ comparison of Goodnotes and Notability.
Compare the workspaces, not just the feature lists
| App | Workspace and visual tools | Handwriting and documents | Audio workflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Notes | Notes with Markup drawing, shapes, lines, and text boxes, as documented by Apple. | Useful for drawing or annotating within a note; the cited Apple material does not describe a dedicated handwriting-notebook workflow. | Record audio in a note; supported Macs and languages can also use searchable transcripts linked to playback. |
| Goodnotes | Goodnotes describes separate notebook, whiteboard, and text-document formats. Its whiteboard is an infinite canvas for visual work. | Goodnotes describes handwritten notebooks, pressure-sensitive pen and pencil tools, handwriting conversion and search, and PDF annotation. | Goodnotes describes audio recording, live transcription, and notes synced to audio. |
| Notability | Notability describes a single note format with drawing, text boxes, and document annotation tools. | Notability describes handwriting recognition and conversion, plus PDF annotation. | Notability describes audio recording, live transcription, synced notes, and Note Replay. |
The Goodnotes and Notability descriptions in the table come from Goodnotes’ vendor-authored comparison, which includes a competitor. Treat them as product claims rather than an independent head-to-head test.
Rank #2
- Please Note: It is NOT an e-ink Tablet, it is a Normal Android Tablet. The XPPen digital notetaking tablet comes with an X-key, you can choose between Monochrome LCD, Light Color, and Nature Color modes with one press. 3 color modes can meet all kinds of needs
- AG Nano-Etched Display: This 10.95-inch tablet features an AG nano-etched LCD screen equipped with TCL NXTpaper 3.0 technology, which reduces up to 95% of ambient light interference and delivers a Immersive visual experience. Please note: Since our product achieves paper-like texture and anti-glare functionality through AG etched glass technology, it differs fundamentally from E Ink screens in visual appearance
- 90Hz High Refresh Rate: The digital notebook is designed with a 90Hz refresh rate ensuring every frame of the image without page turn lag or ghosting, bringing you smoothness and clarity display. It also supports the display of 16.7 million colors, a brightness of 400 nit, and minimum brightness, offering a high-quality image for a comfortable reading and writing experience
- Pencil Upgraded for Noting: The XPPen electronic note-taking tablet is powered by the X3 Pro smart chip, the X3 Pro Pencil 2 features 16K sensitivity and a soft pen nib, which help you achieve varied annotation effects in both stroke thickness and color depth based on writing pressure, making your key content stand out at a glance. The magnetic suction and customized shortcut key enhance your productivity and convenience
- Native Note-taking App: XPPen Notes enables you to enjoy seamless note-taking with permanent membership. It supports converting handwriting to text, recording sound, importing and editing PDF files, selecting multiple pen brushes, an AI assistant, waking up the XPPen Notes with one click, saving your notes automatically, and you can choose to upload them to OneDrive or Google Drive, and so on. If you upgrade the system to 1PAE, you can enjoy the new AI Notes functions, which include summarizing the PDFs you upload, converting the key points of AI Notes into flashcards, and pressing the quiz function from AI Notes
Check whether Apple Notes transcription works for you
Apple’s audio transcription support requires a Mac with an M1 chip or later and the device language set to a supported option. Apple lists English localized for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, or the US; Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Apple notes that availability varies by language and region. If your Mac or language falls outside those conditions, the cited support does not establish that Notes transcription will be available to you.
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Subscription prices and included limits can change, and the available product material does not establish a full Mac hardware or macOS compatibility matrix for all three apps. Check the app’s current Mac App Store listing and pricing page for your region before choosing. The figures below are the prices shown by the vendors in 2026, not a guarantee of the current local offer.
Rank #3
- THE ULTIMATE PAPER TABLET – For the first time on a reMarkable paper tablet, you can write, sketch, and read in color. Ultra-slim and portable, but with a full-size 11.8” color display, adjustable reading light, and an unmatched paper-like writing experience.
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX – You’ll find reMarkable Paper Pro, a digital notebook for unprecedented paper-like writing with 11.8” Canvas Color display; Marker Plus, the reMarkable pen with built-in eraser; 6 spare Marker tips
- PAPER-LIKE WRITING – Designed to work exclusively with the groundbreaking color display to deliver realistic friction and natural writing feel, the included Marker Plus offers precise control, incredible responsiveness, and all-day comfort.
- ALL YOUR WORK, ORGANIZED – Sort your notes and documents with folders and tags, write directly on PDFs, and instantly convert handwriting to typed text. Everything's in one place and easy to find.
- READ IN COMFORT, DAY OR NIGHT – Unlike most laptops and phones, reMarkable Paper Pro has a low-glare display that reflects natural light, so you can read without eye-strain, even outside. An adjustable reading light means you can keep working when the lights go out, too.
| App and plan | Listed price | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Goodnotes Essential | $11.99 per year | Displayed in Goodnotes’ comparison dated August 26, 2026. |
| Goodnotes Pro | $35.99 per year | Displayed in Goodnotes’ comparison dated August 26, 2026. |
| Notability Starter | $0 | Listed on Notability’s pricing page; USD prices may vary. |
| Notability Lite | $11.99 per year | Listed on Notability’s pricing page; USD prices may vary. |
| Notability Plus | $15.99 per year | Listed on Notability’s pricing page; USD prices may vary. |
| Notability Pro | $79.99 per year | Listed on Notability’s pricing page; USD prices may vary. |
For Notability’s current listed plans, consult Notability pricing. The vendor comparison with Goodnotes plan prices is Goodnotes’ comparison page.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use your workflow to make the choice
- Choose Apple Notes if you mainly need quick sketches, occasional markups, or an audio recording kept alongside ordinary notes.
- Consider Goodnotes if you want distinct notebook, whiteboard, and text-document spaces, or expect to rely on handwritten notebook tools and PDF markup.
- Consider Notability if handwriting and document annotation should live in a consistent note format and you want to use Note Replay to revisit points associated with handwritten marks or images.
- Before paying, check audio and transcription limits, backup and sync options, PDF handling, organization, accessibility, language support, and local pricing in the current plan details.
The available sources do not provide independent Mac-by-Mac testing or establish complete feature parity across Mac versions. Treat the product descriptions as starting points, then confirm the specific features and compatibility you need in each app’s current Mac listing.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- SMOOTH, POWERFUL, IMMERSIVE – The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor is more powerful than ever, with the AI-enhanced multitasking you need to stay ahead.
- CIRCLE IT, SEARCH IT – Use your Lenovo Tab Pen or fingertip to circle items for instant search results or to translate other languages without switching apps. Circle to Search with Google ensures answers are only a circle away.
- SHARP VIEW, CLEAR SOUND – Experience sharp visuals and immersive sound for study sessions and streaming breaks. With 72% NTSC and quad Dolby Atmos-tuned speakers you can enjoy your study breaks with vivid videos and crystal-clear sound.
- LEVEL UP YOUR STUDY – Write, organize, sketch, and calculate with four learning apps built to match your flow. Lenovo AI Note, Squid, Nebo, and MyScript Calculator help you stay clear, focused, and ready for every study session.
Rank #4
- 【Free APP-Ophaya Pro+】 Instantly Sync，Effortlessly Captures handwritten notes and drawings with precision, synchronizing them in real-time to devices with the Ophaya Pro+ app（Suitable for iOS and Android smart phone）, Never miss an idea again.【What's in the box】 1x Smart pen, 1x Pu Notebook (60 sheets), 1×Writing Board, 4x Ballpoint Refills, 2x Plastic Pen Nib, 1x USB-Cable.
- 【OCR Handwriting Recognition】Handwritten text can be converted to digital text, which can then be shared as a word document.
- 【Searchable Handwriting Note】Handwritten notes can be searched using keywords, tags, and timestamps, making it easier to find specific information.
- 【Multiple note file formats for storage and sharing】 PDF/Word/PNG/GIF/Mp4 (Note: Multiple PDF and png files can be combined before sharing).
- 【Audio Recording】 Records audio simultaneously while you write, allowing you to sync your notes with the corresponding audio for context. and Clicking on the notes allows you to locate and play back the corresponding audio content.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
