GoodNotes 6 flipped the switch on long-time users in 2024. The one-time purchase turned into a subscription, and the AI features got a separate paywall stacked on top. Threads on r/GoodNotes and r/androidtablets are full of readers who paid once for GoodNotes 5 on iPad and now feel priced out on Android. This roundup covers seven GoodNotes alternatives for Android that keep the handwriting feel without the tier games, from free apps shipped with Galaxy tablets to specialist ink apps for designers.
Every pick was tested on a mid-range Android tablet and a recent Galaxy Tab, with attention to stylus latency, PDF import, and export options. Prices reflect what shows up in the Play billing sheet, not the marketing site.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid pricing | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyScript Nebo | Handwriting to text | Unlimited notebooks | One-time IAP | Double-tap paragraph conversion |
| Squid | Fast capture on budget tablets | Basic backgrounds | About $1 per month | Runs well on older hardware |
| Samsung Notes | Galaxy Tab and S Pen owners | Full app free | Free | Lowest S Pen latency on Android |
| Microsoft OneNote | Microsoft 365 users | Unlimited notes | Free | OCR on inserted screenshots |
| Concepts | Vector sketching and mind maps | Basic tools | About $7.99 one-time | Infinite zoom without pixelation |
| Xodo PDF | PDF markup and signing | Generous free tier | Subscription | Ink annotation on PDFs |
| Notewise | Lecture recording | 5 notebooks | About $4.99 per month | Audio synced to strokes |
Why people leave GoodNotes
Subscription switch. GoodNotes 6 moved from a one-time purchase to an annual subscription starting at about $9.99 per year, and users on Reddit have vented about repeated in-app prompts nudging holders of the older one-time license toward the new tier.
AI paywall on top. The AI features (spell check on ink, notebook Q&A, ask AI) sit behind a separate tier that costs more than the base subscription. Long-time paying customers describe this as double dipping, especially for people who never wanted AI in the first place.
Late and thinner Android release. The Android app landed years after the iPad version, and stylus support outside Samsung tablets is still uneven. Non-Samsung stylus users report palm rejection glitches and the occasional lost stroke on longer sessions.
Sync friction. Cross-device sync requires a GoodNotes account rather than a plain cloud folder, and users have reported PDF corruption on very large notebooks synced across multiple devices.
Handwriting recognition trails Nebo. For messy cursive and non-Latin scripts, GoodNotes still lags MyScript’s engine on accuracy in every published Android comparison the team cross-checked.
The 7 alternatives
MyScript Nebo, best handwriting to text on Android
MyScript Nebo converts entire paragraphs of messy cursive into typed text with a double-tap, and its recognition engine leads every published Android accuracy test we cross-checked. The free tier includes unlimited notebooks and pages, so the entry point already beats GoodNotes on cost. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks premium export formats (Word with formatting, HTML, TeX), which caps total spend for good.
Where it falls short: The organization model is a flat list of notebooks without the nested sections GoodNotes power users lean on. Custom paper templates are limited compared with the GoodNotes template pack.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited notebooks, ink to text, basic export
- Paid: one-time IAP for premium exports and expanded PDF import
- vs GoodNotes: no recurring fee at all if the free tier covers you, still cheaper long term after the IAP
Migrating from GoodNotes: No direct importer. Export notebooks from GoodNotes as PDF, then open them in Nebo as background pages. Ink strokes come in as flat PDF vectors rather than editable Nebo strokes, so heavy re-editing means retracing. Budget an afternoon for a semester of lecture notes.
Bottom line: Nebo vs GoodNotes is a lopsided win for Nebo if turning handwriting into searchable typed text is the whole point of your note app. Skip it if you want tabs, sub-sections, and deep template customization.
Squid, best on budget Android tablets
Squid treats the page as infinite paper and runs smoothly on hardware where GoodNotes’ Android build stutters. Ink latency stays low on two-year-old Samsung and Lenovo tablets, and PDF annotation works with real ink layering rather than sticky-note style comments. The free tier covers basic backgrounds; Premium at about $1 per month unlocks PDF import, cloud backup, and shape tools.
Where it falls short: No handwriting-to-text conversion. The UI is functional but plain, and the developer’s release cadence has slowed compared with the original Papyrus days.
Pricing:
- Free: quick capture, basic paper backgrounds
- Paid: about $1 per month or roughly $9.99 per year for Premium
- vs GoodNotes: about one-tenth the annual price and no AI upsell
Migrating from GoodNotes: Import GoodNotes exports as PDF and add ink layers on top. Squid keeps PDF ink as its own editable layer, so notes stay separate from the source document, which is handy for shared textbooks.
Bottom line: Squid vs GoodNotes is the right pick if the tablet is older and the wallet is thinner. Skip it if the whole reason you use a note app is handwriting-to-text.
Samsung Notes, best for S Pen owners
Samsung Notes ships free on every Galaxy tablet and phone with an S Pen, and stylus latency is measurably lower than any third-party option on Android. The app handles PDF import, annotation, and voice memos out of the box, and it syncs across Samsung accounts without an extra subscription. Export to PDF, OneNote, and Microsoft accounts covers most sharing paths.
Where it falls short: The best experience is locked to Samsung hardware, and the app is not available at all on other Android brands. Handwriting-to-text is decent for English but weaker than Nebo on messy scripts.
Pricing:
- Free: everything, no ads, no note cap
- Paid: none
- vs GoodNotes: free vs $9.99 per year plus AI add-on
Migrating from GoodNotes: Export GoodNotes notebooks as PDF and import into Samsung Notes to keep the pages as annotatable backgrounds. GoodNotes text stays as PDF text; ink stays as flat strokes.
Bottom line: Samsung Notes vs GoodNotes is a clean win for Samsung Notes if you own a Galaxy Tab. Skip it if your daily tablet is a Xiaomi, OnePlus, or Lenovo device without S Pen support.
Microsoft OneNote, best if you already pay for Microsoft 365
Microsoft OneNote is free with no note count cap, no subscription for the basics, and support for handwriting on any Android tablet with a stylus. The notebook and section model matches how heavy GoodNotes users organize documents, and OCR on inserted screenshots is included for free. Cross-device sync runs on OneDrive, so Microsoft 365 subscribers get plenty of storage without paying twice.
Where it falls short: The Android app can feel sluggish on cheaper tablets during first-time sync of large notebooks. Ink tools are simpler than what Concepts or GoodNotes offer for artists.
Pricing:
- Free: all core features
- Paid: bundled with Microsoft 365 for extra OneDrive storage
- vs GoodNotes: free at feature parity for handwriting and PDF markup
Migrating from GoodNotes: Print GoodNotes documents to PDF and drag them into OneNote pages. GoodNotes text becomes native OneNote text if you paste from a text export rather than from PDF ink.
Bottom line: OneNote vs GoodNotes wins on price if a subscription is the reason you started shopping. Skip it if your ink workflow is highly visual and you need vector-quality strokes.
Concepts, best for sketching and mind maps
Concepts stores every stroke as a vector, so zooming in stays sharp at any level, which no raster-based note app can match. The canvas is infinite and layered, which suits mind maps, storyboards, and product wireframes better than a page-based notebook. The free tier covers the basics; the Essentials pack at about $7.99 as a one-time buy unlocks palettes, layers, and PDF import.
Where it falls short: Concepts is not built as a lecture notebook. There is no page metaphor, no tabs, and no audio recording, so it fits classroom capture poorly.
Pricing:
- Free: basic tools, single palette
- Paid: about $7.99 one-time for Essentials, subscription tier for pros with cloud sync
- vs GoodNotes: cheaper than a year of GoodNotes if the one-time pack covers your needs
Migrating from GoodNotes: Import GoodNotes PDF exports and continue on top as vector layers. Stroke fidelity in the imported PDF stays raster, so use Concepts for new work rather than reworking old notebooks.
Bottom line: Concepts vs GoodNotes is the pick if you sketch more than you write. Skip it if the point of the app is lecture notes.
Xodo PDF Reader and Editor, best for PDF-heavy workflows
Xodo treats PDFs as first-class documents, with ink annotation, form filling, and signing as the main flow rather than an afterthought. The free tier is generous enough that most students never hit a paywall, and the PDF Pro subscription unlocks OCR and cloud storage integrations. Ink strokes stay editable and export cleanly to email or Drive.
Where it falls short: Xodo is a PDF editor with notes, not a blank notebook with PDF support. Custom paper templates and pen palettes are limited compared with GoodNotes.
Pricing:
- Free: ink annotation, signing, form fill
- Paid: PDF Pro subscription for OCR and cloud tools
- vs GoodNotes: free covers what most non-artists need
Migrating from GoodNotes: Export GoodNotes documents as PDF and open them in Xodo. GoodNotes ink flattens into the PDF; new markup layers on top as editable Xodo ink.
Bottom line: Xodo vs GoodNotes is the right call if you annotate contracts, textbooks, and forms more than you scribble blank pages. Skip it if you want a diary or bullet-journal experience.
Notewise, best for lectures with audio playback
Notewise records audio in the background and links every stroke to its timestamp, so tapping a scribble jumps the recording to the moment you wrote it. The canvas is spatial rather than page-based, which suits mind-mapping across a lecture. The free tier includes five notebooks; Pro at about $4.99 per month unlocks unlimited notebooks and cloud sync across Android and iOS.
Where it falls short: Handwriting-to-text is weaker than Nebo, and the app is younger, so the export ecosystem is thinner. The five-notebook free cap is tight for a full semester.
Pricing:
- Free: 5 notebooks, audio recording, basic sync
- Paid: about $4.99 per month for Pro with unlimited notebooks
- vs GoodNotes: comparable price, different value tied to audio playback instead of AI features
Migrating from GoodNotes: Import GoodNotes PDFs as background pages, then record and annotate on top. There is no direct notebook importer, so plan on treating Notewise as a fresh start for new lectures.
Bottom line: Notewise vs GoodNotes wins for people who want their notes tied to lecture or meeting audio. Skip it if audio playback is not part of your workflow.
How to choose
Pick Samsung Notes if you already own a Galaxy Tab with S Pen. It costs nothing, has the lowest stylus latency on Android, and syncs without an extra account.
Pick MyScript Nebo if the point of the notebook is turning ink into searchable typed text. Recognition beats GoodNotes on messy handwriting in every test we cross-checked, and the pricing tops out at a one-time buy.
Pick Microsoft OneNote if you already pay for Microsoft 365 or refuse another subscription. There is no note count cap on the free tier, OCR on screenshots is included, and it plugs into Outlook and Teams.
Pick Concepts if you sketch vector diagrams, mind maps, or design mockups more than you take lecture notes. Infinite zoom without pixelation is worth the one-time pack on its own.
Pick Squid if you have an older Android tablet and want something fast, cheap, and honest. It runs on hardware where GoodNotes stutters.
Pick Xodo if you annotate PDFs more than you make blank pages, and you sometimes sign contracts on the tablet.
Pick Notewise if your notes attach to lectures, meetings, or interviews and you want audio playback tied to each stroke.
Stay on GoodNotes only if your workflow depends on its exact notebook and folder model and you already have hundreds of documents inside its ecosystem. Everyone else has a cleaner option here.
FAQ
What is the best free GoodNotes alternative on Android?
Samsung Notes if you own a Galaxy Tab, and Microsoft OneNote on any other Android tablet. Both are free forever with no note count cap. Samsung Notes wins on stylus latency; OneNote wins on cross-platform sync and OCR.
Is Samsung Notes as good as GoodNotes?
Yes, for most workflows. Samsung Notes matches or beats GoodNotes on stylus latency, PDF annotation, and note organization on Galaxy hardware. It falls behind on custom paper templates and palette variety, and the app only runs on Samsung devices.
Can I import GoodNotes notebooks into another app?
Partly. GoodNotes exports notebooks as PDF, which every alternative here can open as a background layer. Ink comes across as flat PDF vectors rather than editable strokes, so you can annotate on top but not rework the original strokes.
Does OneNote support handwriting like GoodNotes?
Yes. OneNote handles S Pen and third-party styluses, converts handwriting to typed text on demand, and searches inside ink notes. Recognition is competent though not as sharp as MyScript Nebo on cursive.
What is the cheapest GoodNotes alternative?
Samsung Notes and Microsoft OneNote both cost nothing at all. If you are not on Samsung and want something more purpose-built than OneNote, Squid at about $1 per month is the next step up.
Is GoodNotes on Android worth it?
Only if you already own it on iPad and want the same notebooks on both devices. The subscription pricing and AI paywall make GoodNotes expensive on Android compared with Samsung Notes, OneNote, or Nebo, all of which cover the core note-taking use case for less money.
