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GoodNotes vs Apple Notes: catalog facts
GoodNotes	Apple Notes
Freemium Free tier available; full features require a subscription or one-time purchase.	Free Free, bundled with macOS and iOS.
macOS, iOS	macOS, iOS
OCR makes handwritten notes searchable like typed text Strong PDF annotation alongside free-form handwriting	Comes preinstalled and free on every Apple device OCR lets you search text inside scanned images and photos
Best experience depends on owning an iPad with Apple Pencil Full feature set requires a subscription or one-time purchase	Tied to the Apple ecosystem with no native Windows or Android app Lacks the structured databases and linking found in dedicated knowledge-base apps
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.