Best handwriting note-taking apps
Stylus-first apps for an iPad, a Galaxy Tab or a Surface, where the ink matters more than the markdown.
Top pick: Apple Notes at 8.1 out of 10. For most iPhone owners this is the correct answer until they hit a specific wall. Just do not build a decade of work here if you might switch to Android. Compare it with GoodNotes.
Apple Notes
Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.
Mac / iOS / Web
Best for: Anyone fully on Apple devices who wants zero setup and zero cost.
Free
GoodNotes
Handwriting on a tablet, done better than anyone else.
iOS / Mac / Win / Android / Web
Best for: Students and anyone whose thinking happens with a stylus.
$9.99/yr
Microsoft OneNote
An infinite paper notebook that has quietly been free for twenty years.
Win / Mac / iOS / Android / Web
Best for: Students and Windows users who want free handwriting plus typing on one page.
Free
Noteshelf
Handwriting on every platform, with an AI that reads your pages.
iOS / Mac / Android / Win
Best for: Stylus users who are not on an iPad, or not only on an iPad.
$9.99/mo
Notability
Recorded audio linked to every stroke you wrote while it played.
iOS / Mac
Best for: Students recording lectures on an iPad.
$14.99/yr
Samsung Notes
The reason the S Pen is worth using, and it costs nothing.
Android / Win
Best for: Galaxy Tab owners who want free handwriting notes.
Free
Noteful
A seven-dollar ink engine that embarrasses apps costing ten times more.
iOS / Mac
Best for: iPad note takers who care about the pen and resent subscriptions.
$6.99 once