Thinkblot vs GoodNotes
Pick GoodNotes if you mark up PDFs, study from documents, record and transcribe lectures or meetings, or need your notes on Android, Windows or the web. It has a free tier and runs on far more devices than Thinkblot.
Pick Thinkblot if you write plans and to-dos by hand and want a line to turn into a reminder, a message or time on your calendar when you tap it. Thinkblot reads your handwriting on your device, needs no account, and keeps notebooks only on your devices and in your own iCloud.
Last checked: 27 October 2026
Thinkblot and GoodNotes, row by row.
| Thinkblot | GoodNotes | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone (including iPhone Duo), iPad with Apple Pencil, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro (the iPad app). iOS and iPadOS 27.1 or later. | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, plus Android, Windows and the web. |
| Handwriting recognition | Read on your device. Fixing a misread word changes the text, never your ink. | Handwritten notes stay searchable. Converts handwriting to text, with spellcheck for handwriting. |
| What happens to a line you write | It stays ink. When Thinkblot can help, a small blot appears at the end of the line. Tap it, and the line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or time on your calendar. | It stays a searchable handwritten note. You can convert it to text. |
| Tasks and reminders | A box in front of a line makes it a task. Tick the box on paper and it's done in Reminders too. Unticked tasks carry forward. | — |
| Maths | Write a sum and an equals sign, and the answer is written for you. Write “total” under a column and it adds itself. | On-device Math Assist, listed on every plan. |
| Privacy, account and where data lives | No account and no Thinkblot server. Notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud. Private Cloud Compute is optional and asks first. | GoodNotes says your data is kept private and is not used to train its AI. Pro adds GoodNotes Cloud. |
| Sync | Your own iCloud, through Apple's private CloudKit database, on the same Apple Account. | iCloud across iPad, iPhone and Mac. Library sync between Apple and non-Apple devices uses GoodNotes Cloud (Pro). Backup to Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. |
| Export | PDF or Markdown. | PDF, by email, print or share. Free-plan exports carry a watermark. |
| Pricing model | Not out yet. Join the waitlist. | Free (up to 3 files). Essential $11.99/year. Pro $35.99/year. A one-time Special Edition on Apple devices. AI Pass add-on $9.99/month. |
On a phone, scroll the table sideways.
What GoodNotes users write about.
We read 313 App Store reviews of GoodNotes rated 1 to 3 stars, posted since January 2025, and sorted each by what it complained about. These were the most common. Quotes are paraphrased, and no reviewer is named.
- 52Crashes and new bugs after updates
Cut/copy/paste crashed the app on iPad, Mac and iPhone for two releases and the cut content was lost.
- 45Paid once, then moved to a subscription
Paid once years ago; after the move to v6 old notebooks became read-only unless they subscribe.
- 37Basics behind the paywall
Only three free notebooks; deleting one does not free the slot.
- 37Clutter and unwanted redesigns
Toolbar keeps moving after updates; user wants it customizable and left alone.
- 29Sync that fails or lags
Mac and iPad never fully sync; one document still missing pages after six hours.
Where Thinkblot is built differently.
Sync runs through your own iCloud, in Apple's private CloudKit database, the same system Apple's own apps use.
One app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, with the same notebooks on each through your own iCloud.
Nothing happens to a line until you tap it. Set a notebook to Paper and nothing on it is read at all.
Notebooks live on your device and in your own iCloud. There's no Thinkblot server for them to be lost on, and a new device brings them back from iCloud.
Low-star reviews are a slice of any app's users, not a verdict. GoodNotes also has many happy ones.
Where each one is better.
- Annotating PDFs and imported documents.
- Audio recording, transcription and summaries (Essential and up).
- Android, Windows and the web, as well as Apple devices.
- A free tier you can start on today.
- A tapped line becomes a reminder, a drafted message, a payment or calendar time.
- Ticking a box on the page ticks it in Reminders.
- No account. Notebooks stay on your devices and your own iCloud.
- Each notebook can be set to Paper, so nothing on it is read at all.
Thinkblot vs GoodNotes, asked.
- Is Thinkblot a GoodNotes alternative?
- For handwritten plans, lists and journals, yes. For annotating PDFs, studying from documents or using notes on Android and Windows, GoodNotes does more.
- Can GoodNotes turn a handwritten line into a reminder?
- GoodNotes' own pages describe searching handwriting and converting it to text. They don't describe turning a line into a reminder. In Thinkblot, you tap the blot at the end of a line and it becomes a reminder, a message or calendar time.
- Do I need an account for Thinkblot?
- No. There's no Thinkblot account and no Thinkblot server. Your notebooks live on your devices and in your own iCloud.
- Does GoodNotes have a free version?
- Yes. GoodNotes' pricing page lists a free plan with up to 3 files and 20 minutes of audio recording, and paid Essential and Pro plans.
- Can I export from Thinkblot?
- Yes. Export a notebook as PDF or Markdown.
How do
you think?
Thinkblot is coming soon to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro. One email the day it's out. That's all.
Join the waitlistClaims about GoodNotes come only from its own pages, as they read on 27 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and may change.
Thinkblot facts come from the Thinkblot support page. Last checked: 27 October 2026.