Alternatives to Notability
Handwriting notes for iPad
Notability ranks #12 of 13 in Note-taking, with an Alt Score of 51. It is proprietary, freemium from $15.99/yr and available on iOS, macOS and Web. 7 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Students, professionals, and anyone who takes handwritten notes on an iPad, iPhone, or Mac and wants to combine writing, typing, audio, and documents in one place.
A note-taking app built around Apple Pencil handwriting, with typed text, audio recording, and PDF annotation in the same note. Audio recordings sync to your handwritten or typed notes, so tapping a line of notes jumps to that moment in the recording. It also handles PDF import and markup, multiple paper styles and page types, and organizes notes into subjects with dividers.
You create a note and write with Apple Pencil, type, or import a PDF to annotate; if you start an audio recording, it links automatically to whatever you're writing as you write it. Notes sync across iPad, iPhone, and Mac via iCloud, and can be exported or shared as PDFs.
Where Notability stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Notability
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Notability compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Note-taking checklist | Notability | Amplenote | Joplin | Evernote | Standard Notes | UpNote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Markdown support | ||||||
| Sync between devices (native) | ||||||
| Local-first storage | ||||||
| End-to-end encryption | ||||||
| Web clipper | ||||||
| Templates | ||||||
| Tags & notebooks | ||||||
| Handwriting & stylus | ||||||
| OCR of images | ||||||
| Version history | ||||||
| Data export formats | ||||||
| Offline access |
Every fact and feature listed for Notability is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
-
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
Notability is a registered trademark of Ginger Labs, Inc.
https://notability.com/business -
Starts at $15.99/yr verified 2026-07-11
PLUS $15.99 /yr
https://notability.com/pricing -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
Notability is officially a free app, available to anyone with an iPad, iPhone or Mac!
https://blog.notability.com/post/welcome-to-the-next-generation-of-notability-11-0 -
Platforms iOS, macOS, Web verified 2026-07-11
Notability is officially a free app, available to anyone with an iPad, iPhone or Mac!
https://blog.notability.com/post/welcome-to-the-next-generation-of-notability-11-0 -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
These new features are available to all Notability Pro subscribers in version 15.0.
https://blog.notability.com/post/become-an-audio-pro-how-to-record-lectures-in-notability -
Markdown support No verified 2026-07-11
Combine typed notes, handwriting, sketches, and highlights in one place, then share everything seamlessly with your team.
https://notability.com/business -
Sync between devices (native) Yes verified 2026-07-11
including unlimited editing, iCloud sync, and any features or content that was previously purchased through the Notability Shop
https://blog.notability.com/post/welcome-to-the-next-generation-of-notability-11-0 -
Templates Yes verified 2026-07-11
Access to 20,000+ note-taking templates
https://notability.com/pricing -
Tags & notebooks Partial verified 2026-07-11
You can now create dividers inside dividers and also create subjects with the same name.
https://blog.notability.com/post/welcome-to-the-next-generation-of-notability-11-0 -
Handwriting & stylus Yes verified 2026-07-11
The power of handwriting
https://notability.com/business -
OCR of images Yes verified 2026-07-11
Search & convert handwriting to text
https://notability.com/business -
Data export formats Yes verified 2026-07-11
Choose from PDF, Note, JPEG, PNG, or NTB (Notability Cloud)
https://support.gingerlabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/205228298-Sharing-Notes
FAQ
Yes. Amplenote, Joplin and Evernote have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Joplin, Standard Notes and Notesnook — every license claim links its source.