That's why I loved Noteshelf. One can create different notebooks for different classes and add/remove pages ad nauseum. There are other apps I am sure, but I loved Noteshelf best. Unfortunately, the dev hasn't updated it for the iPad Pro + Pencil. :/
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Best Note Talking App for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil?
- Thread starter kevroc
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I find Notability organization very intuitive. You can create folders / dividers, etc. but the nice thing is the speed in flipping through them, very fast. Good Notes organized by "Subject Book" also, but each one is separate so you have to navigate in and out which is a little more time consuming. You can probably do it with the stock Notes app, but I prefer the lined paper options that the others have. OneNote also has a lot of organization options and can also sync to your desktop (they have a free PC version).
This is what does it for me, if the app has already incorporated support for the IPP + Pencil, it tells me a lot about future support for the app as well. I probably wouldn't consider any others at this point as the current ones will now just be getting better.
Which is why I stay away from notability.
It they can't update the pencil support like GoodNotes already has (treating it as a smart stylus), - no thanks.
I use several apps depending on what I am doing:
Notability - PDF / document organization, management, and markup. I sometimes also just use the new built-in PDF markup feature of the Mail app.
Goodnotes - Handwritten note-taking using the Apple Pencil. I particularly like that you can text search on your handwritten notes, and that they are organized in 'books'.
Evernote - Typed notes for work. I have a work Evernote account that syncs automatically with my work desktop machine. I take my iPad into meetings.
Notes - Personal typed notes / non-critical information that I want to refer to, like shopping lists, todos, quick sketches, and similar.
1Password Notes - Secure encrypted notes of confidential information.
They each have their strengths.
Notability - PDF / document organization, management, and markup. I sometimes also just use the new built-in PDF markup feature of the Mail app.
Goodnotes - Handwritten note-taking using the Apple Pencil. I particularly like that you can text search on your handwritten notes, and that they are organized in 'books'.
Evernote - Typed notes for work. I have a work Evernote account that syncs automatically with my work desktop machine. I take my iPad into meetings.
Notes - Personal typed notes / non-critical information that I want to refer to, like shopping lists, todos, quick sketches, and similar.
1Password Notes - Secure encrypted notes of confidential information.
They each have their strengths.
Yep, they support it.
But they don't support the pencil as a "smart stylus," which goodnotes does.
With goodnotes, only the pencil will make a pencil mark - your finger or inadvertent touch will not.
With notability, if you lower your hand on the screen and your pinky touches the screen first - it makes a pencil mark.
Gotcha. I hope they update it soon though. It's sorta a pain to be jumping between so many note taking apps! I love testing them but I'd prefer to stay dominant on one.
But I guess either way for me, they all eventually wind up in Evernote.
From the Notability Q&A on their web site:
"Notability currently includes automatic palm detection and variable width ink. These features work great with any type of stylus including your finger. Because of this, we do not have immediate plans to integrate with any bluetooth stylus."
So that's not looking good.
But the fact that they even HAVE a Mac OS app still has me hoping they still back the community fully! 
So let's hope that GoodNotes plans the same thing!
So let's hope that GoodNotes plans the same thing!i like the organization in goodnotes and the ability to search for written words is kind of killer. but compared to notability there is a little delay or something I can't really describe. When i quickly write a word it seems like goodnotes automatically makes some adjustments. That's driving me nuts... Anyone else notice that?
What you may be seeing is the strokes on screen being updated as predictive curve data is replaced with actual curve data. You can see this happen in Apple's Notes app if you pay close attention.
I really like onenote too, but I can not get onenote to search and find my handwritten notes I wrote with the apple pencil; does this work for you? Did you have to do any additional steps to get it working?
So my understanding is that you have to sync your notebook to OneDrive in order for the handwriting search to work; I guess they must analyze it when it's online periodically.
Yes my notebooks are on Onedrive; I can use them on the ipad and laptop. If I draw some words on the laptop with the mouse, I can search them and even convert to text works.
If I use apple pencil to write in onenote on the ipad, it's not searchable and can not convert to text.
Does this work for you though?
If I use apple pencil to write in onenote on the ipad, it's not searchable and can not convert to text.
Does this work for you though?
I'm now using Notability for meeting notes at work & Paper 53 for leisure use. Apple Notes app is fine, but I'm already using that for other general stuff & I'd prefer to have a go-to app dedicated for work use.
Notability ticks my boxes as:
- can switch between typing & writing / drawing very easily
- lots of pen/typing options, but not too many
- good selection of ruled / margin / grid templates to write on (missing from Apple Notes?)
- I've not had any issues with non-Pencil marks, seems pretty good to me on palm/finger rejection
- the filing / category organisation works for me, all notes easily visible whilst filed into folders
- lots of sync options, I'm syncing via iCloud and backing up to Google Drive
- Mac OSX app, iPad and iPhone all in sync, I always have at least one of those with me
I'd not heard of GoodNotes, albeit without a desktop app, but I like the idea of being able to search my notes, will look at that now - thanks.
Notability ticks my boxes as:
- can switch between typing & writing / drawing very easily
- lots of pen/typing options, but not too many
- good selection of ruled / margin / grid templates to write on (missing from Apple Notes?)
- I've not had any issues with non-Pencil marks, seems pretty good to me on palm/finger rejection
- the filing / category organisation works for me, all notes easily visible whilst filed into folders
- lots of sync options, I'm syncing via iCloud and backing up to Google Drive
- Mac OSX app, iPad and iPhone all in sync, I always have at least one of those with me
I'd not heard of GoodNotes, albeit without a desktop app, but I like the idea of being able to search my notes, will look at that now - thanks.
Converting handwriting to text is not an available feature on the iOS version of OneNote; however writing with my Pencil and then syncing my notebook to OneDrive would then make my handwritten notes searchable. TBH, I actually stopped using OneNote once I realized that MS was analyzing my handwritten notes like that; not because I fear anything nefarious per se but because I simply don't want a third-party accessing my notes like that. I've switched to Notability even though I can't search my handwritten notes with them. :/
Yes I know it's not available on iOS but it is on the Windows version on my laptop.
Strange that my handwritten notes are not searchable; can't seem to find any other report of it neither.
Maybe your handwriting is just too bad.
Seriously though, I can't explain the discrepancy between our experiences. It was working well for me; it even recognized words that I thought wouldn't be due to my often fairly poor handwriting.
H
Goodnotes already has an OS X app.
But the fact that they even HAVE a Mac OS app still has me hoping they still back the community fully!
Goodnotes already has an OS X app.
So I have figured it out now...It does work initially when I create a new notebook on my ipad, but when I then open the same notebook on my windows laptop it breaks; I can not search the handwritten text after that anymore. Not on the ipad and not on the laptop. Nice.Maybe your handwriting is just too bad.
Seriously though, I can't explain the discrepancy between our experiences. It was working well for me; it even recognized words that I thought wouldn't be due to my often fairly poor handwriting.
I think OneNote and Notability is a good choice for other ipads or supported pens...but not having a full support AP in no go for me. Main problem is the palm rejection and constant accidental marks....so Goodnotes is best for now using Pencil and what I need it for.
Same here. I've settled on GoodNotes for now. I like that it can ignore everything but the Pencil, and that I can search my notes.
I'm hoping for an Evernote-friendly solution, though.
I use NotesPlus. So far they have not released an update for the iPad pro and pencil, but the apple pencil works very will with the existing app. I'll sit tight and wait for their update, but it is still a very good note taking app in its current state.