Popular Cloud Note Apps Showdown: Evernote V.S. OneNote

As the saying goes, "There's no best note-taking app, only the best app for you." That's why I've specifically chosen Evernote and OneNote. After in-depth usage and understanding, I've created the comparison table below for both, to help everyone understand the full picture of Evernote and OneNote, compare the details of their features, and make an informed choice.

Evernote, OneNote Basic Information

| | Evernote | OneNote | | Category | Cloud Note-Taking Tool | Cloud Note-Taking Tool | | Free Tier | Note size limit 25MB, monthly upload limit 60MB | | | Price | Professional HK$38.00 / month; Business HK$96.00 / user / month Details | | | Size | 308.6MB | 215.3MB | | Provider | Time Base Technology Limited (Hong Kong) | Ginger Labs, Inc. (USA) | | Monthly Downloads | 60K | 50K | | Supported Systems | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Web version | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Web version |

Goodnotes, Notability Basic Information Comparison

In terms of price, Goodnotes is slightly more expensive than Notability, but a single purchase of Goodnotes works for all iPadOS, iOS, and macOS versions. In contrast, Notability's iOS, iPadOS, and macOS versions are sold separately.

Both popular note-taking apps are:

• One-time purchase
• No Windows version
• Currently no update fees

Round 1: Goodnotes, Notability Page Design Comparison

Goodnotes

Offers a variety of note covers and inner page designs, especially the latest version Goodnotes 5 which has added more style choices.

• Size: A7 – A3
• Cover: Can choose between portrait and landscape orientation
• Inner pages: In addition to traditional blank, grid, and ruled pages, there are also to-do list pages and planner pages, totaling 22 templates, catering to various usage scenarios.

Notability

Notability also offers various note page designs for different scene requirements: blank pages, ruled pages with different spacing, and grid pages of different sizes. Each page can be paired with 15 different page background colors, allowing for 135 page combinations.

• Size: A4
• Cover: Only landscape orientation can be chosen
• Inner pages: Only four designs: blank, grid, ruled, and dotted. Once an inner page design is selected, all pages in the notebook will use the same design and cannot be changed.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Different page sizes | ✔ | ✘ | | Different page orientations | ✔ | ✘ | | Page colors | 3 + customizable page colors | 15 | | Paper template quantity | 22 | 4 | | Add custom paper templates to app library | ✔ | ✘ | | Multi-page selection | ✔ | ✘ | | Page rotation | ✔ | ✘ |

Goodnotes, Notability Page Design Comparison

Round 2: Goodnotes, Notability Brush Comparison

Notability and GoodNotes are both handwriting-centric note-taking apps. In these applications, a stylus is typically used for handwriting notes.

Goodnotes

• Pen tool: Can choose pen brushes of different thicknesses. For pen colors, in addition to 3 default colors, custom colors can be added, and it supports inputting color codes. Just enter the corresponding color value in the color editing state to add this color to the palette.

• Highlighter tool: Similar to the pen tool, brush thickness is selectable, and colors can also be custom added.

GoodNotes has one extra brush than Notability and allows for free adjustment of brush thickness, precise to millimeters. However, note that only 3 brush thicknesses and colors can be saved to the toolbar at a time.

Notability

• Pen tool: Offers 2 common nibs (pressure-sensitive and non-pressure-sensitive), with 12 sizes to choose from for each nib. For colors, 32 commonly used colors have been carefully selected, eliminating the need to edit and select them yourself, allowing for quick use.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Brush types | Ballpoint, fountain, brush | Ballpoint, fountain | | Brush thickness | 0.1-2mm free adjustment, can save 3 brush sizes at a time | 12 fixed sizes | | Brush colors | 3 default values, custom colors can be added | 32 default values, custom colors can be added |

Goodnotes, Notability Brush Comparison

Round 3: Goodnotes, Notability Feature Comparison

Import Multimedia Files

Both note-taking apps can add images, scan, and import documents. In Notability, you can also add recordings, GIFs, sticky notes, web links, and web clips. In iPadOS, both apps support scanning documents into notes and searching them.

Goodnotes

• Handwriting Recognition: Just like paper notes, it can sometimes be difficult to immediately find something you've previously written down. But with this feature, you really don't have to worry about not finding it. Goodnotes' Chinese recognition is extremely strong; as long as it's not too messy, simplified characters, or symbols, it can be recognized and searched. After recognition, it can be converted to "text" for users to copy elsewhere. For example, if you have handwritten contact information to share with others, you can select the content, tap convert, and get the text to copy and send to others, which is very thoughtful.

Notability

• Recording button: This feature is a highlight of Notability, as it embeds a recording function within the note-taking app. Whether taking notes in class or writing meeting minutes with Notability, you can enable the recording function for anything you miss, ensuring no important points are overlooked when refining your notes later.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Images | ✔ | ✔ | | Scan | ✔ | ✔ | | Import PDF | ✔ | ✔ | | Recording | ✘ | ✔ | | GIF | ✘ | ✔ | | Sticky Notes | ✘ | ✔ | | Web Links | ✘ | ✔ | | Videos | ✘ | ✘ |

Goodnotes, Notability Import Multimedia Files Feature Comparison

Scan Documents

GoodNotes and Notability use the same iPadOS scanning tool, but Goodnotes can only save scans as PDFs. Documents can only be searched when not rotated.

When scanning documents, Notability can insert them into notes as images. The image size will be smaller, thus creating smaller documents. If you want to save space, you can also save the scan results as photos and search the scanned content at any time.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Save as PDF | ✔ | ✔ | | Save as image | ✘ | ✔ | | Search scan | ✔ | ✔ |

Goodnotes, Notability Scan Feature Comparison

Photos

Both applications support PNG photos (photos without background). You can drag and drop images into the application, or use the photo icon to add them, and you can also crop images.

GoodNotes supports freehand cropping. Both apps can rotate and resize photos. GoodNotes can rotate and resize photos simultaneously, but Notability can only perform one operation at a time.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | PNG | ✔ | ✔ | | Freehand cropping | ✔ | ✘ | | Resize and rotate | ✔ | ✔ | | Drag and drop | ✔ | ✔ | | Add captions | ✘ | ✔ | | Wrap text around photos | ✘ | ✔ |

Goodnotes, Notability Photo Feature Comparison

Goodnotes, Notability Unique Features

Goodnotes

• Handwriting Recognition: Just like paper notes, it can sometimes be difficult to immediately find something you've previously written down. But with this feature, you really don't have to worry about not finding it. Goodnotes' Chinese recognition is extremely strong; as long as it's not too messy, simplified characters, or symbols, it can be recognized and searched. After recognition, it can be converted to "text" for users to copy elsewhere. For example, if you have handwritten contact information to share with others, you can select the content, tap convert, and get the text to copy and send to others, which is very thoughtful.

• Selection Gesture: Features a two-finger selection gesture for quick selection and deselection of multiple documents on the homepage.

Notability

• Recording Function: This feature is a highlight of Notability, as it embeds a recording function within the note-taking app. Whether taking notes in class or writing meeting minutes with Notability, you can enable the recording function for anything you miss, ensuring no important points are overlooked when refining your notes later.

• Lock Folder: You can lock folders. It supports Face ID/Touch ID, depending on the device you are using.

Round 4: Goodnotes, Notability Note Management Comparison

Export Options

GoodNotes exports PDF, images, and GoodNotes format. GoodNotes can also choose to export images as a zip file or individual images.

You can:

• Select specific pages to export
• Retain page background
• Exclude annotations
• Export hyperlinks
• The exclude annotations feature is very useful when you want to share the original document imported into the app. So you don't have to worry about deleting all annotations before exporting, which is super useful.

Notability exports four formats: PDF, Notes, Image (JPEG or PNG), and RTF. PDF is the best way to share read-only notes from any note-taking application. This is what we will focus on. The margins around PDFs provide extra space for annotations, allowing more room for later notes. Notability does not compress images when you export them from the application.

You can:

• Select specific pages to export
• Keep the paper background
• Attach recordings
• Password protect
• Increase margins
• Preview PDF

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Select specific pages to export | ✔ | ✔ | | Page background | ✔ | ✔ | | Password protect PDF | ✘ | ✔ | | Exclude annotations | ✔ | ✘ | | Export hyperlinks | ✔ | ✘ | | Compress images | ✔ | ✘ |

Goodnotes, Notability Export Options Comparison

Automatic Backup

GoodNotes can only back up to Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. You can decide which folders to back up by including/excluding specific words in the document name. GoodNotes is the app's native format, so this is the best way to back up notes. GoodNotes also allows you to back up in two formats: GoodNotes and PDF. Having both is an advantage. Notability backs up to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, and WebDAV.

| | Goodnotes | Notability | | Dropbox | ✔ | ✔ | | Google Drive | ✔ | ✔ | | OneDrive | ✔ | ✔ | | Box | ✘ | ✔ | | WebDAV | ✘ | ✔ | | PDF format | ✔ | ✔ | | RTF format | ✘ | ✔ |

Goodnotes, Notability Automatic Backup Feature Comparison

Summary

Goodnotes offers higher freedom in image editing and page design, making it particularly suitable for journaling. If you enjoy decorating your notes, Goodnotes will be a better fit for you. Notability's page design is more concise, so if you're a beginner or a lazy person who doesn't want to spend time on page design, Notability will be more suitable for you. It's a more business-oriented note-taking app, and its recording function is particularly noteworthy. It allows you to record detailed explanations and teacher's lectures, which is very convenient for learning.

Developing a habit of using note-taking apps not only helps with learning but also allows you to share your notes on Flowsophic, promoting them to secondary school students across Hong Kong.

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