Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Coconote vs Goodnotes

Coconote 4.8★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Tie
Goodnotes 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

Coconote is better for users who prioritize AI-powered transcription and summarization, while Goodnotes is superior for those who need robust, reliable handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation.

Full reviews: Coconote · Goodnotes

Coconote excels in AI transcription and summarization, making it ideal for meetings and lectures, but faces significant criticism for its free tier limitations and subscription practices. Goodnotes offers strong handwritten note-taking and organization, though recent updates and subscription model changes have frustrated long-time users.

Head to head

Features: AI Transcription & Summarization edge: CoconoteR4R5R7R12
Coconote Coconote users highly praise its accurate transcriptions and helpful summaries, finding it a life-saver for meetings, classes, and medical appointments, allowing them to be present rather than frantically writing R5R7R13R15. However, some users report issues with math transcription and AI distinguishing speakers R4R12.
Goodnotes Goodnotes users express mixed feelings about AI integration; some find it unnecessary and prefer the app to stick to its core handwriting features, while others are frustrated by its limitations, such as transcription stopping due to token limits without warning R65.
Features: Handwritten Notes & Organization edge: GoodnotesR2R9R13R17
Coconote Coconote is generally praised for being a great note-taking app, with users finding it good for students and business R2R9R13R17. Some appreciate the setup and folders, though one user wished for a mass delete option .
Goodnotes Goodnotes is widely loved for its basic writing tools, handwriting recognition, and ability to organize life, journaling, and school notes . However, some recent updates have introduced issues like drag-and-drop not working, text going to wrong styles, and problems with cropping photos .
Reliability & Performance tieR16R18R23R59
Coconote Coconote users report significant issues with losing notes and recordings, with some experiencing errors and the app not working, leading to deleted content R16R18R23.
Goodnotes Goodnotes users frequently report bugs, including notes deleting as they write, inconsistent scribble-to-erase, lasso tool issues, and app crashes, especially with text documents becoming slow and laggy R59. Some also note slow launch times and iCloud sync issues .
Price & Value tieR1R3R10R12
Coconote Many Coconote users feel the app is too expensive, especially for a product they consider not polished, and express frustration over predatory subscription processes, unclear pricing, and denied refund requests R1R3R10R12. Some paid users, however, find it extremely worth the money .
Goodnotes Goodnotes users are highly critical of its shift to a subscription model, feeling scammed because they previously paid for lifetime access or the app outright and are now locked out of features or limited to a few notebooks R65R77R81.
Customer Support & Transparency edge: GoodnotesR8R10R12R14
Coconote Coconote users report terrible service, with customer service not responding to emails and refund requests being denied R8R10R12R14. They also criticize the lack of subscription renewal reminders R16.
Goodnotes Goodnotes users mention issues with cross-platform compatibility and unhelpful tech support R79. There are also concerns about data mining during initial setup .
Ease of Use edge: CoconoteR2R5R15R19
Coconote Coconote is generally seen as easy to use, with users appreciating its straightforward functionality for note-taking R2R5R15R19.
Goodnotes Goodnotes receives mixed feedback on ease of use; some find it user-friendly and intuitive , while others complain about a slow and frustrating writing process with too many steps, especially for typing, and issues with the interface on Surface Pro R71.
Pick Coconote if

Pick Coconote if you primarily need an app for transcribing audio from meetings, lectures, or personal appointments and generating summaries, and you are willing to pay for a subscription for these AI features R5R7R13R15.

Pick Goodnotes if

Pick Goodnotes if you need a robust app for handwritten notes, digital journaling, and PDF annotation, especially if you use an iPad and Apple Pencil, and you are comfortable with its current subscription model or have an older lifetime purchase that still grants sufficient access .

Evidence note: Coconote has significantly fewer reviews than Goodnotes, leading to less comprehensive feedback on some dimensions. Many negative reviews for both apps revolve around their respective free-to-paid transitions and subscription models, which can skew recent sentiment.

Frequently asked

Is Coconote truly free?
Coconote is not truly free; while it offers a free trial, many users report that it quickly stops working or limits functionality, forcing them to pay for a subscription after only a couple of notes or during a trial period R1R3R20R45.
Can I get a refund for Coconote?
Many Coconote users report difficulty or denial when attempting to get a refund, even after being accidentally charged for a yearly subscription or feeling the pricing was unclear R10R12R14.
Does Goodnotes offer a lifetime purchase option?
Goodnotes previously offered a lifetime purchase option, but many users who bought it years ago now report being locked out of features or limited to three notebooks unless they pay for a new subscription, leading to frustration and accusations of a 'scam' R65R77R81R85.
Is Goodnotes compatible with non-Apple devices like Surface Pro?
Goodnotes' compatibility with non-Apple devices like Surface Pro is reported to be less smooth and responsive compared to its iPad performance, with slower operation and terrible syncing times, making it less ideal for cross-platform users R71R79.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R4] Coconote 1/5 · US Math missprint: Whenever it transcribes math, it won’t use the symbols for like calculus like integration symbols, and it won’t put like a fraction one above the other vertically it is prints out very weird
  2. [R5] Coconote 5/5 · US Love this app!: I love using this app for any meetings, classes, or interactions that I may need to review later. Excellent translations and the summaries are really helpful!
  3. [R7] Coconote 5/5 · US Beyond thankful: I downloaded Coconote to take notes when visiting my husband’s oncologist. He has stage four cancer and I’m not able to remember everything. The doctor says this has been so helpful for me to go back and look and see the progress or if I’m missing something. I’m so thankful for this app.
  4. [R12] Coconote 1/5 · US Alternatives are better: This app is not fleshed out. Alternatives do a much better job of transcribing and summarizing. It’s also way too expensive, especially for a not polished product. You won’t get a refund either. The AI seems to have a hard time distinguishing between speakers a lot. Even when one is a man and one is a woman so clearly different voices.
  5. [R2] Coconote 5/5 · US taking notes: great product
  6. [R9] Coconote 5/5 · US Coco note: I would recommend it’s really good for students
  7. [R13] Coconote 5/5 · US Amazing Notetaker: As a Strategist Agency we need as detailed information as possible. This is a business tool you must have, I’ve used several note takers but this one is leading the way. Love the detailed summary and visuals with mind maps of the things I need to do. Love it!!!
  8. [R17] Coconote 5/5 · US best note taking app :): as an aspiring doctor in medical school - this is hands down the best note taking app I have used. I have used many in hopes of finding my favorite to stick with! Being a medical student with ADHD is beautiful but also stressful since a lot of times medical resources and studying tools are not made for the brains of neurodivergent individuals. This app is! Download it now!
  9. [R16] Coconote 1/5 · US Keep loosing my notes/recordings: This is the second time that this app has lost my notes/recordings. Also, they don’t send reminders that your subscription will be renewed on such date or send notification that your subscription had been automatically renewed. For the amount of money that I spent for this app it’s very frustrating especially when you need those notes!!
  10. [R18] Coconote 2/5 · US Started experiencing many errors: The app worked perfectly in the past but now i have many mishaps where i lose my recordings. It's terrible when you're relying on its ability to record meetings.
  11. [R23] Coconote 5/5 · US Terrible: There say ERROR, it doesn’t work today 🤦‍♀️ and I made my notes there 😭 everything was deleted
  12. [R59] Goodnotes 3/5 · US Good most of the time.: For the most part it’s great! I do experience some bugs sometimes where it will start deleting stuff that I have written as I continue my notes then it will continue to give me an error message if I try restarting the app and I have to restart my IPad to get it to work properly again. These are recent bugs for me as I used to not experience them.
  13. [R1] Coconote 1/5 · US Barely can use free: Amazing app but you can barely use it for free. I mean I took maybe two notes with Coconote and after that it stopped working and it started forcing me to pay so amazing app if you want to put down some money and it is really a good app it really did help me and it made me really well just the fact that you can never use it if you don’t wanna pay it’s kind of sad
  14. [R3] Coconote 3/5 · US Good but not totally free: ok so i am looking for some apps to study for my exams and this one is good i like it so much it’s better than others but it has that problem that if your in trial you can’t study more it has like a limit and you have to obligatorily pay for the anual planner and that’s kinda annoying, because normally my exams are like last minute and i download the app and it doesn’t l
  15. [R10] Coconote 1/5 · US Predatory subscription process: I accidentally signed up for a yearly subscription because the pricing wasn’t clearly presented. I genuinely thought I was selecting a monthly plan. After realizing the mistake when I was charged over $100, I reached out to request a refund but my request was denied, twice. This was frustrating, especially since it felt like an easy misunderstanding that could happe
  16. [R8] Coconote 1/5 · US Terrible service.: I paid in full for year subscription - I cancelled my subscription because I didn’t want to forget to cancel in the future. It claims my account will remain active until Dec. 12 but conveniently it doesn’t recognize me and customer service will not respond to my email.
  17. [R14] Coconote 1/5 · US Unnecessary charge: They charged me $130 for the yearly subscription when I only signed up for a free trial. This is genuinely a freaking scam because why didn’t they notify me when it was ending. It’s a money grab and the refund policy is so ridiculous like bruh. Having to write a whole damn essay for a refund and they don’t give me anything back. I want my money back now
  18. [R15] Coconote 5/5 · US Life-saver: This app made my life as a teacher so much easier! All I had to do was speak into my phone and it took the notes down for me, instead of me having to completely stop what I’m doing to write it all down.
  19. [R19] Coconote 5/5 · US Excellent: So helpful
  20. [R20] Coconote 5/5 · US Review 2026: The best app ever currently in 2026. Definitely recommend. Although I wonder how many times I can use it free until I have to start paying.
  21. [R45] Coconote 5/5 · US Not bad but not Amazing: For me loading takes a while i was expecting this to be free but not really not many things were available as a free to play player
  22. [R65] Goodnotes 1/5 · US Went Downhill Fast: I bought the app sometime around 2020 and really enjoyed using it. The best parts of a physical journal meets technology. I’ve since redownloaded it expecting some updates but a subscription model? Pair that with the constant pushing for A.I and I’m already searching for a replacement. If I wanted a robot to write for me, I’d use ChatGPT. Really disappointed at what this app ha
  23. [R77] Goodnotes 1/5 · US USED to be good, now it’s absolute garbage!: I remember buying this app because they specifically said no subscriptions. That was like 5 years ago and now of course, like everyone else they want more money. I tested version 6 and the only thing I could get to work was the purchase screen. Without paying more money, and your previous purchase not meaning anything, you can’t do anything with this. D
  24. [R81] Goodnotes 1/5 · US GoodNotes 5: Crazy how you pay for something and then a company just decides to remove features you paid for and try to force you into a subscription to get the features back. Should be illegal actually. Must pay to use internal links suddenly, when it’s always done it. I would never pay you a dime more for this reason. I’d rather pay a more honest developer.
  25. [R85] Goodnotes 1/5 · US Locked Out Even With Payment: This app used to be great, I loved it for keeping a recipe book and a budget planner as well as other random things. I paid several years ago the $10 or whatever it was to have full access to everything and now I’m locked out of the unlimited notebooks simply because they want to scam me into paying the monthly subscription? No thank you. I feel like those of us who p
  26. [R71] Goodnotes 1/5 · US Need a friendlier smoother experience on the Surface Pro.: I am using good notes because I do not like using Apple, however using this on the iPad is much smoother than using it on the surface pro so it kind of defeats the purpose since I use Notabiiity on the iPad. I wish you made a full functional non web dependent version off this app for the surface pro and desktop PC. On the Surface its slowe
  27. [R79] Goodnotes 1/5 · US if you’re looking for cross platform compatibility, look elsewhere: though allegedly i might be able to share my notebooks when i get my invite to use their cloud service, i cannot share notebooks between ios and windows/web as the not so helpful tech support rep suggested, i cannot import pdfs of my windows/web notebooks into the ios client. this is fairly frustrating

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store