2026-01-18
Currently best
Freenotes is cureently the best feature-wise in note taking. They require quite a decent amount of payment right now, whilst the app used to be free. Economics I guess.
Updating
-1
#22 in Top Free iPad Apps > Productivity
-2
#21 in Top Grossing iPad Apps > Productivity
iPhone Screenshots
iPad Screenshots
Description
Freenotes: The Ultimate Digital Note-Taking Solution for Study and Work
Freenotes lets you experience true paperless learning, combining the pleasure of realistic handwriting with features that boost your study and work efficiency. Whether you're a college student needing PDF annotation or a professional seeking a high-efficiency meeting note tool, Freenotes is the best GoodNotes alternative for a seamless, productive experience across all your devices.
AI Integration: Your Smart Study Assistant
A handwriting app with built-in AI to summarize long notes or check grammar/spelling in handwritten text？
Freenotes is equipped with a powerful AI Assistant designed to optimize your learning and reviewing process:
Instant Summaries & Answers: Take a screenshot or upload a document (PDF or photo) to instantly get answers to questions and AI-generated summaries of content. Perfect for quickly understanding long documents or creating study outlines for exams.
AI Study Companion: Use the assistant to clarify concepts, define terms, and check your handwritten notes for accuracy, turning passive review into active recall.
High-Efficiency Note-Taking & Organization
What's a high-quality app to handwrite meeting notes and convert them into searchable text?
We focus on helping you solve the pain point of messy, unsearchable notes:
Organized and Neat: The folder feature allows you to categorize and organize your notes by projects, courses, or topics, automating the organization of your note library.
Quick Search via OCR: No more wasting time searching! Our advanced handwriting OCR (Optical Character Recognition) means you can easily find the specific note or keyword you need, even if it was handwritten.
Academic Powerhouse: PDF Annotation & Learning Tools
Best iPad note-taking app for college students？ Recommend an aesthetic digital planner app for tablets that works with hyperlinked PDFs？
Freenotes offers features essential for college students and professionals working with documents:
Interactive PDF Annotation: Annotate, mark up, and highlight large PDF files. Select text to translate and look up words directly for more convenient and engaging learning.
Hyperlink Support: Create hyperlinked digital planners or study guides that jump to different pages within your notes or to external web pages for easy access to related information.
Multitasking & Focus: Master Video Learning
"Take notes while watching videos," "Split-screen for courses."
Maximize productivity by taking notes while consuming content:
Seamless Video Learning: Use Picture-in-Picture (PiP) to take notes while watching online videos (YouTube, lecture recordings), and instantly capture relevant screenshots directly into your notes.
Dedicated Course Learning View: Display your handwritten notes or mind maps alongside course content in a specialized split-screen setup for deeper understanding and quick review.
Review & Memorization for Active Recall
"Helps with active recall," "Exam preparation tool."
We provide specific tools proven to aid memory:
Active Recall Tape Tool: Use the tape tool to mark key information for memorization and quickly test yourself by toggling visibility—a powerful technique for active recall and exam preparation.
Exam Prep Center: Access built-in exam materials, timers, and use in-app layers and split-screen to practice and simulate exams without re-importing files.
A True Paper Feel: Natural & Customizable Writing
What app has the most natural and lowest-latency writing feel on a tablet?
Realistic Pen Strokes: Experience lifelike, low-latency pen strokes on electronic devices by combining handwriting pens, providing the most natural feel for writing on digital platforms.
Customization: Create and save custom brushes for quick access. Freenotes now supports the latest features of Apple Pencil Pro.
Privacy Policy: https://www.freenotetech.com/policy/
Terms of Service: https://www.freenotetech.com/terms/
What's New in Version 3.19.0
New Feature
- Added a filter to show pages with content, allowing you to choose to display only pages with notes.
- Performed some bug fixes and other detail optimizations.
Thanks for using Freenotes!
Seller
Name
Hangzhou Free Notes Technology Co., Ltd
Information
Developer
Categories
Version
3.19.0
Size
513 MB
Game Center
No
VPP Device Licensing
Yes
Rating
Rated: 4+
Compatibility
iOS 15.5 or later
Devices
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, iPhone 17Pro, iPhone 17ProMax, iPhone Air, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro, iPad Pro (Cellular), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) (Cellular), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air (Cellular), iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 (Cellular), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini Retina, iPad mini Retina (Cellular), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 (Cellular), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 (Cellular), iPad mini (5th Generation), iPad mini (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi), iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th Generation), iPad (9th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th Generation), iPad mini (6th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi, iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi, iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro11M5, iPad Pro11M5Cellular, iPad Pro13M5, iPad Pro13M5Cellular, iPod touch (6th Generation), iPod touch (7th generation)
Languages
English, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
App Store: Customer Ratings
Ratings & Reviews
4.6 of 5 (2,371 Ratings)
App Store: Customer Reviews
2026-01-11
Books
Why is it only 3 free books not 4
2025-12-14
Trialware
Ads, trialware. I have no mercy for trialware
2025-12-08
why did one of their ads flash me a woman's lower half.
dude listen. freenotes is great, i love the pens they have and their app layout and how easy it is so use, but just like all the other lower rating reviews i downloaded freenotes because it was free and i didnt have to pay for extra notes as a student. until i saw that i had 3 last notes i can create, and an update that i had to pay for an unlimited plan. i love freenotes bro like it stuck with me in my senior year of high school and im willing pay for the plan cause i love it. but TELL ME WHY one of their advertisements were of a dating app that literally flashed me a woman's lower half doing something very inappropriate to herself 😭😭😭i normally do not pay attention to ads but this seriously just took me back. the app name was Jemu. what the heck is going on brah
2025-12-05
“Free” notes
Better change your app name
2025-12-02
Not good for long term
When I first downloaded the app I thought it was perfect. It was at first exactly what it said it was ‘FREE’. But after the new update I have to pay to use after I literally have been using it for almost a whole year. I am very disappointed because it was my go to now I have find another app unless I want to pay $15 just to use more notebooks.
2025-11-25
We Love freenotes
This Apps are absolutely crazy. I try to another apps but I not feel friendly, and others
Apps not easy to writing but this free-notes are so @'smooth
2025-11-21
Amazing
I love using free notes it is the best and is better than good notes. One thing though, can you please add a new feature where you can see how much words you have. I just really need that because I have to keep copy and pasting it to pages because they have a word count.
2025-11-18
why would you call something FREEnotes and then add a paywall????
this is greedy and genuinely made me so sad. been using this app for uni for two years and recommending it to all of my friends. i’ve told everyone i know to delete this app because of this pure greed. you should be ASHAMED
2025-11-13
More like Paynotes
How ridiculous is it to name your app Freenotes and decide to charge users to use the notes function. And yet they are running ads on the app the whole time too? Be prepared to only be able to trial writing 3 documents before you need to pay up or move your notes to another app. And don’t dare to try the functions of the app like the whiteboard and quicknotes or else it will use up your trials even if you write nothing and delete the file! I just feel the need to warn others before some poor student writes pages and pages of notes before realising they somehow need to transfer all their writings, which is just another hassle. I can understand having some paid features - maybe like fonts, brushes, or covers- but the function the whole app is named after? Really??
2025-11-06
Whiteboard notes keep disappearing, and misleading
When I gave my email, I was promised free lifetime access to this app for giving the email (which I now have to pay for).Freenotes has completely walked back the key principle of the app – that it’s meant to be free. Putting that aside, the whiteboard function keeps having my notes disappear. I will spend 2 or 3 days mindmapping and it’ll disappear the next time I open the app despite the fact that I have not erased it.
2025-11-04
IF U SEE THIS REVIEW GET THIS APP ✨
This is DA best note app you will ever get even if it only has 2k users it but still so legit. (This app needs more users)
2025-10-30
Need to pay later on
Have been using the app for about a year but now will not let me create new note pages unless I pay. Even if you delete old notes you can’t create new ones. Quite a bummer
2025-10-30
money hungry
app was good at first untill they become momey hungry and limit the amount of notes i can have
2025-10-30
Not free anymore :(
I loved this app, but now they’re suddenly taking away so much of the functionality unless you pay for the pro plan. I’m very disappointed, as I chose this app over something better like Goodnotes because I didn’t have to pay to have my notebooks.
2025-10-29
What. A. Joke
I’m just going to come out and say it, I have looked everywhere for a decent note taking app for my iPad. When I stumbled onto Freenotes, I thought I hit the jackpot, no payment plans needed to write notes, there was one upgrade and that was for no ads, which is a standard option apps give you. But now, you have to subscribe, and all the things that use to be free are not considered a “plus” benefit. It’s ridiculous and I am curious as to how many customers Freenotes has lost because of this update. “Freenotes stand for freedom of creativity…” blah blah, you got your “fan-base” because you were considered the FREE alternative to goodnotes. I might as well use my notes app from now on. $10 on ad free wasted for what? Just to have to pay for it again. What. A. Joke
2025-10-29
Freenotes or paidnotes?
I have been using this app for a while now and I don’t ever remember signing up but now I have to pay just for more notebooks, it’s called Freenotes and it should be free, otherwise change the name
2025-10-28
Should change the name to paid notes
Why are they restricting use for free users? Only 3 notes for free are you serious? When they put ads in I understood, but now I can’t even use the squiggly pen let alone use the app without going through a paywall.
When exams end, I will change apps. This used to be my favourite note taking app before the devs became greedy
2025-10-28
No longer good
FREEnotes are no longer free. Used to be a great app before
2025-10-26
What do you mean by “free”?
The app is called “Freenotes” yet offers a limited services when using their apps and charges the individual when wanting to use the app even more. Previously, I used this app constantly during my last year of high school and yes, it is a really good app in terms of functionality and how unlimited their services were. Though I do feel scam now that they are limiting how many notebooks we as a user can make. Please if your gonna make your brand name on the word “free”, keep it up to that name cause not just me but other customers download this app just because you are offering your services for free.
2025-10-26
all my notes gone
This app is the worst note taking app ever, if u don’t pay for the subscription it auto deletes all of your notes. This app is just a scam. My maths exam is tomorrow and now all my notes are gone because I didn’t pay for the subscription. Worst note taking app ever. If I could give it a zero I would.
2025-10-25
Free until it wasn’t 💀💀
Should change the app name now tbh. I really liked the app for studying as a dupe for goodnotes but not anymore with the new limit.
2025-10-23
Free things now need pay to use?!
With the newest update, things like creating new notebooks and using the squiggly pen became something you have to pay for???? You have a limit when creating a new notebook now. ‘Free’notes. I don’t really recommend this app. Im literally gonna switch after exams 😔
2025-10-23
App was free until it WASN’T FREE
I have been using FREE notes for about a month, absolutely amazing, every pen unlocked, unlimited notebooks, but all of a sudden (today), I received a popup to pay for “plus and pro” in order for unlimited notebooks, certain pens (which i use a lot) I’m still able to use the app but now I’m restricted, I can’t make my straight lines, layers, more notebooks anymore unless I pay 😭 I can’t tell if this was a marketing strategy, but this is definitely not FREEnotes. But overall the strategy did work as I plan to pay for plus since I love this app a lot. I just wish it would’ve given me a warning that I was going to lose access to these benefits.
2025-10-23
Not free
Was using this for around 2 months without any issues(over 100+ notes) and one day it required a lifetime subscription or payment to add any more notes
2025-10-21
improvements
1. make it free
2. horizontal scrolling
3. press and hold to edit shapes (like in goodnotes)
2025-10-06
The app is good, but handwriting refinement is kind of annoying
I’m not sure why, but the refinement is worse than my handwriting, is anyone sure how to turn it off. Other than that, the app is good.
2025-09-25
Soooo good
One word…. Amazing
2025-09-22
great app
does everything you would need it to do completely for free. would recommend for sure. just not sure how to sync my ipad notes with the app on my macbook
edit: nevermind that you just have to toggle on icloud in the settings to sync
2025-09-04
Not for beginners
No basic instructions. A waste ofmy$
2025-08-22
This is the notes app you want
Genuinely the best notes app I have ever used, the features are insanely generous, the fact that it is free is phenomenal and heartwarming for the hard working students who cannot necessarily afford such luxuries.
2025-08-16
Good app
Love this app, great service and u don’t even need to pay
2025-07-26
Ok
Pretty good
2025-06-05
Not Free
Change the name to add notes
2025-05-25
BLESS YOUR HEART
whoever made this i love uso much its the cutest little app ever so useful so handy and a lot of it is free.❤️❤️THIS IS SO CUTE
2025-04-25
Amazing
I think this app is totally amazing! It really helps with my studying and i think everyone should download it!
2025-03-22
This app slays!
I love this app so much this is my fav app! You need to get this! It is also perfect for homework!
2025-03-17
Breaker
Worst app ever
2025-03-16
Amazing
Absolutely amazing note taking app, it has saved me so much hassle and it is easy to navigate. So many free features and very reliable, I absolutely love it. I had been searching for a note taking app and I would say this is better than the ones that you need to pay for with high ratings. I’ve been using it for a couple months and I would highly recommend.
2025-03-01
Disappointing
Free, but not totally free.
2025-02-19
Photo and video insert and crop
This version has no photo taking, hope they bring it back and more insert of video as well…
2025-02-16
好用
直接用就对了
2025-02-12
Basically goodnotes but free!!!
Amazing app, lots of features templates and mostly no limitations on no of notebooks or other features. Recommended.
2025-02-05
Better than Notability
Absolutely goated. Does the job well, for free.
2025-02-03
Regardless of being free
Free 👌 but also a great app. Prefer it over the bigger and more costly options out there. The extend page option alone is a perfect timesaver for adding left/right page notes, some other apps don’t have this feature and it’s a pain. Saving objects as stickers, and the tape feature is awesome. Does all the things you would expect, and a few extras. Thank you!
2025-01-28
They have added ads to the app
This app used to be great but ads now pop up. Sadly makes it painful to use and unproductive.
2025-01-27
Pretty good
Request to developers to check note+ app . Tool is excellent there. Can you get something like this plssss?
2025-01-01
Amazing!
It’s so cute and easy to use so aesthetic and nothing costs money
2024-11-28
Great for School/Notetaking
So I’ve had this app for about a month or two and it’s better than most of the note taking apps that I have used for school and my education. It has plenty of options and a range of different things from layers to stickers. And you can add your own stickers and images for free unlike most apps that use it to their advantage for premium options. I love it so much.
There’s different templates you can choose or customize, like general A4 or bigger. You can too customize the page itself, I love the addition of the cornel study note template as it has made it easier for myself not needing to add the different sections constantly.
I also do like the range of pens and how they’ve added stability like you do, in drawing apps to keep it straight. Very useful. It’s easy to use and understandable for me, a teenager and admire the folder system, as I need to be organized. As it too has the folder in folder system, which is nice to organize which goes to where. Overall I myself adore the app and still use it. I highly encourage for it to be used.
2024-11-27
Amazing free note taking
I honestly appreciate the owner of this application which made it free without asking to upgrade and pay money.
2024-11-11
Can’t believe this is free
I just love how minimal and amazing the design is, not to mention how great drawing on it feels.
The folder feature is a great addition and is much less cluttered than other apps.
Thank you!
2024-11-09
BEST APP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This note taking app is so easy to use I love this app as it is quick to use and you can add unlimited pages!😍😍
2024-11-09
FreeNotes
I really like this app, it is great for school work and editing PDF files. I think FreeNotes should be able to import Word documents and not just PDF documents, it would make it a lot easier to upload templates in. FreeNotes should make Mac users able to use the pen tools instead of just iPad users. Overall this app is really good, very easy to use and nice and simple.
2024-10-24
Perfect
This app is really good, my iPad won’t let me get word so I substituted it with this, I can write freely and it makes my notes look neat and good, I can do my school word easily without stress!
2024-10-23
Great App
This is a great app, easy to use, fantastic interface and really makes life easier when I wanna write notes. I would want to see a few additions such as add a shape option to the toolbox, which has multiple shapes in it and you can choose which shape you want to add to the page and then be able to adjust the size once on the page, and if you could better the shape recognition when drawing as currently it takes a long time so if these changes can be implemented it would enhance the experience while using the app. Overall fabulous app love it!!!
2024-10-22
Very good
Best than any other apps... Very much user friendly
2024-10-03
SO AMAZING 🤩
This is a very good app to use if you are broke or not willing to spend any money!
One good thing about this app is that you can get a hang of it super easily and is easy to use.
One negative about this app is that when ur in drawing mode it had to zoom but to over come this use two fingers and start moving
2024-09-27
Good App, Amazing Motive
Wonderful app and love the purpose and free ness. Although a few fixes, such as: the hovering bar is a little messy, please allow option to dock it to the top. Also when trying to close a note tab, sometimes the split screen menu gets in the way and is irritating. Maybe an option to open notes on the side could fix it (like OneNote). Also, could add themes to the app, that would be amazing! But overall, wonderful app. Still a better option than paying atm.
2024-08-31
Good note app
This is a really good note app, meets most of my requirements. They got good setup for pencil, also a lot of chooses for paper. I liked the future of change your handwriting to some pro-made fonts.
However, as a note app, I would prefer to view my note as split paper instead of rolling down. If they added a setting for view options, that will be great.
2024-08-02
This is the best app I could ever asked for!
Thanks so much to make my environment better and have a lot of notebooks to write and edit. It makes me more educated and happy.
2024-07-14
This is truly useful!
This app looks and feels a lot like **********, but it is free!
I can take note by hand or with a keyboard, I can insert images and do most of the things the other app does. I give it 5 stars because it is (so far) free.
Sugested Features:
* include a password lock to keep one’s journals and notes private,
* enable animated gifs to display animations
* make it easy to use, add and create stickers, tables, etc.
2024-07-12
Finally found an app that does what I need
I’ve been searching for a good notes app that lets me quickly switch between pdf documents with tabs, annotate and draw without an obscenely expensive price tag or annoying popups. I use this for work almost daily now and at least so far I’ve been extremely happy. 5 stars
2024-06-27
By Far The Best Notes App Out There!
I instantly fell in love with this app!😍 After searching through over 10 planner and note taking apps, this one caught my attention the second I opened it! All the features I could ever wanted were right here!
Thank you so much! Keep up the great work! 🤩🤩
2024-06-25
great alternative for note taking
I was blown away by the performance of this free software. Better than notability and GoodNotes
2024-06-19
Best free note taking app
This is free and better than other paid app this is funny!
The developers must have worked hard ! I love it!
2024-06-09
Double pages
Love this app. If I can see 2 pages at the same time it would great. Like a book
2024-06-05
Omg
Omg its free and so cute i love the stickers but i wish there was a way to redo this ( if there is I just haven’t looked hard enough I’m sorry) BTW great job!
2024-04-14
Free App!
Ok this app is pretty average, but since it’s for free it’s a win win!
Took some time to figure everything out though.
2024-03-26
This app is really good don't waste your money on the others
This app is way better than I thought it would be. I'm not happy that I wasted my money on the other apps when this one is completely free and just as good if not better since its free. Broke students this the notes app you have been looking for.
2024-03-09
I LOVE IT!
This app is wonderful to take important notes and to record information, but that is not the best part, it is completely free, just like the app’s name “Free notes”!! Definitely recommend!
2024-03-01
One of the best!
I have been using this a month now, and it has exceeded my expectations. It is just as good as the other popular note-taking apps out there, and it is free. If possible, would you be able to make a desktop application, so it can be synced across devices?
2023-12-19
Amazing
Exactly what I’ve been looking for for months! This is the perfect app for my note taking and planning. One thing I hope is added soon is the ability to share notes between my iPad and phone (unless that’s already a thing and idk how to do it)