My Stationery Life

This is going to be on the shorter side this week because I'm pressed for time—but I still wanted to post about something stationery-related.

Digital note-taking apps are messy. Between the steep subscription fees, the device requirements, and the chaotic organization systems, I've never stuck with them. Most are designed with tablets and styluses (ie, iPads and Apple Pencils) in mind, which means you're not just buying an app—you’re investing in a whole ecosystem. And just when you think you’ve found the one, a brand new expensive version comes out, and you’re back at square one (and a few dollars poorer).

So let's talk about GoodNotes.

A while ago, I bought GoodNotes 5 on my iPad (with an Apple Pencil) when I had aspirations for another career. While I have some bones to pick, I can’t deny that it’s a damn good app. It had a free trial, but the full version cost about $30. And then...GoodNotes 6 came out, which meant if I wanted the newest features, I’d have to shell out another $30. Not thrilled.

(Also, the pandemic happened and the career change didn't happen either, so I didn't need GoodNotes anymore.)

What's Good About GoodNotes

Even though its organization system is just okay (you get folders with multiple notebooks inside, and that’s about it), creating and customizing notebooks is super easy. You get a nice selection of notebook covers and page templates—some built-in, some for purchase. It’s kind of like the Kindle Scribe in that way.

You can open multiple notebooks at once (which I love), and the basic tools—writing, highlighting, erasing, cutting and pasting text, even adding photos or stickers—are all there. It works smoothly and doesn’t feel too over-engineered.

But at the end of the day, GoodNotes 5 is essentially a more polished version of Apple Notes. If you’re already an Apple Notes user and aren’t desperate for templates or aesthetic upgrades, don't bother buying GoodNotes 6.

A Few Other Digital Notes Apps Worth Checking Out

If GoodNotes isn’t quite your thing, here are a few other options I’ve either tried or heard good things about:

• Notability – People swear by this for recording lectures and meetings while taking notes. Great for students or anyone sitting through long Zoom calls.
• Nebo – This one focuses on converting handwriting to text. I’m usually underwhelmed by handwriting conversion tools, but Nebo honestly surprised me. It works better than most.
• Bear – A minimal, elegant app that uses tags and Markdown for organizing and formatting notes. I love Markdown (and wish Dreamwidth used it!), but Bear has a steep subscription price. Try it for free and see if it clicks before committing.

If you lean more toward digital planning and note-taking than pen-and-paper, one of these apps might be a great fit for you. I'll have a post up soon about how I actually use Apple Notes in my day-to-day—especially for planning—so stay tuned for that!