Updated September 2026. Lectra Notes is ours.
Best note-taking apps for CS students (2026)
CS coursework is more than handwriting. It is lecture PDFs, problem-set notebooks, and repositories, usually for the same class. Here are the apps that actually fit, including the ones that aren't ours.
On this page
At a glance.
| Feature | Lectra Notes | Goodnotes | Notability | Microsoft OneNote | Juno |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it is strongest | For notes and code in the same course | Best handwriting engine | Best for lecture-heavy schedules | Best free cross-platform option | Best dedicated Jupyter IDE |
| Best for | CS and data-science students who annotate readings and write code for the same course. | Handwriting-heavy note takers who want maximum polish and platform reach. | Students who replay lectures and study from recordings and AI summaries. | Students living across Windows and iPad who want everything synced for free. | Data-science workloads that need the heavier scientific stack on iPad. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
The picks.
Lectra Notes
For notes and code in the same course
Lectra Notes is a free iPad and iPhone app from Scope for handwritten notes and Apple Pencil PDF markup, with Python notebooks, a terminal, and Git that run on the device. A CS problem set is a PDF, a notebook, and a repository at once, and Lectra Notes keeps them together: Apple Pencil markup beside Jupyter-format .ipynb notebooks, a terminal with Git, a code editor, and SSH, all free with no server required and no tiers. Version 8.0 (September 1, 2026) added lecture recording, so you can tap a stroke to hear what was said at that moment.
- Best for
- CS and data-science students who annotate readings and write code for the same course.
- Watch out
- Lecture recording is new (version 8.0, September 1, 2026) and untested over a full term. There is no cross-device annotation sync yet, and it shipped in 2026, which makes it the newest app on this list.
Goodnotes
Best handwriting engine
The most refined ink on the iPad, with searchable handwriting, convert-to-text, spellcheck for ink, audio recording synced to notes, and real-time collaboration across Apple, Windows, Android, and the web.
- Best for
- Handwriting-heavy note takers who want maximum polish and platform reach.
- Watch out
- The free tier caps at 3 files. Full use runs $11.99 to $35.99/yr, advanced AI is metered on top, and there's no code capability at all.
Notability
Best for lecture-heavy schedules
Audio recording synced to your handwriting, with transcription and AI summaries on paid plans. It is the strongest record-and-review workflow on this list, and it is now on Android too.
- Best for
- Students who replay lectures and study from recordings and AI summaries.
- Watch out
- The free plan caps at 5 notes. Unlimited AI costs $99.99/yr, its AI is cloud-processed, and there's no code capability.
Microsoft OneNote
Best free cross-platform option
Feature-complete note-taking free of charge, synced across iPad, Windows, Android, Mac, and the web. It is the safe pick if your laptop isn't a Mac.
- Best for
- Students living across Windows and iPad who want everything synced for free.
- Watch out
- PDFs import as flat printouts, which is weak for annotating lecture slides, and Copilot AI requires Microsoft 365.
Juno
Best dedicated Jupyter IDE
A polished native Jupyter IDE with embedded Python 3.13 and compiled packages Lectra Notes doesn't bundle (SciPy, scikit-learn, OpenCV) for a $39.99 one-time unlock.
- Best for
- Data-science workloads that need the heavier scientific stack on iPad.
- Watch out
- It's a code IDE with no PDF annotation or handwriting, so you'll pair it with a separate notes app.
Note apps for CS, answered.
What is the best note-taking app for CS students?
If your notes and your code belong to the same courses, Lectra Notes pairs notes with a computing environment (Python notebooks that run on the device, a terminal with Git, a code editor, and SSH), and it is free. If you mostly handwrite, Goodnotes has the best ink engine. If you record lectures, Notability's audio workflow is the most proven (Lectra Notes added recording in version 8.0 on September 1, 2026). If you need free cross-platform sync with a Windows laptop, OneNote is the safe pick.
Can any note-taking app run code on the iPad?
Of the apps we looked at, Lectra Notes is the one that combines Apple Pencil notes and course documents with Python on the device, .ipynb notebooks, Git, a shell, and a code editor. Dedicated code apps like Juno and Carnets run Jupyter notebooks well but have no note-taking or PDF annotation features.
Do CS students need a paid note app?
Not anymore. Lectra Notes and OneNote are free, and Apple Notes is free and includes audio transcripts. Goodnotes and Notability are excellent, but their free tiers cap at 3 files and 5 notes respectively, as of August 2026.
What about Carnets or a-Shell?
Both are excellent free, open-source tools. Carnets is the most faithful Jupyter experience on iPad, and a-Shell is a full offline Unix toolbox. Neither takes notes or annotates PDFs, so they pair with a notes app and do not replace one. They're covered in our iPad Python notebook apps comparison.