Compare · Updated August 2026

The free Goodnotes alternatives that are actually free.

Goodnotes' free tier stops at three files. These six apps don't — here's what each genuinely includes without paying, and what it gives up.

1. Lectra Notes

Free for real: Everything — unlimited documents, Apple Pencil markup, scanner, on-device AI study tools, Python notebooks, terminal with Git, SSH, and the Mac app. No tiers, watermarks, ads, or analytics.

Standout: The only app on this list with a computing environment: Jupyter notebooks with on-device Python, a code editor, and a terminal beside your notes.

Trade-off: No lecture audio recording, no cross-device annotation sync yet, and it's the newest app here (2026). iPad drawing is Apple Pencil-only.

2. Apple Notes

Free for real: Everything — handwriting with Scribble, audio recording with automatic transcripts (iOS 18.1+), Math Notes, collaboration, iCloud sync.

Standout: Zero setup, deepest OS integration, and free audio transcripts — a feature most rivals charge for.

Trade-off: PDF annotation is basic Markup on attachments, not a paged notebook workflow; no custom paper templates; Apple-only.

3. Microsoft OneNote

Free for real: All core note-taking — ink, scanning, voice capture, and sync across iPad, Windows, Android, Mac, and web (within the free 5GB OneDrive).

Standout: The widest platform coverage of any free option — the pick if you live on Windows or Android too.

Trade-off: PDFs import as flat printouts, which makes annotating lecture slides clunky; Copilot AI needs Microsoft 365.

4. CollaNote

Free for real: Unlimited notebooks, 25+ pens, PDF/PowerPoint/doc markup, real-time collaboration, flashcards, scanner. One-time $13.90 lifetime premium for extras.

Standout: Free real-time collaboration and the closest free match to Goodnotes' notebook-plus-PDF workflow.

Trade-off: Small indie team with reported reliability bugs; some formerly free features (including audio recording) moved behind premium in 2.0; requires iPadOS 18.6+.

5. Flexcil

Free for real: Full pen-based PDF annotation plus its signature gesture: drag text or figures from a PDF into a side study note. One-time $9.99 upgrade, never a subscription.

Standout: The PDF-to-study-note extraction gesture is genuinely unique for working through textbooks; also on Android.

Trade-off: Free caps bite fast — 5 notes of up to 50 pages, 5 folders, watermarked exports — and lasso, text, and templates are paid.

6. Kilonotes

Free for real: Core handwriting, unlimited notebooks, and PDF markup, with a large student-oriented template library behind a cheap membership.

Standout: Handwriting feel that reviewers consistently praise, with strong palm rejection.

Trade-off: Ads in the free tier, cloud sync is a paid add-on, and reviewers report bugs and weak OCR/audio quality.

How this comparison was made

Competitor facts were compiled on August 14, 2026 from each app's published pricing pages, documentation, and App Store listings — not from hands-on testing of every feature. Lectra Notes facts come from its own engineering claims ledger, which tracks every public claim against the shipping code. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.

Where Lectra Notes falls short today:

Audio: Lectra Notes does not record lectures or sync audio to notes today.
Cross-device: annotations do not yet sync between devices — documents are backed up, not mirrored.
Maturity: Lectra Notes shipped in 2026; the apps compared here have had years longer to polish.
This list is published by the maker of Lectra Notes, which appears first. Every other entry's strengths are stated plainly, and Goodnotes itself remains the leader on handwriting intelligence and polish.

Questions

Free note apps, answered.

What is the best free alternative to Goodnotes?

It depends on the job. Lectra Notes is fully free with unlimited documents, Apple Pencil PDF markup, on-device AI study tools, and a Python/terminal workspace no other note app has. Apple Notes is the zero-setup default with free audio transcripts. OneNote is the free pick for Windows or Android sync. CollaNote is the closest free match to Goodnotes' notebook feel, and Flexcil's free tier is a capable PDF annotator with unique study gestures.

How limited is Goodnotes' own free version?

As of August 2026, Goodnotes' free tier is capped at 3 files total, exports carry a watermark, audio recording is limited to about 20 minutes, and AI use is minimal. Full use requires Essential ($11.99/yr), Pro ($35.99/yr), or a $35.99 one-time Apple-only edition without cloud sync.

Is Lectra Notes actually free, or freemium?

Actually free. There are no tiers, subscriptions, in-app purchases, file caps, watermarks, ads, or analytics — the full app, including the notebooks, terminal, Git, SSH, on-device AI, and Lectra for Mac, is free.

What do free apps give up compared to Goodnotes?

Goodnotes still leads on handwriting-to-text conversion, ink intelligence, its template marketplace, and years of cross-platform polish. Honest examples from this list: Lectra Notes lacks lecture audio and cross-device annotation sync; Apple Notes lacks a paged PDF workflow; OneNote flattens PDFs; Flexcil's free caps are tight.

Free shouldn't mean a three-file cap.

Lectra Notes on the App Store — unlimited documents, full markup, notebooks, and a terminal. Free, with nothing held back.