GoodNotes

GoodNotes is a paid app. It is designed for users who prefer handwritten notes. It offers exceptional handwriting recognition, making your handwritten notes searchable.

You can create digital notebooks, annotate PDFs, and choose from a variety of paper templates. The app offers a range of tools for writing and drawing, including different pen and highlighter options, shapes, and colors. There is also a palm-rejection feature that ensures that your hand will not interfere with your writing or drawing.

Furthermore, you can choose different paper templates, record audio while taking notes, export your notes in various formats, and have more features and functionality to optimize your iPad note-taking experience.

Notability

Notability is available for purchase on the App Store. One of its features is the combination of handwritten notes with audio recordings. You can record lectures or meetings while taking notes and later tap on a word to jump to the corresponding audio. This is useful for taking notes during lectures and meetings.

You can also organize your notes into subjects or categories, markup and edit PDF documents directly within the app, and locate specific words or phrases within your handwritten notes.

However, Notability is not just for handwriting, but also for typed text. You can add text boxes, use templates to customize your writing, and add other content (PDFs, images, and other files) to your notes.

Apple Notes

Apple Notes is a user-friendly note-taking app with excellent Apple ecosystem integration. This app is pre-installed on all Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, and Mac. So, no need for additional downloads. You can also access it through a web browser on Windows and Android devices.

Although it may not be as feature-rich as some third-party apps, Apple Notes offers essential text formatting options, bullet and numbered lists, checkboxes for to-do lists, and drawing tools. You can also add sketches and handwritten notes directly to your notes.

Like the other note-taking apps, Apple Notes has organization, annotation, and search features, in addition to the possibility of integrating other content into your notes.

With this app, notes can be accessed and edited offline, so that you can work without an Internet connection.

Microsoft OneNote

If you need a versatile note-taking app with strong collaboration tools and compatibility with Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote is a good choice. You can share notebooks with others and multiple users can edit and contribute to the same notebook simultaneously. This is ideal for group projects and team collaboration.

This app has cross-platform compatibility, robust organization with notebooks and sections, web clipping, tagging and searching features, and cloud sync.

OneNote also provides a set of inking and drawing tools. You can create sketches or handwritten notes. It supports digital pens and styluses for natural writing experiences.

Other features with the premium version (available with Microsoft 365 subscription) cover offline access, and advanced collaboration features, such as version history tracking and permissions management, and more storage of notes and files.

Evernote

Evernote is available for free on the App Store with a premium subscription option that offers advanced features. This app allows you to create notes in various formats, including text, images, voice recordings, and web clippings.

You can capture information from different sources and consolidate it in one place. It also offers organizational features such as notebooks and tags. You can categorize and tag notes for easy retrieval and organization.

Evernote’s built-in camera scanner allows the digitization of physical documents, receipts, and business cards. It even recognizes text within scanned documents for easy search.

Evernote premium features include offline access, greater storage for notes, note history, more advanced search, PDF annotation, and priority customer support.

Simplenote

Simplenote is a text-based note-taking app for quick and simple note capture. It is free and can be accessed on different platforms. You can create and edit your notes with basic formatting options such as headers, lists, and checklists.

Besides its simplicity, Simplenote offers seamless synchronization of notes across all devices (iPad, iPhone, Android device, computer, or web browser). You can work on your notes offline, bring some customization, and share them with others.

Other features include categorizing and organizing notes and version history, where previous versions of notes can be reviewed and restored.

Nebo

Nebo is ideal for users who need advanced features for math, science, or drawing-intensive note-taking. This paid app has a unique feature which is Impressive handwriting recognition, equation solving, and diagram creation.

Using this app you can also export your notes in various formats, mix handwritten and typed content within your notes, and organize your notes into notebooks and sections.

However, Nebo’s customization feature is limited since it focuses more on functionality rather than extensive customization.

The app has cross-platform compatibility so you can access your notes across different devices.

Zoho Notebook

This is a free-to-use app with some limitations. The app provides a visually appealing note-taking experience. There are different drawing tools that allow you to sketch or handwrite notes. You can add images, audio recordings, checklists, and more.

In addition, you can save articles, webpages, and content from the internet directly into your notes and have access to different customization options to render your notes more visually appealing.

With Zoho Notebook you do not have to worry about organizing your notes because the app uses a note-book-based structure. So, you can search easily for your notes.

Offline access is possible with this app. But, it doesn’t offer real-time collaboration features like some other note-taking apps.

Google Keep

This is one of the simplest note-taking apps for iPad by Google. It’s free, offers cloud syncing, and is accessible across various devices through a web browser or the mobile app.

You can create notes and to-do lists, organize them, and collaborate with others in real-time.

Google Keep allows you to record voice notes, add images or draw sketches and diagrams, and add labels and tags to your notes for better organization.

Searching for your notes is easy with Google Keep.  You can find specific notes quickly. You can also archive them, share them with others, and access them across all devices.

Furthermore, Google Keep works seamlessly with Google services such, as Google Drive and Google Docs. You have the option to export your notes to Google Docs for editing and formatting capabilities.

These were the best note-taking apps for the iPad with more security and privacy. Each of them is designed to meet various preferences and needs. Whether you prefer writing, by hand organizing digitally, or collaborating with others you’ll find an app in this selection that suits your requirements. Explore these choices to discover the note-taking app, for your iPad and boost your productivity. Enjoy taking notes!