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The GoodBlog

Ideas worth writing down. Practical tips, product insights, and stories on note-taking, productivity, and learning.

Students
Business
Education
Study Tips

The 15 best free note-taking apps for students in 2026

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Goodnotes Content Team
A roundup comparing the free plans of 15 note-taking apps (Goodnotes, Apple Notes, Freenotes, Notion, Obsidian, Notability, OneNote, and more) on features, limitations, and device support.
September 11, 2026
-
18
min read
Comparisons

Goodnotes vs Freenotes: A side-by-side comparison

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Goodnotes Content Team
Comparing Goodnotes and Freenotes for school? Here's how they stack up on note-taking, study tools, PDFs, AI, and pricing.
September 8, 2026
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15
min read
Woman using a tablet with a digital note about horse bones in a bright modern room.
Study Tips

How life sciences students use Goodnotes for notes, diagrams and exam prep

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Goodnotes Content Team
Three life sciences students share how they use Goodnotes to manage overwhelming course loads, from condensing dense lecture slides to acing exams with Quiz Me and flashcards.
July 23, 2026
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7
min read
Business

8 Best Adobe Acrobat alternatives for PDF annotation

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Goodnotes Content Team
We compare eight Adobe Acrobat alternatives, including Goodnotes, on annotation features, pricing, platform support, and ease of use, so you can find a PDF editor that fits how you actually work without paying for tools you'll never touch.
September 18, 2026
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13
min read
Business

How to run client meetings on iPad + 3 note-taking tools

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Goodnotes Content Team
Switching from pen-and-paper or laptop notes to an iPad note-taking app like Goodnotes lets you stay fully present in client meetings while automatically capturing recordings, transcripts, and AI-generated summaries you can search and share afterward.
September 2, 2026
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10
min read
Two people working on a laptop with cloud storage logos, notifications, and security labels overlay.
Business

Less busywork: what's new in Goodnotes for Business Q3

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Goodnotes Content Team
This quarter's Goodnotes for Business updates cut down the admin work of running a team: one-link invites, email sign-in codes, Box and Dropbox connected directly to Goodnotes, and bulk user management in Admin Console.
August 19, 2026
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4
min read
Schools

License Key schools can now use more of Goodnotes Education

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Goodnotes Content Team
License Key schools can now unlock the full suite of Goodnotes Education features — including Quick Lessons, real-time student visibility, and Admin Console analytics — at no extra cost.
September 17, 2026
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5
min read
Schools

What’s new in Goodnotes Education: Easier onboarding, quick ways to upskill & more…

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Goodnotes Content Team
Update your iOs and your Goodnotes app for easier onboarding, a ready-made Sample Lesson and more…
September 14, 2026
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10
min read
Schools

AI in Education: Empowering educators and elevating student independence

Victoria Thompson, M.S.
Victoria Thompson, M.S. is an educational strategist and technologist based out of Winter Garden, FL.
AI is dominating conversations in education, but the real opportunity isn't an AI that replaces teachers or hands students easy answers.
September 7, 2026
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4
min read

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Note-Taking
note-taking

How Goodnotes Keeps Your Digital Notes Safe

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Goodnotes Content Team
If you rely on a notebook or on loose leaf paper, misplacing your notes or spilling your coffee on them could mean losing them forever.
January 13, 2021
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4
min read
Hand using a white stylus to highlight text on a tablet lying flat on a white surface.
Note-Taking
note-taking

How to Mark Up a PDF on the iPad

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Goodnotes Content Team
If you’ve ever Googled “pdf annotation software” or “pdf editor” you know the pain of trying to mark up a PDF on the computer.
November 20, 2020
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4
min read
Handwritten notes illustrating types of countdowns: clock, pie, numbers, bomb, filling glass, bar, and Pac-Man drawing with Goodnotes.
Study Tips
study-tips

5 Ways to Study Together with GoodNotes (No Matter the Timezone)

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Goodnotes Content Team
Another added benefit of using a digital note-taking app to study?
October 29, 2020
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5
min read
Yellow five-pointed star drawn on a grid background in a digital note-taking app.
What's New
whats-new

Draw and Hold to Create Perfect Shapes & More: What’s New with GoodNotes’ Shape Recognition

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Goodnotes Content Team
We’ve made some significant upgrades to GoodNotes’ shape recognition technology that we’re excited to share with you today.
September 25, 2020
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4
min read
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What's New
whats-new

Introducing Shared Documents — Enable shared links & collaborate with other users

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Goodnotes Content Team
Today, we’re excited to announce the release of our latest GoodNotes update version 5.5. It adds the ability to share documents with other users and work together on the same version.
August 26, 2020
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5
min read
Person wearing headphones working on computer with multiple monitors and a tablet on a desk.
Life at Goodnotes
life-at-goodnotes

Being a Female Engineer

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Goodnotes Content Team
Rammy has paved the way in her career by being the first QA engineer at multiple companies. She’s also frequently been the first female engineer.
August 7, 2020
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10
min read
Three hands using styluses to write notes and solve math problems on iPads on a wooden table.
Note-Taking
note-taking

How GoodNotes Uses GoodNotes

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Goodnotes Content Team
One of the best parts of building an app like GoodNotes is seeing all the different ways people use it.
August 6, 2020
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5
min read
Man in glasses playing an upright bass while another person is partially visible behind sheet music.
Life at Goodnotes
life-at-goodnotes

Learning by Doing and Becoming a Developer at GoodNotes: Bret’s Story

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Goodnotes Content Team
Bret is a self-taught developer, who doesn’t have the typical computer science background. Here’s how he paved his career.
June 8, 2020
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13
min read
Laptop and tablet on wood table showing a digital document titled 'Transpiration Process' with plant diagram.
What's New
whats-new

GoodNotes 5 for Mac is now available on the Mac App Store

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Goodnotes Content Team
Important update: This article has been updated in April 2020 to reflect that GoodNotes is now a universal purchase for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
October 8, 2019
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3
min read
Person holding tablet with digital planner displaying gingerbread men drawings on a wooden table with tea glass.
Note-Taking
note-taking

How to Take Aesthetic Notes on the iPad

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Goodnotes Content Team
Here’s a secret: taking aesthetic notes on the iPad is so much easier than on paper.
May 16, 2019
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5
min read
Hand using a stylus to write on a tablet with red PowerPoint file icons above it.
Note-Taking
note-taking

How to Write on PowerPoint Slides on an iPad

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Goodnotes Content Team
In this blog article, we‘ll explain how you can write on PowerPoint slides on your iPad instead of having to print them out.
September 19, 2018
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3
min read
What's New
whats-new

New! Your first 3 notebooks in GoodNotes are now free

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Goodnotes Content Team
You heard right — we’re thrilled to put GoodNotes in the hands of even more people.
April 5, 2018
-
2
min read

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