Best 5 Note-Taking Apps with Stylus: Top Picks

Using a stylus on your iPad, tablet, or Microsoft Surface, we've recommended the best note-taking apps that use and optimize for a stylus. Here's our picks.

Creating notes with a stylus is popular for those who use an iPad or Android tablet.

These applications rock when it comes to using them with a stylus, and we'd recommend checking all of them out, as many have different device access and use other devices like Apple Pencil and Surface tablet pencil. We've shortlisted those focused on handwriting, markup in PDF, and annotation.

What is the best note-taking for using with a stylus?

The ultimate note-taking app that uses a stylus is GoodNotes. It comes on many different devices and uses the stylus of each tool to better help you take handwritten notes.

GoodNotes

All Round Use

Goodnotes

Goodnotes is a iPad focused note-taking application with AI and handwriting tools.

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Is GoodNotes suitable for stylus users?

GoodNotes is famous as an iPad app, but it works with Windows PCs, tablets, and Android tablets that use styluses. It is renowned for better note management in one place. GoodNotes works well for iPad and stylus use as it can convert notes from sketches or handwriting to written text using AI, allowing you to keep your original handwriting.

Folders help you organize GoodNotes, and many people credit the organizational structure to be great, not just for notes with a handwriting focus. It is also affordable for unlimited notes and devices at $9.99 per year.

Noteshelf

Similar to GoodNotes

Noteshelf

A note-taking application with range of features and customisation abilities.

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Is Noteshelf suitable for stylus users?

Noteshelf focuses on being a great iPad stylus note-taking application. Similar to GoodNotes, it offers a good-quality experience with a focus on AI-based note-taking. You can use the handwritten AI feature to generate notes and add to any of your notes with AI-generated prompts for more accessible and better note management.

The best thing about Noteshelf is that it offers decent one-time pricing of $9.99, which allows you access to the AI features with credit limits but good access per month.

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote

Note-taking and organising app perfect for students, academics and general notes.

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Is OneNote suitable for stylus users?

OneNote is popular for sketching and using on Microsoft Surface or Microsoft PC touchscreen devices. Many people like it because it is hosted within the Microsoft 365 offering. It can annotate documents well and has easy-to-use sketch abilities without AI handwritten features. Microsoft OneNote does have AI capabilities when it comes to using Microsoft Co-Pilot and works well with Microsoft Teams.

Evernote

Evernote

Evernote is a note-taking application with tasks, calendar and AI features inside.

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Is Evernote suitable for stylus users?

Evernote works very well for annotating PDFs. It allows you to make reasonable markups and even use the sketching ability to create easy-to-demo diagrams. It won't be as good as Noteshelf and GoodNotes, but it offers a generous way to get started alongside a more traditional structured application for note-taking.

Notability

Notability

A popular with students, visual notes app with tons of Apple Pencil abilities.

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Is Notability suitable for stylus users?

Notability is one of the longer-standing note apps with stylus abilities.

It also works well for handwriting detection and math use, as well as for solving math questions using MyScript. Notability doesn't have as many AI-based features as Noteshelf and GoodNotes. Still, it offers some excellent abilities within Notability Plus that provide a good way to sync notes and take notes with good audio and handwriting features.

Noteful

Noteful

Noteful is an iPad note-taking app for iPad that uses an Apple Pencil for notes.

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Is Noteful suitable for stylus users?

Noteful is well regarded in the note-taking space for iPad users.

It has many features have given it highly-rated reviews in the App Store. Many people tend to credit it as one of the better ones for annotating documents. It also has powerful tag abilities and the ability to mark PDFs. This isn't the most attractive notes app on iPad, but it has the generous features for iPad use.