Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best stylus iPad app for note taking?
- Thread starter Aluminum213
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
These are dated, but may have some useful info:
Best Note-Taking App to use with a stylus
Note taking app with stylus?
[A+Note] Perfect note app for stylus writing
Best Note-Taking App to use with a stylus
Note taking app with stylus?
[A+Note] Perfect note app for stylus writing
I like the Adonit Jot Script the best, but using any kind of active stylus means finding an integration between the app and the stylus, and in some cases, even the device. The new Jot Touch stylus, for example, doesn't really work with the new iPad Air 2.
For a more basic stylus I like the Adonit ones with the round disc. No battery, no pairing, very precise and reliable. They don't, however, feel much like writing with a regular pen or pencil.
For a more basic stylus I like the Adonit ones with the round disc. No battery, no pairing, very precise and reliable. They don't, however, feel much like writing with a regular pen or pencil.
As above, I like the Jot Script for handwriting, but it does take some getting used to. For a simple, decent one, either get one with the disc tip or something like the Wacom Bamboo.
I think this is going to be more on how you feel about what is "best". Others will probably be able to tell you what they like and why, but I would go out and try them. Hold them in your hand and then demo them if possible.
The one from 53 I did not like way to big. But again, it is mainly used for drawing. But some people like the size and shape for taking notes.
I do like the Adonit Jot Script. I haven't purchased one, but I have tried it out and played with it several times. The price tag is what is keeping my from purchasing it right now. But then again, I am a heavy evernote user and it works really nice with evernote.
The best stylus for note taking IMO is the Applydea Maglus.
I own a Bamboo, it's decent for the price. And, I use the Pencil with the Paper app - it's OK for note taking, but it's really meant to work with the Paper app. The Paper app is nice for its metaphor of "books", but I miss that it doesn't have layers, which is what I'm used to.
I'm a longtime user of Wacom tablets, and really find the styli lacking in performance. C'est la vie.
It's kind of pricey and the battery being required is a turn off. Also the Amazon reviews are all over the place, have you had issues with it?
The 53 pencil seems to have really good reviews but looks huge
Actually a nice price for the maglus, is it usb powered like the 53 pencil?
GoodNotes. I use Jot Touch with Pixelpoint. That's said if you have an iPad Air 2, you might want to wait for a while. All the smart stylus launched before Air 2 are not (yet) supported well on iPad Air 2, while some have been declared incompatibility with Air 2. Jot Touch PP is sort of usable on Air 2 *after* the new SDK was patched to GoodNotes 4, but there are still some minor issues as compared to its performance on iPad 4.
Anyway, if you don't use Bluetooth smart stylus, you can get whatever you like.
Anyway, if you don't use Bluetooth smart stylus, you can get whatever you like.
I would not say it has been perfect, but no active stylus is. I've tried a lot of them and they all have issues. The reality is that you need to try them and decide what works for you. All active styli will require a battery. And an active stylus is the only way you are going to get a fine tip. Again, for good precision without a battery, get a stylus with the clear disc. They are very good, but have their own usability trade offs.
Agreed that if you have an Air 2 you might want to hold off or pass on the Active styli. My Jot Script is working very well, but the new Jot Touch and the Wacom Creative 2 are unusable.
Allow me to bump my Stylus review. Since then I added a GoSmart 300 to my collection - and I'll be honest: in the end, the Bamboo is probably my favorite.
It's a simple straight-forward stylus that you grab to write notes during meetings.
For tedious drawing, I love the GoSmart more.
As for apps, I switch between Noteshelf and GoodNotes.
Here's a few of my ideas (YMMV)
Noteshelf
- impressive tool set and colour palettes
- writing and drawing all in one app
- pens and pencils give the best realistic experience of all apps I ever tried
- not vectorized so a bit fuzzy when zoomed in
- bitmapped with anti-aliasing makes your writing look smooth and textured (again the realism)
- import Word and Excel files and they'll be automatically converted into pdf
- you're working in either a notebook or a pdf - they don't mix and match into one notebook
- no automatic backup or syncing, but a bit clunky "AirTransfer"
- traces of good 'ole skeuomorphism, albeit clean and light
- one of the first to support 53 Pencil
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
GoodNotes
- limited tools, but enough for writing - no drawing tools at all
- shape recognition while drawing
- writing is vectorized, so it becomes a bit sterile and not organic
- but you can zoom unlimited, writing remains crisp and sharp
- looks and feels like you're writing on glass instead of paper (no texture)
- very productive, you throw pdf's into a notebook and start annotating
- clean and minimalistic GUI
- autosync to p.e. Dropbox
- quite exclusive palm rejection
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
I'm afraid I can go on like this for a while longer. I'm sorry if my list is somewhat chaotic, although I tried to keep a comparison in mind. But I've not that much time right now to write a good chunck of text. If I wasn't clear enough in the above, don't hesitate to ask - I'll do my best to add more comments.
I consider myself an average notetaker, think 5-6 pages a day. I assume students do more though (I passed that stage many many moons ago hehe).
Wrapping up...
If you're looking for a real moleskine replacement (it's what I consider my iPad to be for me), and you like to sketch, doodle, paint, write and type all together, Noteshelf is a superb tool - if not the best. Maybe because of the bitmapping, the app is blazingly fast and fluent. Most of my notebooks are way over 30-40 pages, without a problem.
If you're just looking for a cool and iOS8 worthy minimalistic handwriting notetaking app, GoodNotes would be my advice to you. It allows for very productive and focused working. Because of the vectorizing though (and the highlight marker drawing itself underneath your writing), notebooks become slower as they grow over 10 pages or so. Screen redraw can then start to cause a drop in productivity and speed.
Both apps are almost constantly in the top 10 over at AppShopper. I'd say you can't go wrong with either of these (I believe they even cost the same).
GoodNotes Review by Aurélien Chevaleyrias
Noteshelf workflow, older version, by gribbly
----------
If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
It's a simple straight-forward stylus that you grab to write notes during meetings.
For tedious drawing, I love the GoSmart more.
As for apps, I switch between Noteshelf and GoodNotes.
Here's a few of my ideas (YMMV)
Noteshelf
- impressive tool set and colour palettes
- writing and drawing all in one app
- pens and pencils give the best realistic experience of all apps I ever tried
- not vectorized so a bit fuzzy when zoomed in
- bitmapped with anti-aliasing makes your writing look smooth and textured (again the realism)
- import Word and Excel files and they'll be automatically converted into pdf
- you're working in either a notebook or a pdf - they don't mix and match into one notebook
- no automatic backup or syncing, but a bit clunky "AirTransfer"
- traces of good 'ole skeuomorphism, albeit clean and light
- one of the first to support 53 Pencil
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
GoodNotes
- limited tools, but enough for writing - no drawing tools at all
- shape recognition while drawing
- writing is vectorized, so it becomes a bit sterile and not organic
- but you can zoom unlimited, writing remains crisp and sharp
- looks and feels like you're writing on glass instead of paper (no texture)
- very productive, you throw pdf's into a notebook and start annotating
- clean and minimalistic GUI
- autosync to p.e. Dropbox
- quite exclusive palm rejection
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
I'm afraid I can go on like this for a while longer. I'm sorry if my list is somewhat chaotic, although I tried to keep a comparison in mind. But I've not that much time right now to write a good chunck of text. If I wasn't clear enough in the above, don't hesitate to ask - I'll do my best to add more comments.
I consider myself an average notetaker, think 5-6 pages a day. I assume students do more though (I passed that stage many many moons ago hehe).
Wrapping up...
If you're looking for a real moleskine replacement (it's what I consider my iPad to be for me), and you like to sketch, doodle, paint, write and type all together, Noteshelf is a superb tool - if not the best. Maybe because of the bitmapping, the app is blazingly fast and fluent. Most of my notebooks are way over 30-40 pages, without a problem.
If you're just looking for a cool and iOS8 worthy minimalistic handwriting notetaking app, GoodNotes would be my advice to you. It allows for very productive and focused working. Because of the vectorizing though (and the highlight marker drawing itself underneath your writing), notebooks become slower as they grow over 10 pages or so. Screen redraw can then start to cause a drop in productivity and speed.
Both apps are almost constantly in the top 10 over at AppShopper. I'd say you can't go wrong with either of these (I believe they even cost the same).
GoodNotes Review by Aurélien Chevaleyrias
Noteshelf workflow, older version, by gribbly
----------
If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
Allow me to bump my Stylus review. Since then I added a GoSmart 300 to my collection - and I'll be honest: in the end, the Bamboo is probably my favorite.
It's a simple straight-forward stylus that you grab to write notes during meetings.
For tedious drawing, I love the GoSmart more.
As for apps, I switch between Noteshelf and GoodNotes.
Here's a few of my ideas (YMMV)
Noteshelf
- impressive tool set and colour palettes
- writing and drawing all in one app
- pens and pencils give the best realistic experience of all apps I ever tried
- not vectorized so a bit fuzzy when zoomed in
- bitmapped with anti-aliasing makes your writing look smooth and textured (again the realism)
- import Word and Excel files and they'll be automatically converted into pdf
- you're working in either a notebook or a pdf - they don't mix and match into one notebook
- no automatic backup or syncing, but a bit clunky "AirTransfer"
- traces of good 'ole skeuomorphism, albeit clean and light
- one of the first to support 53 Pencil
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
GoodNotes
- limited tools, but enough for writing - no drawing tools at all
- shape recognition while drawing
- writing is vectorized, so it becomes a bit sterile and not organic
- but you can zoom unlimited, writing remains crisp and sharp
- looks and feels like you're writing on glass instead of paper (no texture)
- very productive, you throw pdf's into a notebook and start annotating
- clean and minimalistic GUI
- autosync to p.e. Dropbox
- quite exclusive palm rejection
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
I'm afraid I can go on like this for a while longer. I'm sorry if my list is somewhat chaotic, although I tried to keep a comparison in mind. But I've not that much time right now to write a good chunck of text. If I wasn't clear enough in the above, don't hesitate to ask - I'll do my best to add more comments.
I consider myself an average notetaker, think 5-6 pages a day. I assume students do more though (I passed that stage many many moons ago hehe).
Wrapping up...
If you're looking for a real moleskine replacement (it's what I consider my iPad to be for me), and you like to sketch, doodle, paint, write and type all together, Noteshelf is a superb tool - if not the best. Maybe because of the bitmapping, the app is blazingly fast and fluent. Most of my notebooks are way over 30-40 pages, without a problem.
If you're just looking for a cool and iOS8 worthy minimalistic handwriting notetaking app, GoodNotes would be my advice to you. It allows for very productive and focused working. Because of the vectorizing though (and the highlight marker drawing itself underneath your writing), notebooks become slower as they grow over 10 pages or so. Screen redraw can then start to cause a drop in productivity and speed.
Both apps are almost constantly in the top 10 over at AppShopper. I'd say you can't go wrong with either of these (I believe they even cost the same).
GoodNotes Review by Aurélien Chevaleyrias
Noteshelf workflow, older version, by gribbly
----------
If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
Thanks for this. Very informative. I've just dug out my Bamboo and it's so much better on my iPad Air 2 than my Adonit Jot Script I'm going to use it from now on. The Adonit was very good on my air 1 but something is not right with iOS 8? It's dreadful and just not useable due to it being unresponsive. Plus the Bamboo doesn't need a battery, something that the Adonit used to devour! I myself use Goodnotes.
I use the Adonit Jot on my iPad 4. No scratches (micro or otherwise). Can it scratch the screen? Highly doubtful. Can a piece of grit trapped under the disc cause a scratch? Perhaps. Any reputable reports that I've read about the Adonit Jot and scratches had to do with it scratching screen protectors, not the screen itself.If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
The choice comes down to:
A capacitive stylus that is universal to all iOS apps or an active stylus that is only support by certain applications. With the current state of stylus support on iPads, they're all merely "acceptable" and adequate... nothing really stands out based on my experience.
Allow me to bump my Stylus review. Since then I added a GoSmart 300 to my collection - and I'll be honest: in the end, the Bamboo is probably my favorite.
It's a simple straight-forward stylus that you grab to write notes during meetings.
For tedious drawing, I love the GoSmart more.
As for apps, I switch between Noteshelf and GoodNotes.
Here's a few of my ideas (YMMV)
Noteshelf
- impressive tool set and colour palettes
- writing and drawing all in one app
- pens and pencils give the best realistic experience of all apps I ever tried
- not vectorized so a bit fuzzy when zoomed in
- bitmapped with anti-aliasing makes your writing look smooth and textured (again the realism)
- import Word and Excel files and they'll be automatically converted into pdf
- you're working in either a notebook or a pdf - they don't mix and match into one notebook
- no automatic backup or syncing, but a bit clunky "AirTransfer"
- traces of good 'ole skeuomorphism, albeit clean and light
- one of the first to support 53 Pencil
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
GoodNotes
- limited tools, but enough for writing - no drawing tools at all
- shape recognition while drawing
- writing is vectorized, so it becomes a bit sterile and not organic
- but you can zoom unlimited, writing remains crisp and sharp
- looks and feels like you're writing on glass instead of paper (no texture)
- very productive, you throw pdf's into a notebook and start annotating
- clean and minimalistic GUI
- autosync to p.e. Dropbox
- quite exclusive palm rejection
- developer has always been very helpful and nice to me
I'm afraid I can go on like this for a while longer. I'm sorry if my list is somewhat chaotic, although I tried to keep a comparison in mind. But I've not that much time right now to write a good chunck of text. If I wasn't clear enough in the above, don't hesitate to ask - I'll do my best to add more comments.
I consider myself an average notetaker, think 5-6 pages a day. I assume students do more though (I passed that stage many many moons ago hehe).
Wrapping up...
If you're looking for a real moleskine replacement (it's what I consider my iPad to be for me), and you like to sketch, doodle, paint, write and type all together, Noteshelf is a superb tool - if not the best. Maybe because of the bitmapping, the app is blazingly fast and fluent. Most of my notebooks are way over 30-40 pages, without a problem.
If you're just looking for a cool and iOS8 worthy minimalistic handwriting notetaking app, GoodNotes would be my advice to you. It allows for very productive and focused working. Because of the vectorizing though (and the highlight marker drawing itself underneath your writing), notebooks become slower as they grow over 10 pages or so. Screen redraw can then start to cause a drop in productivity and speed.
Both apps are almost constantly in the top 10 over at AppShopper. I'd say you can't go wrong with either of these (I believe they even cost the same).
GoodNotes Review by Aurélien Chevaleyrias
Noteshelf workflow, older version, by gribbly
----------
If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
Exactly which bamboo stylus do you use? As you say that's the best stylus for note taking which is what I want to do. I'm definitely getting noteshelf based on your recommendation
Also, fantastic response
Last edited:
If anyone ever claims to me that the iPad famous gorilla glass doesn't scratch, I'll ask him to test an Adonit Jot on HIS iPad. Then, and only then, I'll know for myself
BTW the GoSmart is perfectly safe and scratch-free.
I have written probably 1000 pages of journal writing on my iPad with the old Jot Touch 4 with disc and the Jot Script. No scratching.
That sounds positive! The problem is I've read too many comments claiming exactly the opposite, hence my former comment. Unlike you, I have no experience with the plastic disc type styli - so you may well be right about it not scratching.
----------
I'm afraid you don't miss anything - NoteShelf doesn't have the pinch-to-zoom AFAIK. It would come in handy on those rare occasions I'd like to correct a small detail on a drawing or something. Then I activate the zoombox and deactivate the wrist protection. It's a workaround but like I said, I rarely need it.
You're more than welcome Aluminum213.
As you may notice in my forementioned stylus review, I'm using the first (original) Bamboo stylus.
At the time it had great reviews, which is why I decided on it.
I think this particular model is no longer for sale, and once I run out of tip replacements I too will need to switch to the actual model(s) that Wacom offers. One can only assume they've improved their products.
The Maglus has a better (firmer and more responsive) tip, and by now they also offer mesh tips and a smaller body stylus. My original sized one is simply too big and heavy on long sessions of writing.
On the other hand, it's a perfect finger replacement for other tasks like browsing the web, handling email. In short, using your device for other things than writing or drawing.
My Trueglide has worn out rather quickly - in a sense that the mesh tip itself is still smooth and responsive, but it's core has somehow softened. It was already a ball shaped tip (rather than a pointy one), and now writing with it feels like you're moving a wad of cotton wool over the screen. I find this lack of firmness a problem, because there's too little feedback (or even too little resistance) while writing.