GoodNotes vs Notability for ADHD (2027): Which App Should You Use?
If you have ADHD, the “best” note app isn’t the one with the most features. It’s the one you’ll actually open tomorrow, and the day after. GoodNotes and Notability are both excellent on iPad, both handle hyperlinked planners and both feel natural with an Apple Pencil. But they suit different brains and different days.
This guide compares them on what matters with ADHD: how quickly you can start, how easy it is to find things again, how distracting they are and what they cost. Then it tells you which one to pick, so you can stop comparing and start planning.
Quick answer: Pick GoodNotes if you mainly want a planner and handwritten notes that are fast to navigate, with folders and search that keep everything findable. Pick Notability if you take lots of lecture or meeting notes and want audio recordings synced to what you wrote. Already use one? Stay with it. Both work with hyperlinked ADHD planners.
GoodNotes vs Notability at a Glance
| GoodNotes | Notability | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for ADHD if | You want a calm, organised planner | You learn by listening and re-listening |
| Planner hyperlinks | Smooth; tap with a finger or in read-only mode | Work well; tap with no pen tool active |
| Organisation | Folders, notebooks, tabs and strong search | Subjects and dividers, simple list view |
| Audio recording | Yes, on Apple devices | Yes, synced to your handwriting (its standout) |
| Devices | iPad, iPhone, Mac, plus Android, Windows and web | Mainly iPad, iPhone and Mac |
| Free option | Free plan with a few notebooks | Free Starter plan |
| Paid options | Low-cost yearly plans, plus a one-time option on Apple devices | Lite, Plus and Pro plans, plus a one-time Classic plan |
Pricing changes often, and both apps run regional deals, so check the App Store or each app’s site before you pay.
Why the App Matters More With ADHD
Most comparisons focus on pen tools and paper templates. With ADHD, three other things decide whether a system survives:
- Startup friction. If opening today’s page takes five taps, you’ll skip it on busy days. You want one tap from the app to today.
- Findability. Notes you can’t find again are notes you’ll rewrite or forget. Good search and simple folders matter more than fancy covers.
- Distraction. Endless pen colours, stickers and AI features are fun, but they can turn planning into decorating.
Neither app wins on all three for everyone. The right choice depends on how you work.
GoodNotes for ADHD: Strengths and Watch-Outs
GoodNotes feels like a tidy digital binder. You organise notebooks in folders, use tabs inside a notebook and search across your handwriting.
- Good for ADHD: clean navigation, reliable hyperlinks in planners, handwriting search and the option to use it on Android or Windows too.
- Watch out for: the free plan only holds a few notebooks, and the sticker and template marketplace can pull you into decorating.
- Best for: daily planning, journaling, to-do lists and anyone who wants one place for planner plus notes.
Setting up a planner? Follow our GoodNotes planner setup for ADHD and our step-by-step guide to importing a planner into GoodNotes.
Notability for ADHD: Strengths and Watch-Outs
Notability is built around capturing information as it happens. Its standout feature is audio recording that syncs with your notes: tap a word you wrote and it plays what was being said at that moment.
- Good for ADHD: you don’t have to catch everything live. If your attention drifts in a lecture or meeting, you can replay the exact moment later.
- Watch out for: organisation is simpler, so big note collections can get messy, and its plans have changed several times, so check what the free plan includes today.
- Best for: students, meeting-heavy jobs and anyone who remembers by hearing.
Using Notability for planning? Our Notability planner setup guide shows how to import a planner and make the links work.
Which One Should You Choose?
- You mainly want a daily planner: GoodNotes.
- You’re a student who zones out in lectures: Notability, for synced audio.
- You switch between iPad and an Android phone or Windows laptop: GoodNotes.
- You hate subscriptions: check each app’s one-time option first.
- You already use one of them: keep it. Switching apps is a classic ADHD way to feel productive without planning.
Still unsure? Use GoodNotes for your planner and Notability for class or meeting notes. Plenty of people do. The only rule: your planner lives in one app, so you always know where today is.
How to Use Either App With a Planner
- Import a hyperlinked PDF planner. Both apps keep the links working if you import the original PDF.
- Bookmark this week’s page. So opening the app takes you straight to today.
- Keep pen tools to two. One pen and one highlighter. Fewer choices, faster planning.
- Write a Top 3 each morning. Three priorities, not a full to-do list.
- Restart, don’t catch up. Missed days? Go to today and keep going.
For the full setup, read our guide to the best digital planner for iPad for ADHD.
A Planner That Works in Both Apps
Our planners are hyperlinked PDFs, so they work in GoodNotes, Notability and any PDF app. Buy once, keep them forever, and switch apps anytime without losing your planner.
- Free ADHD Lite: a 31-page hyperlinked planner for 2027 with a daily Top 3, brain dump and loose time blocks. Download it free.
- 2027 ADHD Planner: 490 hyperlinked pages with 365 daily pages, 53 weeks and 12 months, 4 themes and 72 covers, from $19. See the ADHD Planner.
- Academic Planner 2026-2027: 578 pages for students, from $19. See the Academic Planner.
Want to try a free GoodNotes version first? See our free GoodNotes planner or all our free downloads.
FAQ
Is GoodNotes or Notability better for ADHD?
GoodNotes is usually better if you mainly want a planner and handwritten notes that are easy to organise and find. Notability is better if you take lots of lecture or meeting notes, because its audio recording syncs with what you write. If you already use one, stick with it.
Do hyperlinked planners work in Notability?
Yes. Import the original PDF and tap links with your finger while no pen tool is active. If links don’t respond, re-import the original download rather than a copy exported from another app.
Is GoodNotes free?
GoodNotes has a free plan with a small number of notebooks. Paid plans unlock unlimited notebooks, and there is a one-time purchase option on Apple devices. Check the App Store for current prices.
Is Notability free?
Notability has a free Starter plan with limited notes, plus paid Lite, Plus and Pro plans. In July 2026 it also brought back a one-time Classic plan. Check Notability’s site for current prices.
Can I use the same planner in GoodNotes and Notability?
Yes. A hyperlinked PDF planner works in both apps and in any PDF app, so you can switch apps without buying a new planner. Your handwriting doesn’t transfer automatically, so export the annotated PDF if you move.