# Goodnotes vs Simplenote

| Attribute | Goodnotes | Simplenote |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 55.9 (72% (medium)) | 64.2 (28% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A note-taking application that enables handwritten note-taking on devices with stylus support, PDF annotation, AI-powered features, and synchronization across multiple platforms and devices. It is indexed under Note Taking.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"What is Goodnotes?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Goodnotes offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Free, Essential, Pro and Teams. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"Is Goodnotes free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Goodnotes supports the web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does Goodnotes support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Goodnotes, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"Can Goodnotes be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for Goodnotes, including Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, GIPHY, Claude and ChatGPT. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"What does Goodnotes integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for Goodnotes. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Goodnotes not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"What security certifications does Goodnotes have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Goodnotes is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United States and the United Kingdom.","source":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","question":"Where is Goodnotes available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"A free note-taking application that syncs notes automatically across web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Supports Markdown formatting, offline editing, and cloud backup of all changes. It is indexed under Note Taking.","source":"https://simplenote.com","question":"What is Simplenote?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Simplenote offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://simplenote.com","question":"Is Simplenote free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Simplenote supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://simplenote.com","question":"What platforms does Simplenote support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Simplenote, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://simplenote.com","question":"Can Simplenote be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Simplenote. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Simplenote not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://simplenote.com/2018/08/24/privacy-policy-update/","question":"What security certifications does Simplenote have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A note-taking application that enables handwritten note-taking on devices with stylus support, PDF annotation, AI-powered features, and synchronization across multiple platforms and devices. | A free note-taking application that syncs notes automatically across web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Supports Markdown formatting, offline editing, and cloud backup of all changes. |
| features.capabilities | `{"iso_27001":true,"soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","deployment_model":"cloud_saas","pdf_document_annotation":true,"audio_recording_and_dictation":true,"stylus_handwriting_and_sketching_support":true,"ocr_optical_character_recognition_scanning":true}` | `{"deployment_model":"cloud_saas","nested_folders_and_tagging_hierarchy":true,"offline_mode_editing_without_internet":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Dropbox"},{"name":"OneDrive"},{"name":"Google Drive"},{"name":"GIPHY"},{"name":"Claude"},{"name":"ChatGPT"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` | `{"ios":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free forever","features":["Core note-taking","PDF markup tools","Limited audio recording","Watermarked exports","Link sharing for collaboration"],"description":"Up to 3 files total; core note-taking and PDF markup; limited audio recording; watermarked exports; link sharing","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"files":"3 total","audio_recording":"limited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Essential","summary":"7-day free trial","features":["Unlimited files","Unlimited audio recording","Export without watermark","Removed import size limits","Subscriber Specials","Basic Goodnotes AI"],"description":"Unlimited files, unlimited audio recording, watermark-free exports, and basic Goodnotes AI","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"files":"unlimited","audio_recording":"unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"7-day free trial","features":["All Essential features","Private link sharing","Real-time collaboration hosting","Advanced Goodnotes AI","Goodnotes AI for Meetings","Goodnotes AI Create Mode","Cross-platform library sync"],"description":"All Essential features plus private link sharing, real-time collaboration, advanced Goodnotes AI with Meetings and Create Mode, and cross-platform library sync","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Teams","features":["Cross-platform support across Apple, Android, Windows","Single Goodnotes Account with synced document library"],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","features":["Additional privacy controls","Option for notes to stay off cloud"],"contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"AI Credits","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":9.99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier available. Paid subscriptions include 7-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.goodnotes.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-05T21:05:48.137Z","freeTrialDays":7}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Completely free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://simplenote.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T14:03:57.602Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | free |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":9.99,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO/IEC 27001","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Note Taking)

| Capability | Goodnotes | Simplenote |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | Cloud saas | Cloud saas |
| Offline mode editing without internet | - | ✓ |
| Browser extension web page clipping | - | - |
| OCR optical character recognition scanning | ✓ | - |
| Stylus handwriting and sketching support | ✓ | - |
| Audio recording and dictation | ✓ | - |
| End to end encryption e2ee | - | - |
| PDF document annotation | ✓ | - |
| Nested folders and tagging hierarchy | - | ✓ |
| Siri google assistant voice memo sync | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | ✓ | - |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ | - |
| Pricing model | Freemium | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:15:35.884Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*