Comparison

Goodnotes vs Zoho Notebook

No clear leader: Goodnotes (55.9) and Zoho Notebook (53.1) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

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Goodnotes56
Zoho Notebook53
Score
vioscaleAI score
Goodnotes56 / 100medium · 72%
Zoho Notebook53 / 100medium · 54%
Pricing
Free tier
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Model
Goodnotesfreemium
Zoho Notebookfree
Price level
Goodnoteslow
Zoho Notebookfree
Starting price
Goodnotes$9.99
Zoho Notebook–
Transparent
Goodnotes✗
Zoho Notebook–
Integrations
Count
Goodnotes3
Zoho Notebook1
Security
Disclosure policy
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook–
Gdpr
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Hipaa
Goodnotes–
Zoho Notebook✓
Iso27001
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Soc2
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Trust center
Goodnotes–
Reliability
Sla pct
Goodnotes99.9
Zoho Notebook–
Market
Availability
Zoho Notebook–
Content
Faq
Goodnotes7 items
Zoho Notebook5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for note taking. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

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

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Goodnotes

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.

Independently observed

Zoho Notebook

A cloud-based note-taking app with automatic audio transcription, web clipping capabilities, offline access, and cross-platform synchronization, designed with privacy and security as core principles.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Goodnotes

SubscriptionFree tier7-day trial

Free tier available. Paid subscriptions include 7-day trial.

  • FreeFree
    • Core note-taking
    • PDF markup tools
    • Limited audio recording
    • Watermarked exports
    • Link sharing for collaboration
  • Essential7-day free trial
    • Unlimited files
    • Unlimited audio recording
    • Export without watermark
    • Removed import size limits
    • Subscriber Specials
    • +1 more
  • Pro7-day free trial
    • All Essential features
    • Private link sharing
    • Real-time collaboration hosting
    • Advanced Goodnotes AI
    • Goodnotes AI for Meetings
    • +2 more
  • Teams-
    • Cross-platform support across Apple, Android, Windows
    • Single Goodnotes Account with synced document library
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Additional privacy controls
    • Option for notes to stay off cloud
as of verify ↗

Zoho Notebook

freemiumFree tier

Free plan available. Pro plan pricing not specified.

  • FreeFree
    • Text, audio, photo, and file notes
    • Cross-device sync
    • Offline access
    • Ad-free
    • 2GB cloud storage
  • ProPro plan with advanced features (pricing not specified)
    • Advanced productivity features
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
iOS
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Android
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
macOS
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Windows
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Goodnotes✓
Zoho Notebook✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Goodnotes

6 total
  • Dropbox
  • OneDrive
  • Google Drive
  • GIPHY
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
Independently observed

Zoho Notebook

3 total
  • Google APIs
  • YouTube
  • Zoho Meeting
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Goodnotes or Zoho Notebook: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.