The popular note-taking platform Goodnotes is aggressively pivoting beyond the classroom. Today, the company announced a major expansion of its feature set specifically designed for professional workflows, including a collaborative whiteboard tool, native document creation, and a robust AI assistant.
AI-Powered Productivity
The new AI assistant is engineered to handle diverse input methods, such as handwriting, typing, sketching, and voice. By leveraging technology acquired from a South Korean startup last year, the assistant can now summarize meetings, generate visual diagrams and charts, proofread complex documents, and produce custom templates for various professional needs.
This strategic move aligns Goodnotes with productivity heavyweights like Grammarly and Canva. By encouraging users to build more comprehensive documents within the app, Goodnotes provides its AI with richer context, ultimately delivering more accurate and relevant query responses.
Advanced Collaboration Tools
Beyond artificial intelligence, the platform is introducing a dedicated whiteboard feature. This canvas allows teams to collaborate in real-time using text, diagrams, and various creative tools. Users can now craft documents that incorporate images, GIFs, and tables, moving the app firmly into the territory of professional documentation suites.
New Subscription Tiers
Goodnotes is overhauling its pricing structure, replacing its previous model with two core tiers:
- Goodnotes Essentials ($11.99/year): Includes access to new file formats, AI-powered Q&A, and math tools.
- Goodnotes Pro ($35.99/year): Adds Google Calendar and OneDrive integration, private link sharing, a desktop AI bot for meeting transcription, and advanced content suggestions.
While the Pro plan offers extensive features, there is a usage limit on AI capabilities. Heavy users can purchase an additional “AI pass” for $10 per month to secure unlimited credits. For those who prefer a one-time payment, the company maintains a $35.99 option for Apple users, though it excludes cloud synchronization and cross-platform support.
Scaling the User Base
Since its inception as an iPad-only app in 2011, Goodnotes has expanded to support iOS, Android, and Windows. This growth has paid off, with the platform now reporting over 25 million monthly active users—a significant climb from the 21 million recorded in 2023.
“We still have a large user base of students, but we want to expand our product to become useful for everyone, especially professionals,” said founder Steven Chan. “Going forward, we want to be a well-rounded notetaking app for every scenario and every device.”