Simple Memo vs GoodNotes
Which Should You Choose?

GoodNotes is a handwriting note app optimized for iPad with Apple Pencil. It features handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, notebook management, and search. GoodNotes 6 offers an annual subscription ($11.99/year) or a one-time purchase edition (check the App Store for its current price). The free version allows up to 3 notebooks. It's especially popular among students and educators.

GoodNotes shines with its natural handwriting experience powered by Apple Pencil pressure sensitivity. The Pen tool offers three styles: fountain pen, ball pen and brush pen (per Goodnotes support). Its OCR (optical character recognition) for handwriting is impressive, making handwritten text searchable. However, all these features shine on iPad + Apple Pencil. On iPhone, you are reduced to finger-writing on a small screen, which is far from practical. When you need to jot something down while holding your phone one-handed on a commuter train, Simple Memo's keyboard-based input is a better fit.

GoodNotes 6's subscription model is worth considering. GoodNotes 5 was a one-time purchase, but GoodNotes 6 introduced a subscription (now $11.99/year), drawing criticism from some users. The free version limits you to 3 notebooks, so serious use requires a paid plan. Its PDF import and annotation features are popular with students and researchers, but they are overkill for the simple need of "jotting down a thought right now." Simple Memo has no note count limit on its free plan (just 3 sends/day), and saves your text as email.

From a workflow perspective, GoodNotes and Simple Memo are complementary rather than competitive. Use GoodNotes on iPad for lecture notes and hand-drawn diagrams, and Simple Memo on iPhone for capturing thoughts while out and about. Handwriting and text are fundamentally different input modalities, and no single app can perfectly cover both needs.

• 1Input: Apple Pencil Handwriting vs iPhone Keyboard
  GoodNotes is optimized for iPad + Apple Pencil handwriting with pressure sensitivity and three pen tools. But on iPhone, you are reduced to finger-writing on a small screen. Simple Memo is optimized for iPhone keyboard input, launching in 0.4 seconds (warm launch, iPhone 16e) for immediate typing. For one-handed memos on the go, typing is the better fit.
• 2Best Device: iPad vs iPhone
  GoodNotes shines on iPad's large screen for lecture notes and diagrams. But it is impractical for jotting memos while holding an iPhone on a commuter train. Simple Memo is fully iPhone-optimized — pull from pocket, start typing 0.4 seconds after the tap (warm launch, iPhone 16e), and send with one tap.
• 3Memo Delivery: Direct Email vs PDF Export
  Simple Memo sends with one tap via background email. Sending GoodNotes content by email requires PDF export, opening Mail, attaching, and sending — multiple steps. For text memo recording and sharing, Simple Memo takes fewer steps.

Some GoodNotes users feel that handwriting helps them remember, which can matter for lecture or reading notes. But for capturing fleeting ideas, the situation is different. Imagine recording an idea while commuting: pull out the Apple Pencil, unlock the iPad, launch GoodNotes, select a notebook, and write by hand. That is several steps (we have not timed them). With Simple Memo, you open the app on your iPhone, it opens to a text field, and you type and tap Send.

Equally important is that handwritten memos have searchability limitations. GoodNotes' handwriting recognition is excellent, but accuracy drops with hasty scribbles and abbreviations. Memos sent with Simple Memo arrive as plain-text emails, so your email app's keyword search can find them. Looking for a memo from three months ago, you can search by keyword instead of paging through handwritten notebooks.

The ideal approach is to choose based on the memo's purpose. For lecture notes, diagrams, equations, and idea sketches where visual structure matters, GoodNotes with Apple Pencil is unbeatable. For shopping lists, meeting action items, sudden inspirations, phone numbers, and URLs -- text information that needs instant capture -- Simple Memo is optimal. Handwriting and text are not competitors but optimal solutions for different use cases.