The popular note-taking app and PDF editor, Goodnotes, recently launched Goodnotes 6, a major new version update with integrated AI functionality. This comes four years after the release of Goodnotes 5, and for the first time, it requires users to register a Goodnotes account and start a paid subscription.
Goodnotes 6 offers three versions: Free, Subscription, and Perpetual License. The subscription price is $9.99 per year, while the perpetual license is $29.99.
Goodnotes 5 only had free and perpetual license versions, with the perpetual license offering more features at a one-time purchase price of $9.99. Now, if users want to upgrade to Goodnotes 6, they must either transition to a paid subscription or pay a higher price for the perpetual license.
Purely in terms of price, Goodnotes 6’s perpetual license isn’t especially high compared to competitors. However, Goodnotes’s discount for upgrading older versions is too low, almost non-existent, leaving many longtime users unhappy.
The AI features integrated into Goodnotes 6 offer spell checking and automatic handwriting correction. If you forget the spelling of a word, Goodnotes provides a prompt, saving time while taking notes. However, not all users need these so-called AI features, so for older users, the choice is either not to upgrade or pay several times the price of Goodnotes 5.
Other features include interactive exam study, AI math assistance, automatic erasure of scribbles and doodles, mathematical conversions, and an in-app marketplace.
Here are Goodnotes 6’s product prices and upgrade policy:
1. Upgrading from Goodnotes 5 to 6 provides a one-month free trial, which, after September 9th, will downgrade to the Goodnotes 6 free version if not paid.
2. Goodnotes 6 free version allows a maximum of 3 notebooks; if Goodnotes 5 has more than 3, the excess becomes read-only after upgrading.
3. Goodnotes 6 offers a limited free version, a $9.99 annual subscription, and a $29.99 one-time perpetual license.
4. All versions of Goodnotes 6 require registration with a Goodnotes online account.