Notability review: price, free version and privacy

Our verdict

Notability is the pick for students who want lecture audio tied to their handwritten notes. Those who want unlimited free notes or no tracking should consider other note apps.

What Notability is

Notability, on the App Store since 2010, combines handwriting, typing, PDF markup and audio recording in one note. According to the developer, recordings are synced to the moment you write, so you can replay the part of a lecture you missed. Subscription features include live transcripts, handwriting recognition, AI summaries, and quizzes and flashcards generated from your notes. Notes are available on iPad, iPhone, Mac and the web.

Who it suits

• Students who record lectures while taking notes
• IPad users who handwrite and annotate slides

Strengths

• Audio recordings synced to your handwriting, according to the description
• Handwriting, typing, images and PDF markup on the same page, with two notes side by side
• Quizzes, flashcards and chat generated from your notes
• Apple Editors' Choice, rated 4.8 from about 458,500 ratings, interface in 23 languages

Limits

• The free version is capped: unlimited note-taking, transcripts, handwriting recognition and iCloud sync are subscription features
• The privacy label declares identifiers used for tracking
• Requires iOS 18 or later
• Seven price items across Lite, Plus and Pro without billing periods in their names make plans hard to compare

What the free version does

The description says Notability is free to use. Unlimited note-taking, AI tools, handwriting recognition and math conversion, live audio transcripts, and auto-backup with iCloud sync come with a subscription.

Price

On the US App Store in November 2026, Notability Lite is listed at $5.99 and $14.99, Notability Plus at $7.99, $12.99 and $19.99, and Notability Pro at $19.99 and $99.99. The description also mentions a one-time "Classic" plan, which does not appear by that name in the price list.

Privacy

The developer declares that identifiers may be used to track you. Contact info and diagnostics are linked to your identity; identifiers, usage data and diagnostics are also collected without being linked.

What the screenshots show

The screenshots focus on AI: a typed outline titled "Our Solar System: A Comprehensive Overview" and a screen labeled "Generating Smart Notes" with a large microphone button.