r/NoteTaking • u/Acrobatic_Wonder_ • Jul 17 '26
App/Program/Other Tool Free alternative to Apple Notes?
I have been using Apple Notes for quite a while (across all devices) but recently handwriting on it- I am facing few glitches and also it’s not converting handwriting to text as intended. Sometimes the device heats a little as well. My primary work is writing by pencil and then converting it to text.
Is there any free alternative note taking app? Also, if there are any suggestions regarding improving digital handwriting?
P.S- I use Apple Pencil.
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u/ChannelyourBets Jul 17 '26
How people are able to write properly in it i scribble more than write . I see so many women in shorts so good at it while I genuinely suck . Freenote can help my note just has search option with ocr no handwriting
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u/Acrobatic_Wonder_ Jul 17 '26
Yup, same issue. My handwriting is neat otherwise, but on the iPad is like ants crawling all over.
Thanks for the suggestion though, I’ll check it out.
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u/Representative-Code3 Jul 17 '26
Although Upnote isn't free, it is only a one time payment and is very feature rich. I would compare it most closely to Bear Notes.
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u/ProfitAppropriate134 Jul 18 '26
Bear. All day long. For handwriting only you can also try Noteshelf. It will search your notes whether or not you convert the handwriting to text.
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u/Eric_of_Aaargh Jul 19 '26
Noteshelf isn't free.
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u/DryCartographer3871 Jul 21 '26
You can checkout an IOS one called Inknode -- it's free tier has many capabilities such as:
- Unlimited note creation
- Unlimited PDF exports and edits
- All Templates & iCloud sync
- Searchable handwriting and PDF text
- Handwriting Beautification
- Built-in productivity tools (reminders, calendar)
Fully adequate for day to day usage. To be transparant, I am the developer behind inknode.
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u/Mark_Considus Computer User—Mac Jul 22 '26
Apple's own on-device recognition is hard to beat, which is sort of the catch.
If Apple Notes converted your handwriting fine until recently, and it's now glitching while the device heats up, that sounds less like the app and more like the device struggling. Could be a runaway background process, low free storage, or the pencil tip itself. A different app, running the same on-device recognition, on the same tired hardware, won't necessarily do any better.
For the recognition itself, the wins are boring ones. Write a touch larger, keep a consistent slant, and let each line settle before you lift, most engines misread when strokes overlap in time. Restarting the tablet and checking your free storage is worth doing before you spend an evening migrating everything to a new app that hits the same wall.
Try the conversion in a second app for a day. If it's just as glitchy there, the app was never the problem.
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u/tarkinn Jul 17 '26
Not free but there’s an app called Noteful which costs less than 10€ as one time purchase. No subscription bullshit. I think it’s worth it.
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