Goodnotes: Collaborative Docs & AI Assistant for Professionals

Goodnotes Expands Beyond Education with New Professional Features

Goodnotes, a notetaking app previously focused on students, is introducing a suite of new functionalities designed for professional users. These enhancements include a collaborative whiteboard, document creation capabilities, and an integrated AI assistant.

AI-Powered Assistance for Enhanced Productivity

The Goodnotes AI is versatile, accepting input through handwriting, typing, sketches, and even voice commands. It’s designed to streamline workflows by summarizing meetings, generating visual aids like charts and diagrams, and providing text proofreading services.

Furthermore, the AI can assist in the creation of templates for both documents and general note-taking purposes.

Strategic Acquisition Fuels AI Development

The company bolstered its AI capabilities through the acquisition of a South Korean startup specializing in meeting and video summarization last year. Technology originating from this acquisition is now integral to the operation of these newly launched features.

New Tools for Collaboration and Content Creation

In addition to AI integration, Goodnotes is launching a whiteboard feature. This allows users to engage in real-time collaboration on a shared digital canvas utilizing text and diagrams.

Users can now also create documents directly within the app, incorporating text, images, GIFs, and tables.

Following a Trend of Integrated Document Creation

Goodnotes isn’t the only platform embracing document creation. Productivity tools such as Grammarly and Canva are also encouraging users to generate more documents within their respective ecosystems.

This approach provides greater contextual awareness for their AI assistants, enabling more relevant and accurate responses to user inquiries.

A Broader Vision for the Notetaking App

“While we continue to serve a substantial student population, our aim is to broaden the utility of our product to encompass all users, particularly professionals,” explained Goodnotes founder Steven Chan in a conversation with TechCrunch.

“Text documents are a staple in many offices, and a whiteboard facilitates collaborative work using diverse tools. Our long-term goal is to become a comprehensive notetaking app suitable for any situation and across all devices.”

New Subscription Plans Introduced

Goodnotes is introducing two new subscription tiers – Goodnotes Essentials and Goodnotes Pro – replacing its previous numbering system.

Goodnotes Essentials, priced at $11.99 annually, provides access to new file formats, AI for question answering, and mathematical functions.

Goodnotes Pro, costing $35.99 per year, includes Google Calendar and OneDrive integration, secure link sharing and collaboration, a desktop AI bot for meeting recording and transcription, and AI-driven content suggestions.

AI Usage Limits and Additional Options

Even with the Pro plan, there are limitations on AI usage. Users can purchase an AI pass for $10 per month to unlock unlimited AI credits.

One-Time Purchase Option Remains

A one-time purchase option for Apple device users is still available at $35.99, but it does not include cloud synchronization or cross-platform compatibility.

Growth and Platform Expansion

Originally launched as an iPad application in 2011, Goodnotes has since expanded to support iOS, Android, and Windows. The company reports exceeding 25 million monthly active users, an increase from 21 million in 2023.