Notability arrived on Android late, and the Play Store rating shows it. The 3.5-star average is not the mark of a bad app so much as a Ginger Labs app catching up to years of Android tablet expectations in one release. Users flag the AI features locked behind a separate tier, the note limit on the free plan, and stylus performance that trails Samsung Notes on Galaxy Tab hardware. We tested seven Notability alternatives on Android that pick up where its rollout misses, from Squid’s fast infinite canvas to MyScript Nebo’s best-in-class handwriting recognition.
Every alternative here has a live Android app and was tested on a mid-range Android tablet plus a recent Galaxy Tab, with attention to stylus latency, PDF import, and export options.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid pricing | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoodNotes | Full-featured notebook workflow | Basic use | About $9.99 per year | Recognized library of paper templates |
| Samsung Notes | Galaxy tablet owners with S Pen | Full app free | Free | Lowest stylus latency on Android |
| Squid | Fast capture on older tablets | Basic backgrounds | About $1 per month | Runs well on hardware where others stutter |
| MyScript Nebo | Handwriting to typed text | Unlimited notebooks | One-time IAP | Double-tap paragraph conversion |
| Kilonotes | PDF-heavy study workflows | Basic tools | About $4.99 per month | PDF markup with layered ink |
| Microsoft OneNote | Cross-platform sync | Unlimited notes | Free | Free forever, OCR on screenshots |
| Xodo | PDF annotation and signing | Generous free tier | Subscription | Real ink layer on top of PDF text |
Why people leave Notability
Read the recent one and two-star Play Store reviews and the same threads come up.
The 3.5-star Play rating tells the whole story
Notability landed on Android with the pedigree of an iPad legend and the polish of a first release. Long-time iPad users who expected the same feel report crashes on longer sessions, missing pen palettes, and gesture inconsistencies. On Samsung tablets the S Pen still feels a step behind Samsung Notes.
AI Note Workspace features on a separate tier
The AI features (summaries, chat-with-notes, smart handwriting cleanup) sit behind a subscription that costs more than the base Notability plan. iPad refugees who paid once for the old app describe the new layer as double dipping.
Five-note free cap
Free users get five notebooks. That fills up in a single week of lectures, and the upgrade nudge shows up right when the deadline hits.
Android features trail iPad
Feature parity with the iPad app is still catching up. Long-time users switching to a Galaxy Tab or Xiaomi Pad find gaps in paper template variety, sticker packs, and audio-linked ink playback compared with what iPad users take for granted.
Backup and export live in the app account
Notebooks live in Notability’s cloud. Cancel the subscription and downloading a full archive means iterating through notebooks one at a time rather than a single bulk export, which is the reason a handful of Play reviews cite for switching.
The 7 alternatives
GoodNotes, best full-featured notebook workflow
GoodNotes was Notability’s biggest rival on iPad for a decade, and the Android app finally caught up in 2024. Notebook and section organization is deep, paper template variety leads the category, and the ink engine feels smooth on any stylus tablet. The AI add-ons (spell check on ink, notebook Q&A) are optional and priced separately from the base app.
Where it falls short: GoodNotes 6 moved from a one-time purchase to an annual subscription, and Android features still trail the iPad app on advanced flourishes like ink-linked audio. Non-Samsung stylus users report occasional palm-rejection glitches.
Pricing:
- Free: basic notebook use with limits on documents
- Paid: about $9.99 per year for the base subscription, extra tier for AI features
- vs Notability: comparable subscription price, deeper template library
Migrating from Notability: Export Notability notes as PDF and import into GoodNotes as new documents. Ink comes in flat as PDF vectors rather than editable strokes, so re-editing means retracing.
Bottom line: GoodNotes vs Notability is the pick if you want the closest match to the iPad-era Notability workflow. Skip it if a recurring subscription is the whole reason you started shopping.
Samsung Notes, best for Galaxy tablet owners
Samsung Notes ships free on every Galaxy tablet with an S Pen, and stylus latency is measurably lower than any third-party option on Android. PDF import, annotation, and voice memos are built in, and syncing runs across Samsung accounts without an extra subscription. Export covers PDF, Word, and Microsoft OneNote.
Where it falls short: The best experience is locked to Samsung hardware. Handwriting-to-text is decent for English but weaker than Nebo on messy scripts and non-Latin languages.
Pricing:
- Free: everything, no ads, no note cap
- Paid: none
- vs Notability: free vs Notability’s subscription plus AI add-on
Migrating from Notability: Export Notability notes as PDF and import into Samsung Notes as annotatable backgrounds. Text stays as PDF text; ink stays as flat strokes.
Bottom line: Samsung Notes vs Notability is a clean win for Galaxy Tab owners. Skip it if your daily driver is a non-Samsung tablet.
Squid, best on older Android tablets
Squid treats the page as infinite paper and runs smoothly on hardware where fancier apps stutter. Ink latency stays low on two-year-old Samsung and Lenovo tablets, and PDF annotation works with real ink layering rather than sticky-note style comments. The free tier covers basic backgrounds; Premium at about $1 per month adds PDF import, cloud backup, and shape tools.
Where it falls short: No handwriting-to-text conversion. The UI is functional but plain, and release cadence has slowed compared with the original Papyrus era.
Pricing:
- Free: quick capture, basic paper backgrounds
- Paid: about $1 per month or roughly $9.99 per year for Premium
- vs Notability: a small fraction of the annual cost with no AI upsell
Migrating from Notability: Import Notability PDF exports and add ink layers on top. Squid keeps PDF ink as its own editable layer, so notes stay separate from the source document.
Bottom line: Squid vs Notability is the right call if the tablet is older and the budget is tighter. Skip it if you rely on handwriting-to-text.
MyScript Nebo, best handwriting to typed text
MyScript Nebo converts entire paragraphs of messy cursive into typed text with a double tap, and its recognition engine leads every published Android accuracy test we cross-checked. The free tier includes unlimited notebooks and pages, and a one-time in-app purchase unlocks premium export formats (Word with formatting, HTML, TeX) so the total spend caps out for good.
Where it falls short: The organization model is a flat list of notebooks without the sections Notability power users lean on. Custom paper templates are limited compared with Notability’s built-in library.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited notebooks, ink to text, basic export
- Paid: one-time IAP for premium exports and expanded PDF import
- vs Notability: no recurring fee at all if the free tier covers you
Migrating from Notability: No direct importer. Export Notability notebooks as PDF and open them in Nebo as background pages. Ink comes in as flat PDF vectors rather than editable Nebo strokes.
Bottom line: Nebo vs Notability wins for anyone whose real goal is turning handwriting into searchable typed text. Skip it if deep folder hierarchies and template variety matter more.
Kilonotes, best for PDF-heavy study workflows
Kilonotes built its reputation on PDF markup for tablet-based students. Import a textbook, layer editable ink over the pages, drop in text boxes and stickers, and export the annotated version back to PDF. The Android app runs cleanly on tablets across brands, and cloud sync ties devices together without a separate account per platform.
Where it falls short: Kilonotes leans hard on tablet-sized screens. On a phone it works but feels cramped. Handwriting-to-text is basic.
Pricing:
- Free: core notebook and markup tools
- Paid: about $4.99 per month for the Pro tier with extras
- vs Notability: comparable paid tier, stronger PDF-first workflow
Migrating from Notability: Export Notability notebooks as PDF and open them in Kilonotes as new documents. Kilonotes treats them as native PDFs, so ink layers stack cleanly on top.
Bottom line: Kilonotes vs Notability is a strong pick for students who annotate textbooks more than they write on blank pages. Skip it on a phone-only workflow.
Microsoft OneNote, best for cross-platform sync
Microsoft OneNote is free with no note count cap and supports handwriting on any Android tablet with a stylus. The notebook and section model matches how heavy Notability users organize documents, OCR on inserted screenshots is included, and cross-device sync runs on OneDrive at no extra cost for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Where it falls short: The Android app can feel sluggish on cheaper tablets during first-time sync of large notebooks. Ink tools are simpler than what Notability or Concepts offer for artists.
Pricing:
- Free: all core features, unlimited notes
- Paid: bundled with Microsoft 365 for extra OneDrive storage
- vs Notability: free at feature parity for handwriting and PDF markup
Migrating from Notability: Print Notability documents to PDF and drag them into OneNote pages. Text pasted from a text export becomes native OneNote text; ink stays flat.
Bottom line: OneNote vs Notability wins on price and cross-platform reach. Skip it if you want vector-quality ink and dedicated art tools.
Xodo, best for PDF annotation and signing
Xodo treats PDFs as first-class documents, with ink annotation, form filling, and signing as the main flow rather than an afterthought. The free tier covers what most students need without hitting a paywall, and PDF Pro unlocks OCR and cloud storage integrations. Ink strokes stay editable and export cleanly to email or Drive.
Where it falls short: Xodo is a PDF editor with notes, not a blank notebook with PDF support. Paper template variety and pen palettes are limited compared with Notability.
Pricing:
- Free: ink annotation, signing, form fill
- Paid: PDF Pro subscription for OCR and cloud tools
- vs Notability: free covers what most non-artists need for PDF-first work
Migrating from Notability: Export Notability notes as PDF and open them in Xodo. Notability ink flattens into the PDF; new markup layers on top as editable Xodo ink.
Bottom line: Xodo vs Notability is the pick if annotating contracts, textbooks, and forms is the actual job. Skip it if you want a diary or bullet-journal experience.
How to choose
Pick Samsung Notes if you own a Galaxy Tab with S Pen. It costs nothing, has the lowest stylus latency on Android, and syncs without an extra account.
Pick GoodNotes if you want the closest match to the iPad-era Notability workflow and you are fine paying a subscription. Template variety and organization depth are what it does best.
Pick MyScript Nebo if the point of the notebook is turning ink into searchable typed text. Recognition beats every other pick here on messy handwriting.
Pick Microsoft OneNote if the notebook needs to sync across Android, iPad, and desktop for free forever. It plugs into Outlook and Teams without asking.
Pick Squid on older hardware or a tight budget. It runs on tablets where GoodNotes and Notability stutter.
Pick Kilonotes for tablet-based textbook annotation and PDF-first study.
Pick Xodo if the tablet spends most of its time on contracts, forms, and PDF markup rather than blank pages.
Stay on Notability only if you already paid for AI Workspace and the exact Notability feature you use daily has no equivalent here. Everyone else has a cleaner option in this list.
FAQ
What is the best free Notability alternative on Android?
Samsung Notes if you own a Galaxy Tab, and Microsoft OneNote on any other Android tablet. Both are free forever with no note count cap. Samsung Notes wins on stylus latency; OneNote wins on cross-platform sync.
Is GoodNotes better than Notability on Android?
For most workflows, yes. GoodNotes has a wider template library, more mature organization, and a longer track record on tablet ink. Notability’s advantage on iPad was audio-linked ink playback, and that lead is thinner on Android.
Can I import my Notability notebooks into another app?
Not directly. Every alternative here imports PDF exports of Notability notebooks. Ink comes in as flat PDF vectors rather than editable strokes, so heavy re-editing means retracing.
Is there a Notability equivalent for Android that syncs to iPad?
Microsoft OneNote and GoodNotes both sync across Android, iPad, and desktop. OneNote is free forever; GoodNotes is a subscription. Notability itself syncs across its own platforms via iCloud only.
What do students use instead of Notability?
Students on Galaxy tablets pick Samsung Notes for the S Pen latency and free tier. Students on other Android tablets pick GoodNotes for the template library or Kilonotes for textbook markup, depending on whether the workflow is blank-page notes or annotated PDFs.
