ZoomNotes

I have been looking for an app which I could use for writing music scores by hand. This is the only one which has all the functions needed! Thank you for this and keep updating, this has a huge potential!

The idea is nice, very customizable interface, but the app is clunky. I’ve been trying to use it for note taking using its infinite whiteboard mode, but a few issues make it hard to use. Sometimes it fails to register fingers movement, specially zooming in/out, so you need to keep trying until it works, them after using fingers it takes a while to register the apple pencil again, making the transition between fingers/pencil slow. There is a myriad of customizations possible with the UI, but for me, the options and tools are not well organized, and some options are hard to recognize their meaning.

Digital planner with layers. Awesome! (There are some icloud sync bugs sometimes, fix pls)

Excellent, still being frequetly improved and updated.

This app has so much potential. There is a learning curve, but well worth it. I love, love love this app. It is so much better than goodnotes. I just wish they had it available for android users. I have a iPad, a Samsung phone, and a surface laptop. Am I the only one that doesn’t use Apple across all platforms?

pro: wealth of features. cons: exhaustive option choices; cumbersome and outdated UI; and frustrating, sometimes inconsistent boxes in boxes approach to document management. what was once my go-to is now relegated to my has-been. updates to this app appear to favor adding tweaks for edge-case needs instead of restructuring to make basic use less overwhelming and less frustrating. prior review: I am updating a rather old review. Improvements move this back from one star to four. I have tried a range of hand-writing/-note-taking/-sketching apps. This is (again) my go-to app among them all. I use it almost entirely now in place of pen + paper. I have yet to exhaust its features. My favorite use is to project whiteboard-like notes using ZoomNotes and an AirPlay app. Pros: Feature rich beyond any other. Among the best in its smooth ink feel. Wrist guard and tool box can be set to handle from left or right side. The main tools are laid out with forethought to common use. Cons: The UI settings can be a bit muddled, exhaustive, or comical looking. For the first two issues, thank goodness for workspaces. You can remove all tools but those that you really want. Neutral: The icons for the tools are … interestingly unique (to each his own here … they remain my least favorite things about this app). Summary: For me, this app is like a funky looking car that I hate to drop because it works so well. Almost since it’s inception, I have wished the UI would undergo a major overhaul. I wish the document handling would be streamlined thoroughly to be sparsely professional. Otherwise, to replace the pen+paper note-taking and sketching work that I need to do routinely, this is absolutely the only iPad app of its class that I will use.

I consider myself pretty tech savvy, patient, appreciative of multiple tools… this app is ridiculous. I patiently tried setting up a planner, and after multiple deletions and complicated directions, I give up!

Where are the updates?! Wow, I am barely able to use this app without it crashing constantly! All of these awesome features are useless when the app is so buggy. So frustrating! Going back to Goodnotes!

I’m enjoying this app over Goodnotes. Particularly where the toolbar is located. My beef is that I thought when I DL the app to my phone and ipad, it would all sync and I can read/access from multiple devices. It appears it does not and that’s the only thing lacking for me.

I thought I’d take time to update a previously written review given there have been so many updates to both ZoomNotes & iOS. I still rely on ZN 99.9% of the time. The *only* 2 ways I still use GN is 1) for exclusive GN file purchases & 2) for college digital textbooks (it’s easier for me to have both screens open during note-taking & highlighting things on the other app while taking my handwritten notes in ZN. I like many of the features that ZN has, from advanced image editing (opacity, precise sizing, etc) to the layers feature & page turning capabilities. I can create my own digital notebooks & planners without the standard practice of using Keynote to add links & such. Copying links, repeating text, & more can be done in literally just a few taps, without copy-pasting over & over…you just create a new layer for whatever you want to have the same on all pages (like page tab labels) & then select the option to copy current layer to all pages! Boom. Easy peasy. The customer service is fantastic. Join the Facebook group. Get tips, tricks, inspiration, & direct responses from the creator quickly. Have a suggestion? Tell Ed. Something acting wonky? Ed is so helpful. And here’s a great tidbit: IT’S NOT SUBSCRIPTION-BASED! You get all the features, all the customer support, & a great community all for one price! I wasted so much money on other apps that never quite worked the way I needed.