Comparison - Handwritten notes and PDF app

Winy vs Goodnotes

Goodnotes is the deep handwriting and PDF notebook; Winy is an infinite canvas where your own coding agents run live beside your ink.

Goodnotes is a note-taking app for handwriting, typed documents, PDFs and whiteboards, with Goodnotes AI, audio recording, real-time collaboration and apps for iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and the web.

Winy is a native infinite-canvas notebook for Mac, iPad and iPhone where real agent sessions such as Claude Code and Codex live as cards next to your notes, Pencil ink and images.

The real difference is what the notebook is for: Goodnotes is far ahead on handwritten notes, PDF markup, search and study tools, while Winy puts the agents you already run on the same board as your ink so they can see it.

At a glance

Question	Winy	Goodnotes
What it is	Infinite-canvas notebook with live agent cards	Notebooks, documents and whiteboards for handwriting and PDFs
Platforms	Mac, iPad and iPhone	iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and web
Handwriting	Pencil ink at full frame rate	Pencil ink, editable and searchable handwriting
PDF annotation	Not built in	Import, annotate and export PDFs
AI	Your own agents: Claude Code, Codex, any CLI	Goodnotes AI: summaries, search, meeting notes
Live terminals and agents	Yes, as cards on the board	Not built in
Audio recording	Not built in	Audio synced to your writing, with transcripts
Sync	Local-first over your own network; no cloud	iCloud across Apple devices; Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive backup
Collaboration	Single user; no multiplayer	Real-time collaboration on Pro and Teams
Pricing	Early access waitlist; no public pricing	Free tier; Essential $11.99/yr, Pro $35.99/yr

Which one is for you

Choose Goodnotes if

You take handwritten class or meeting notes and need to search them later.
You annotate PDFs, lecture slides or contracts with the Pencil.
You want templates, planners, audio recording and study flashcards in one app.
You need your notes on Windows, Android or the web, or want to edit them with other people live.

Choose Winy if

You want Claude Code or Codex running live on the page, not a chat about your notes.
You want to draw with the Pencil straight across a running terminal or a note.
You think on one infinite canvas and want your agents to see the notes and ink around them.
You run several agents and want to see which are working or waiting by zooming out.

Questions

What is a good Goodnotes alternative for Mac?

Goodnotes runs on the Mac, so it depends on what you want instead. Winy is a native notebook for Mac, iPad and iPhone built on an infinite canvas, with Pencil ink, notes, images and live agent sessions on the same board. It does not do PDF annotation or handwriting search, which Goodnotes does well.

Can I use Goodnotes with Claude?

Yes. Goodnotes has a Claude connector that turns content from a Claude chat, such as documents, diagrams and drawings, into new Goodnotes files. Winy works the other way round: a Claude Code session runs as a live card on your board, next to your notes and ink.

Is Goodnotes free?

Goodnotes has a free plan with up to 3 notebooks. Paid plans are Essential at $11.99 a year and Pro at $35.99 a year, with an AI Pass add-on for the full AI features.

Does Winy import Goodnotes notebooks or PDFs?

No. Winy does not import Goodnotes notebooks or annotate PDFs today.

Is Winy available now?

Winy is in early access. You can join the waitlist on winy.ai.

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