USD 9.99 per year (yes, subscription) OR one-time purchase of USD 29.99. The app has matured and I get that they try to get more out of it with its price increase and their marketplace. You are a GoodNotes 5 user and not happy with a subscription or an one-time purchase (there are discounts depending on when you bought v5:
GoodNotes 5 will still be available to use as usual if you purchased it, but in the future, the newest updates and features will be pushed to Goodnotes 6.
Yes, that is what I have chosen. It absolutely is fair. GoodNotes 5 was released in 2019. If v7 will be released in 2027, the one-time purchase will save some money, if it will be released in 2026, the subscription and and the one-time purchase is about the same price.
Be it as it may: I think the price point at about 30 bucks for a one-time purchase is the sweet spot for me and well worth it. If v7 will be significantly more expensive, I may have second thoughts then. But this is something still far off.
Love to see the math features and exam practice! I used Notability for my math/stats undergrad and GoodNotes for my Econ Master’s. Being able to convert handwritten equations to LaTeX and get some help solving them a la Wolfram Alpha is awesome!
Not sure if I’ll buy since I don’t do a ton of note-taking anymore but love to see it.
I think you would have to look really hard to find something to complain about with this release. Looks like more than enough new features to justify a new major version, interesting to see them push AI too much, and a totally reasonable one-time fee if you really don’t want another subscription. Excited to play around with it!
I am a GoodNotes 4 and 5 user and now a One time GoodNotes 6 user too. I do support them. I was not offered any discount as I upgraded the day they were released. So may be I was not on their tiered list.
The first feature I looked for was inserting an automatic date stamp into a template. Didn’t see it there. Bummer- it seems to me to be such a no brainier to add it …
Well I brought from the App Store. With the hassle and nightmare of going through the refund process with Apple I would let that discount pass and let the developer enjoy it.
Goodnotes seems to be using some “dark patterns”… The two choices are not equal… before hitting that “one time” button, we may want to peel away… From their website:
If you purchase Goodnotes 6 using the one-off fee, you can use Goodnotes 6 ONLY ON iOS, but for as long as Goodnotes supports Goodnotes 6 without needing to pay an additional fee, except in cases where new optional purchasable items are added.
I have been a longtime GoodNotes user and fan, and I smashed the one-time purchase button as an instant buy. However, the more I researched, it started to look weird. I refunded and will wait and see now…
v5 was only about 4 years or so - so “one time purchase” vs sub isn’t that big of a savings if they follow a similar release timetable for v7. Worth just subbing instead of purchasing if there’s any question in your mind.
Remember that owning something for life means you can keep using it…for life, not just until the next version.
When I retire I suspect I’ll stop updating my software so often and, if necessary, even run some in a virtual machine. My parents would still happily be using Office 2007 or whatever if I let them.
It’s a little sad that people who love the app for what it does now might someday have to leave it for something simpler because the app keeps “improving.”
Anyway, that was just me airing my general unrefined thoughts, not trying to convince anyone of anything.
Nothing in either the desktop or the iOS app to initiate the upgrade. On the App store it points to the Goodnotes 6 icon with an “open” icon rather than “get”, but opens my version 5. I guess I will have to wait to upgrade in-app
UPDATE
Did an update on the app store, but no discount offer
My concern is that, unlike GoodNotes 5, it appears family sharing does not work. I like the app and would be happy to update and pay for version 6, but if my wife and I cannot use the app independently on our own iPads, then there is not value in it for me.
