Best Digital Planners for iPad: Expert Reviews & Apps

Okay so I just tested like eight different digital planners last week because honestly my old setup was making me want to throw my iPad out the window, and here’s what actually works.

GoodNotes 6 with Third-Party Planners

Start here if you’re new to this whole thing. GoodNotes 6 is basically the gold standard app—I’ve been using it for three years and it’s the one I always come back to. The app itself is free now which is wild because I paid like $8 for the old version, but whatever.

The thing with GoodNotes is you need to buy planners separately from Etsy or other shops. I know that sounds annoying but trust me it’s actually better because you can find exactly what you need. My go-to shops are:

• Busy B Planners – their minimalist daily pages are chef’s kiss
• The Digital Press – more expensive but the hyperlinks actually work properly
• Plan This Life – good if you want something that looks like a real paper planner

The hyperlinks thing is huge btw. You want tabs that actually take you to different months and sections when you tap them. Some cheaper planners just have fake tabs that do nothing and you’re stuck scrolling forever trying to find July.

GoodNotes lets you write super smoothly with the Apple Pencil, you can search your handwriting which sounds like magic but actually works about 80% of the time, and you can have multiple planners open. I usually have my work planner, personal planner, and a random notebook going at once.

The annoying parts nobody tells you

The lasso tool is weirdly positioned and I accidentally select things when I’m just trying to write. Happens like five times a day. Also if you’re left-handed the palm rejection isn’t perfect—my friend Sarah complains about this constantly.

Notability for People Who Like Recording Things

Okay so this is gonna sound weird but if you’re in a lot of meetings or lectures, Notability might be better than GoodNotes even though everyone always recommends GoodNotes first.

The killer feature is you can record audio while you write, and then when you tap on your notes later, it plays back the audio from that exact moment. I used this during client sessions for like six months and it was incredible for remembering context. Though I should mention you gotta tell people you’re recording obviously.

Notability also has this thing called “note-taking paper” which is basically just their version of planners but honestly? They’re pretty basic. You’re better off importing third-party planners here too. The app costs $15 yearly now which is… fine I guess. I have mixed feelings about subscription models but whatever, it’s cheaper than my coffee habit.

The writing feel is slightly different from GoodNotes. Some people prefer it, some don’t. It’s like a tiny bit more resistance? Hard to explain. You’d have to try both.

Structured for People Who Are Really Type A

Wait I forgot to mention this one earlier but it deserves its own section. Structured is specifically a daily planner app and it’s for people who want to time-block their entire day.

You can’t handwrite in it which might be a dealbreaker for some people, but hear me out. You add tasks and assign them time slots, and it shows you a timeline of your day. It syncs with your calendar. It sends you notifications when you should move to the next task. My dog started barking and I lost my train of thought but yeah—this app is intense in a good way.

The free version is pretty limited though. You need the premium ($10/year I think?) to actually use it properly. But if you’re someone who needs that level of structure, it’s worth it.

I use this alongside GoodNotes actually. Structured for time-blocking my day, GoodNotes for actual note-taking and planning. They serve different purposes.

Zinnia for the Minimalists

This one flew under my radar until last month when a client showed it to me. It’s a journal-meets-planner and the design is so clean it almost looks too simple at first.

But here’s the thing—sometimes simple is exactly what you need. You can add different types of entries: daily logs, gratitude stuff, habit tracking, goals. It’s all text-based but you can add photos. The AI features are… okay they exist but I mostly ignore them because AI summaries of my journal entries feel dystopian.

Free version is generous. Premium is $30/year which feels steep but you get unlimited entries and some other features I don’t really use.

The vibe is very different from a handwritten planner though. If you specifically want to write with the Apple Pencil, this isn’t it.

oh and another thing about Zinnia

The widget is actually useful. Shows your tasks right on your home screen. I keep forgetting to check my planners sometimes (ironic I know) and the widget helps with that.

Noteshelf for People Who Want It to Feel Like Paper

Okay so funny story—I bought Noteshelf like two years ago, forgot about it, then rediscovered it last week and remembered why I liked it.

The paper textures actually look and feel realistic. Like you can choose lined paper, grid paper, or even this textured paper that has a slight resistance when you write. It sounds gimmicky but it genuinely makes a difference if you miss the feeling of paper planners.

They have built-in templates including some planner layouts, but again, they’re basic. Import your own from Etsy. The app is $10 one-time purchase which in 2025 feels refreshingly not-subscription.

The organization system uses notebooks and folders which makes sense to my brain better than GoodNotes’ system. That’s totally personal preference though.

One weird thing—the app icon is ugly. This shouldn’t matter but it does bother me every time I see it on my home screen. Extremely shallow complaint but I’m being honest here.

Apple’s Built-In Notes and Calendar Apps

Listen. Before you spend any money, try just using what’s already on your iPad. I know this sounds boring but Apple’s Notes app got really good.

You can handwrite in it now, create folders, scan documents, collaborate with other people. The calendar app obviously syncs across all your devices. Together they might be enough if you don’t need fancy planner layouts.

My husband uses literally just these two apps and he’s somehow more organized than me despite my seventeen planner apps. It’s infuriating.

The limitation is you can’t import those pretty planner PDFs and you don’t get the satisfying feeling of turning pages and checking off boxes in a designed layout. For some people that doesn’t matter. For me it does because I’m apparently a child who needs visual rewards.

What Actually Matters When Choosing

After testing all these, here’s what I think you should consider:

Do you want to handwrite or type? This is the biggest question. If you want the Apple Pencil experience, you’re looking at GoodNotes, Notability, or Noteshelf. If typing is fine, Structured or Zinnia might work better.

How much customization do you need? People who want very specific layouts should go with GoodNotes or Noteshelf and buy third-party planners. People who want simplicity should try the built-in apps or Structured.

What’s your actual planning style? I spent like three months trying to force myself into a detailed daily planner layout before I realized I’m more of a bullet journal person. Know thyself and all that.

my actual current setup that I’m probably gonna change next month

I use GoodNotes 6 with a planner from Busy B Planners (the undated one because I refused to buy a new planner in March when I started). I have three notebooks: work stuff, personal life stuff, and random notes that don’t fit anywhere else.

I also have Structured running for my daily time-blocking because otherwise I get distracted by… well, everything. Currently distracted by writing this actually.

And I keep Apple Calendar synced because I need my appointments to show up on my phone when I’m not carrying my iPad.

This feels like too many apps but it works. Your setup will probably look different.

The Annoying Technical Stuff

Make sure you backup your planners. GoodNotes backs up to iCloud automatically but if you’re weird about cloud storage like my one friend who refuses to trust Apple with her data, you can export planners as PDFs.

Apple Pencil 1 vs 2 doesn’t matter that much for planning. The 2 is nicer because it magnetically attaches and charges but the 1 works fine. I used a first-gen Pencil for years.

Screen protectors with papery texture are popular but they make your screen look slightly worse. I tried one for three days and took it off. The tradeoff isn’t worth it for me but lots of people swear by them.

Battery life on the Pencil is weirdly good. I charge mine like once a week maybe? And I use it several hours a day.

What I’d Tell You to Actually Buy Right Now

If you asked me tonight what to get, I’d say download GoodNotes 6 (free), buy a planner from Busy B Planners on Etsy (around $8-12), and use that for a month. See if you actually stick with digital planning before investing in anything else.

A lot of people buy everything at once, use it for two weeks, then go back to paper planners or Google Calendar. Which is fine but expensive.

The only exception is if you already know you hate handwriting, then just try Structured or stick with Apple’s built-in apps. Don’t force yourself to write with the Pencil if typing is faster for you.

Oh wait I forgot to mention Notion but honestly Notion on iPad is kind of clunky for actual writing even though everyone on YouTube acts like it’s perfect. It’s better on a computer. There I said it.

I think that covers the main options? There are like forty other planner apps but most of them are either too niche or trying to do too much. These are the ones that actually work for regular people who just want to get organized without learning a complicated system.