Best handwriting apps for the iPad

Handwriting on your iPad has never been easier. There are numerous apps that incorporate this great feature. So, check out our list of the best handwriting apps for the iPad.

 

 

Bamboo Paper

Price: Free

Missing the feeling of writing in REAL paper? Well, you may not be the only one out there, since this app is really made for folks who frequently need to act upon their urge to doodle. Touted by its developers as having the most accurate “realistic inking” functions there is on the IOS, it also charmingly comes with a  “notebook” for all of the notes and sketches you made with this app! 

 

 

 

Penultimate

Price: Free

One of the easiest to use and cheapest handwriting apps is Penultimate. If you are a first timer, Penultimate will give you a tour of how to use the app. Just like the previous app  you can create different notebooks and store and arrange them according to your desires.

 

 

 

Remarks 

Price: $4.99

Ever wondered who came up with the crazy idea of using the iPad solely for writing? This app, along with fellow note-taker apps like Noteshelf and Notability, were arguably the first wave of handwriting apps to prove that swiping can be more than just a way of sliding through Facebook photos. And as far as handwriting goes, this app is really all-inclusive: markers, text boxes, PDF annotations, and even sketching—all of this without having to use a stylus for it!

 

 

Note Anytime

Price: Free

It’s been 3 years now since the release of the above app, but the fact that more and more developers keep finding ways on how to improve the iPad’s handwriting capabilities speak volumes as to how code-friendly the iOS is. Case in point: this app, which describes itself as, among other things, a “virtual whiteboard”, is one of the more graphically defined apps in this list. Even if you’re not one for taking notes on the iPad, the sandbox-style mechanic of this makes it very hard NOT to play with it!

 

 

NotesTab

Price: $0.99

Most users can be bothered to use a functional app, even though it’s highly minimalistic in its design (see below for a prime example of it). However, NotesTab takes minimalism to a whole other level by emphasizing that there’s beauty behind it as well. Allowing you to write notes on any customizable background you can choose, the fact that you can automatically recover these by “starring” them on this app makes for some breezy searching!

 

 

GoodReader

Price: $4.99

Really, the only thing going against this app is that it’s STRICTLY made for annotating PDF documents. However, that should probably be the least of your worries, since as far as full functionality goes this one has the works! You can do more than just add notes on any PDF doc you open here—if there’s a creative and colorful way to highlight or stick text boxes on any PDF doc you may be reading at the time, this app provides you with it! 

 

 

Office Work

 

Office Note

Price: $2.99

One of the things leveled against the iPad is that it can do everything except meaningful, productive work. Well, this app makes a good case against it by allowing you to use a variety of functions which hew very closely to that of a standard Windows software, including word processor, an MS Paint-like program, and—probably best of all—automatic syncing with Google Docs.

 

 

“Just” Writing

 

iA Writer

Price: $0.99

If you’re looking for an app which simply “just” lets you write—no sketches, colored fonts, or any of those frilly functions we have come to expect from a typical iPad app—then there’s no question that this ode to Spartan functionality will get your creative juices flowing. No wonder this app is getting rave reviews from—wait for it—journalists and writers, of course. But if that isn’t enough for you, then the automatic Dropbox integration would convince you that this app is the real deal.

 

 

Productivity

 

Notesy

Price: $4.99

There’s Google Docs, and there’s everything else. Dropbox unfortunately happens to be part of the latter, but this app may prove a good point on why you may need to make the jump over to the platform: it allows you to create and work on documents similar to what you also do on Google Docs, but to do it offline? And still retain full functionality even with the hindrance of a WiFi-less connection? Now that makes it MORE interesting.

 

 

Research

 

Writing Kit

Price: $4.99

Ah yes, research; both the bane and boon of writers everywhere including—ahem—yours truly. The fact that one has to bookmark numerous links and cross-reference them against each other is deadly boring indeed. So for us personally, this is “our” killer app. In addition, anything you write here can be easily integrated with Dropbox or standard CloudApp integration.

 

 

Other

 

Paper by FiftyThree

Price: Free

With Paper by FiftyThree, writing on the iPad will be an amazing experience. There are numerous different features to enhance your writing experience. You can write with a fountain pen that writes smoothly over the iPad and turns your writing into a calligraphy. Also, you can purchase additional features.    

 

 

Storybook Maker

Price: $3.99

Of course, what’s a handwriting app list without having to include something for the kiddies? And really, there’s no better incentive for encouraging your kids to exercise their imaginations probably than with this app. Just as the app’s title suggests, it’s a storybook creator where your kid is allowed free reign as to what and how they choose to write on the “pages”, no matter how legible it is (of course)! Of course, both in-app and custom media like pics, audio recordings, and video can all be included on a story, since… well, what’s an iPad for if not for flashy multimedia consumption?  

Best handwriting apps for the iPad

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