Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GoodNotes VS Diigo

Compare GoodNotes VS Diigo and see what are their differences

GoodNotes logo GoodNotes

GoodNotes lets you take notes and annotate PDF documents.

Diigo logo Diigo

Diigo is a powerful research tool and a knowledge-sharing community
  • GoodNotes Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05
  • Diigo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-20

GoodNotes features and specs

  • Handwriting Recognition
    GoodNotes offers OCR (Optical Character Recognition), making handwritten notes searchable and easily convertible to text.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application features an intuitive and well-organized interface, making it easy for users to navigate and use.
  • Cross-Platform Syncing
    GoodNotes allows for seamless synchronization across multiple devices, including iOS and macOS, ensuring your notes are always up to date.
  • Variety of Paper Templates
    The app offers a wide array of paper templates and covers, allowing users to customize their notebooks according to their needs.
  • Collaboration Tools
    GoodNotes supports collaborative note-taking, allowing multiple users to work on a single document simultaneously.
  • Annotation Features
    Users can annotate PDFs, images, and other documents, making it versatile for different types of note-taking and review.

Possible disadvantages of GoodNotes

  • Platform Limitation
    GoodNotes is currently available only on iOS and macOS platforms, limiting its accessibility for users on other operating systems.
  • No Audio Recording
    Unlike some other note-taking apps, GoodNotes does not offer an audio recording feature, which could be a downside for users who like to sync notes with lectures or meetings.
  • Learning Curve
    Although the interface is user-friendly, some of the advanced features can have a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Subscription Model
    While GoodNotes offers a variety of features, it comes with a subscription cost, which may be a consideration for budget-conscious users.
  • File Size
    Notes and documents in GoodNotes can become quite large, potentially taking up substantial storage space on your device.
  • Limited Cloud Storage
    Although GoodNotes supports iCloud syncing, it does not offer integration with other popular cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox out-of-the-box.

Diigo features and specs

  • Bookmarking
    Allows users to save and organize web pages for future reference, which is particularly useful for research and continuous learning.
  • Annotation Tools
    Users can highlight text and add sticky notes directly on web pages, making it easy to retain important information and notes.
  • Collaboration
    Supports group features that allow for collaboration by sharing bookmarks, notes, and annotations, enhancing team productivity.
  • Cloud-Based Access
    Being cloud-based, Diigo ensures that bookmarks, annotations, and notes are accessible from any device with internet access, providing flexibility and convenience.
  • Search Functionality
    Powerful search capabilities that help users find saved bookmarks and notes easily, increasing efficiency.
  • Integrations
    Integrates with other tools and platforms, such as web clippers for browsers and mobile apps, enhancing its utility.

Possible disadvantages of Diigo

  • User Interface
    Some users may find the interface to be outdated and not as intuitive as other bookmarking or note-taking tools.
  • Cost
    Advanced features require a premium subscription, which may be a barrier for some users looking for free solutions.
  • Learning Curve
    The wide range of features can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a longer learning curve to become proficient.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are concerns about data privacy and security, particularly with sensitive information.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Users have reported occasional bugs and glitches, which can affect the smoothness of the experience.

Analysis of GoodNotes

Overall verdict

  • GoodNotes is highly regarded among note-taking apps, particularly for iPad users who benefit from its extensive features optimized for using the Apple Pencil. While primarily designed for iOS devices, it offers a solid option for digital note-taking with its wide range of functionalities and continued updates that enhance user experience.

Why this product is good

  • GoodNotes is widely appreciated for its intuitive user interface, robust organizational tools, and advanced note-taking features. It provides users with the ability to write and sketch naturally using a stylus, as well as the capability to import, annotate, and export documents in various formats. Its synchronization across devices through iCloud allows for seamless access to notes from multiple locations, making it convenient for students, professionals, and creatives alike.

Recommended for

  • Students who want a reliable digital notebook for organizing class notes, especially those with an iPad and Apple Pencil.
  • Professionals looking for a powerful tool to manage meeting notes, planning, and document annotations.
  • Creatives who require a versatile app for sketching, brainstorming, and conceptual work.

Analysis of Diigo

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Diigo is considered a good tool due to its robust set of features that cater to users looking for a comprehensive web annotation and bookmarking solution.

Why this product is good

  • Diigo is a versatile social bookmarking tool with features such as online bookmarking, annotation, archiving, and collaboration, which are particularly useful for researchers, students, and professionals who need to organize, share, and manage digital information efficiently.

Recommended for

  • Students who want to organize their research resources
  • Researchers in need of a collaborative annotation platform
  • Professionals who manage large amounts of digital information
  • Educators looking for a tool to help with collaborative learning

GoodNotes videos

GoodNotes 5 Review - Best iPad Pro Note taking app?? (2019)

More videos:

  • Review - GoodNotes 5 Walkthrough | iPad
  • Review - Notability vs Goodnotes 5 - The Best iPad Note Taking App (2019) | KharmaMedic

Diigo videos

Intro to Diigo

More videos:

  • Review - Diigo Review
  • Review - Organize Your Research with Diigo (Part 1 of 3)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GoodNotes and Diigo)
Note Taking
35 35%
65% 65
Bookmark Manager
0 0%
100% 100
Task Management
100 100%
0% 0
Bookmarks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GoodNotes and Diigo

GoodNotes Reviews

15 Best Notability Alternatives 2022
Automatically sync your note to the cloud to ensure the updated versions are always available on your app. GoodNotes allows you to import files, take photos, scan documents, and weave them into your notes to make them more comprehensive.

Diigo Reviews

Best Bookmark Managers for Teams, Designers & Power Users
Diigo is a research-focused bookmark manager that caters to users who want more than just a place to store links. It supports detailed organization through tags and lists and is widely used in academic and educational settings. Whether youโ€™re collecting references or building a digital library of knowledge, Diigo helps you stay organized and focused.
Top 10 browser-independent bookmark managers for efficient web surfing
All BlogsPublished in Top 10 browser-independent bookmark managers for efficient web surfingShare this postLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter iconThe only bookmarking tool you'll ever needTry for freeTable of contents1. Can bookmarks be shared between different browsers?2. What does the browser-independent bookmark manager do?3. Is it safe to use a bookmarks manager?4. What...
Source: www.save.day
Top 10 Bookmark Managers for Chrome 2024
Diigo is an easy-to-use bookmark manager tool where users can connect as many tools to their service. You can access to all the basic necessities to bookmark, archive, screenshot and markup in Diigo.
15 Best Xmarks Alternatives For Bookmarks Synchronization
Diigo is a bookmarking toolbar that makes a difference. It allows users to bookmark and organize their favourite websites and also to annotate and highlight pages using the built-in tool. This tool is available for both iOS and Android platforms and can also work as a separate application despite the toolbar in your google chrome.
Source: techreen.com
10 Best Apps like Pocket in 2021 - Pocket Alternatives
Diigo is another excellent app like Pocket, that you can use today. Diigoโ€™s free account allows you to save 500 bookmarks and 100 highlights with advertisements. If you require more, you can buy a $40 per year plan that allows you to save limitless online content. Diigo facilitates you to save anything from the internet, including images, web pages, PDFs, and so on.
Source: asoftclick.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GoodNotes should be more popular than Diigo. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GoodNotes mentions (5)

  • Dislike recent update on speech notes regarding UI
    Add your feedback to the support thread on goodnotes.com. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Some links work, some don't
    There's a share.goodnotes.com link and others are just goodnotes.com. I could only get one notebook to have the fist link a few months ago and it works for viewing it online on Windows on any browser, the other one just takes me to a page telling me to launch the app which I can only do on Apple devices. Is there any way to get the other type of link or was it just an experiment? Source: over 4 years ago
  • Paid opportunity for USF students!
    GoodNotes App is looking for Content Creators to help us build up study materials on our new platform- GoodNotes Community. GoodNotes is a digital note taking app- check us out here. We have just launched an exciting new product within our app- a note sharing platform. We are looking for students in USF studying either STEM or Business related disciplines. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Visual productivity app?
    It sounds like you need something like GoodNotes 5 or Miro. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Would yโ€™all be interested in a well-designed digital paper planner made specifically for folks with ADHD?
    Digital paper planners are like physical planners but you can store and write in them inside an app like Goodnotes (http://goodnotes.com) using a tablet and stylus. Source: almost 5 years ago

Diigo mentions (1)

  • Ask HN: Is there a spiritual successor to del.icio.us?
    Https://diigo.com It's less simple than Delicious used to be, but it scratched the itch for a while for me. I barely ever bookmark anything these days. When Delicious was sold I stopped using it, and realised I didn't miss bookmarking and hardly ever read any of my bookmarks anyway. Excessive bookmarking seems like FOMO to me, I try to avoid it and embrace a more Zen-like attitude :). - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GoodNotes and Diigo, you can also consider the following products

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.

Raindrop.io - All your articles, photos, video & content from web & apps in one place.

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

Pinboard - Pinboard is a personal archive for things you find online and don't want to forget.

RedNotebook - RedNotebook is a software that format, tag and search entries and add pictures, links and customizable templates, spell check notes, and export to plain text, HTML, Latex or PDF.

start.me - A Modern-day bookmark manager. A place for your favorites. A news feed (RSS) reader. A browser startpage. A portal for your team.