Goodnotes collaborative docs and AI assitant to cater to professional users

The notetaking application Goodnotes, which has historically focused on classroom users, is unveiling exciting new features today specifically designed for professionals. These enhancements include a collaborative whiteboard tool, document creation capabilities, and an AI assistant to aid in summarizing and generating content.

The Goodnotes AI is adaptable to multiple input methods, encompassing handwriting, typing, sketches, and voice. According to the company, this AI assistant can summarize meetings, produce visuals such as charts and diagrams, proofread written content, and create various templates for documents and note-taking.

Previously, the company acquired a South Korean startup specializing in meeting and video summaries, integrating its technology into these new functionalities.

In addition to AI capabilities, Goodnotes is introducing a whiteboard feature that allows users to collaborate on a blank canvas, integrating text and diagrams. Users can also create documents that include text, images, GIFs, and tables.

Goodnotes is not the only platform branching out to accommodate document creation. Productivity tools such as Grammarly and Canva are also encouraging users to create documents within their applications, thereby enhancing the context for their respective AI assistants to respond effectively to user requests.

“While we still have a large base of students, we aim to widen our product’s appeal to all users, particularly professionals. Text documents are prevalent in workplaces, especially for individuals who work extensively with typed content, and the whiteboard feature enhances collaboration using various tools. Our vision is to evolve into a comprehensive notetaking app suitable for all scenarios and devices,” stated GoodNotes founder Steven Chen during a conversation with TechCrunch.

The company is launching two new subscription plans: Goodnotes Essentials and Goodnotes Pro, which will replace the previous numbering system. The Essentials plan is priced at $11.99 per year and provides access to new file formats, AI for Q&A, and math functions. The Pro plan costs $35.99 per year and includes integration with Google Calendar and OneDrive, private link sharing and collaborative features, a desktop AI bot for meeting recording and transcription, and AI-powered content suggestions.

Goodnotes has set a limit on how extensively users can utilize the AI features, even under the Pro plan. They also offer an AI pass for $10 per month that grants unlimited AI credits.

Additionally, the company continues to provide a one-time purchase option for Apple device users at $35.99; however, this version lacks cloud syncing and cross-platform capabilities.

Originally launched as an iPad app in 2011, Goodnotes has since expanded to support iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. The startup now boasts over 25 million monthly active users, a notable increase from 21 million in 2023.