# Effy vs Goodnotes

Effy records 13,992 monthly visits with -26.1% month-over-month growth and Freemium, Contact for Pricing pricing. Goodnotes records 3,227,341 monthly visits with +10.8% growth and Freemium, Free Trial pricing.

| Metric | [Effy](https://openaitools.app/tool/effy) | [Goodnotes](https://openaitools.app/tool/goodnotes) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Website URL | https://www.effy.ai | https://goodnotes.com |
| Categories | AI Productivity Tools, AI Task Management, AI Review Generator | AI Note Taker, AI Spell Check, AI Writing Assistants |
| Pricing Model | Freemium, Contact for Pricing | Freemium, Free Trial |
| Monthly Visits | 13,992 | 3,227,341 |
| MoM Growth Rate | -26.1% | +10.8% |
| Primary Market | United States | United States |
| Direct Visits | 5,599 | 1,638,916 |
| Review Score | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| Saved Count | 2 | 2 |
| Supported Platforms | Website | Website |

## Effy

Effy takes a deliberately focused approach to performance management. Instead of shipping fifteen modules employees never open, it concentrates on the two things most HR teams actually need to run: review cycles and the goals that should inform them. That means 360-degree feedback, peer reviews, upward reviews, self-assessments, probation check-ins and annual reviews, all with customizable forms, flexible workflows, visibility and anonymisation controls, and automated reminders through Slack and email.

The AI layer is where Effy saves the most time. Raw feedback is turned into clear summaries and reports ready to present, so managers spend their effort on conversations rather than on assembling comments into a document. Goals and OKRs cascade from company to team to individual level, with progress tracked as measurable metrics, project-style action items or auto-calculated values from child goals, and stakeholder reviews of accomplishments are built in.

Effy leans hard into the done-with-you model. The company reports that 350+ organisations across more than 30 countries use it and that 84% of customers launch without an implementation call, since most HR teams can run their first cycle the same day they sign up. Pricing starts at $3 per seat per month with no implementation fees, and the free plan covers up to five users with no time limit. Review data is hosted on AWS with an EU region available for data residency, and the platform states GDPR compliance with retention and deletion controls.

**Pricing & Plans:** Freemium with paid tiers. The free plan supports up to 5 users with no time limit, and the entry paid price is $3 per seat per month — the company states there are no implementation fees. Larger or more complex needs are priced via contact with sales.

- **AI-generated review summaries:** Raw feedback from reviews is distilled into individual and company-wide reports that are ready to present, cutting the administrative work of each cycle.
- **Every review type in one system:** Run 360s, peer reviews, upward reviews, self-assessments, probation check-ins and annual reviews with customizable forms and flexible workflows.
- **Cascading goals and OKRs:** Set company, team and individual goals with auto-calculated progress, then include them automatically in review cycles.
- **Slack-native workflows:** Reminders and review tasks arrive where employees already work, with email automation for those who prefer it.
- **Anonymisation and data controls:** Visibility and anonymisation settings protect candid feedback, with AWS hosting, an optional EU region, GDPR compliance and retention controls.

**Strengths:** Publishes transparent starting pricing at $3 per seat per month with a genuinely usable free tier for up to 5 users; Fast setup — most teams launch without an implementation call, per the vendor; AI summaries and reports remove the biggest time sink in review cycles; Slack and email automation plus goal cascading keep the process running without chasing

**Limitations:** Positioned for 30–1,000+ employee companies, so very large enterprises may outgrow it; Fewer adjacent HR modules than broad suites like Lattice; Custom or complex needs move to contact-for-pricing, which is less predictable

[Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/effy.md)

## Goodnotes

Goodnotes is a digital note-taking app designed around the feel of writing on paper, then extended with everything a paper notebook cannot do. The core notebook experience uses a low-latency ink engine so handwriting feels natural on a tablet with a stylus. You can rest your hand on the screen, cross out to erase, and convert handwritten text into typed characters when you need something searchable or exportable.

Around that core sits a flexible document workspace. The app handles PDF annotation, typed documents, infinite whiteboards, imported images, and recorded audio in the same environment, so a meeting, lecture, or project space can mix formats without switching tools. Notes and documents sync across iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows, and the web, letting you start a page on a tablet and finish it at a desk.

Goodnotes also layers in AI and collaboration. AI-powered search looks across typed text, handwriting, and sketches at once, and can turn a page of notes into a mind map, a summary, or a project plan with action items. Real-time collaboration, shared notebooks, and education-focused deployments make it a practical fit for students, teachers, and knowledge-heavy teams in fields like architecture, engineering, legal, and consulting.

**Pricing & Plans:** Freemium with a free tier and paid subscription plans, plus separate offerings for education and business. A free trial is available; exact regional prices are listed on the official pricing page.

- **Natural handwriting engine:** Low-latency ink with palm rejection, cross-out to erase, and handwriting-to-text conversion keeps writing close to pen on paper.
- **PDF annotation and markup:** Import contracts, papers, or textbooks and mark them up by hand, with searchable annotations and clean exports.
- **AI search and transformation:** Search across typed text, handwriting, and sketches, and turn notes into summaries, mind maps, or structured plans.
- **Real-time collaboration:** Work together in shared notebooks, documents, and whiteboards simultaneously, without version conflicts or file ping-pong.
- **Cross-device sync:** Continue the same notebook on tablet, phone, desktop, or web so notes follow you between work and study settings.

**Strengths:** Best-in-class handwriting feel makes the transition from paper notebooks easy; Combines notebooks, PDFs, whiteboards, and audio in a single app; AI search reads handwriting and sketches, not just typed text; Broad device support with reliable cross-platform syncing

**Limitations:** The best features sit behind the paid subscription or one-time purchase; Advanced AI and collaboration features require an account and internet connection; Heavy notebooks with large PDFs can be slow on older devices

[Profile (Markdown)](https://openaitools.app/tool/goodnotes.md)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do Effy and Goodnotes compare in monthly traffic?

Effy has 13,992 monthly visits, while Goodnotes has 3,227,341. Traffic estimates describe audience size, not product quality.

### How do their growth rates compare?

Effy has a month-over-month growth rate of -26.1%; Goodnotes has +10.8%.

### How does pricing compare?

Effy: Freemium, Contact for Pricing. Freemium with paid tiers. The free plan supports up to 5 users with no time limit, and the entry paid price is $3 per seat per month — the company states there are no implementation fees. Larger or more complex needs are priced via contact with sales. Goodnotes: Freemium, Free Trial. Freemium with a free tier and paid subscription plans, plus separate offerings for education and business. A free trial is available; exact regional prices are listed on the official pricing page.

## Alternatives

| # | Tool Name | Monthly Visits | MoM Growth Rate | Pricing Model | Summary | Profile (Markdown) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 1 | [Knowt](https://openaitools.app/tool/knowt-com) | 4,183,953 | +5.4% | Free | Excels at automatically generating flashcards and practice quizzes from study notes, but lacks freehand drawing features. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/knowt-com.md) |
| 2 | [StudyFetch](https://openaitools.app/tool/study-fetch) | 1,750,520 | +1.7% | Freemium | Turns course materials into interactive AI study tools, but focuses less on handwritten digital notebooks. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/study-fetch.md) |
| 3 | [LightPDF](https://openaitools.app/tool/lightpdf-com) | 1,742,568 | -15.3% | Freemium | Stronger online PDF editing and AI chat capabilities, but lacks tablet-optimized handwritten note-taking workflows. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/lightpdf-com.md) |
| 4 | [Studley AI](https://openaitools.app/tool/studley-ai) | 1,031,545 | -19.5% | Freemium | Converts notes and PDFs into quizzes and flashcards, but lacks stylus-based handwriting and sketching tools. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/studley-ai.md) |
| 5 | [Craft](https://openaitools.app/tool/craft-do) | 703,417 | +8.9% | Freemium | Provides gorgeous structured block-based document editing, but is built for typed text rather than handwritten notes. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/craft-do.md) |
| 6 | [Motion](https://openaitools.app/tool/usemotion-com) | 511,886 | -15.5% | Free Trial, Paid | The AI super app for work — tasks, projects, calendar and meetings in one place | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/usemotion-com.md) |
| 7 | [Capacities](https://openaitools.app/tool/capacities) | 339,396 | +5.7% | Freemium, Paid | Organizes notes into interconnected typed objects rather than traditional notebooks, but lacks handwritten ink support. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/capacities.md) |
| 8 | [Leapsome](https://openaitools.app/tool/leapsome) | 290,483 | -9.6% | Contact for Pricing | Agentic HR platform uniting HRIS, performance and talent management | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/leapsome.md) |
| 9 | [Careerflow](https://openaitools.app/tool/careerflow-ai) | 252,782 | -17.2% | Freemium | AI career copilot for resumes, LinkedIn, and the whole job hunt | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/careerflow-ai.md) |
| 10 | [Noteey](https://openaitools.app/tool/noteey) | 230,694 | -1.6% | Freemium | Uses an infinite visual canvas for note organization, but lacks Goodnotes' paper templates and PDF annotation polish. | [.md](https://openaitools.app/tool/noteey.md) |

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Source: https://openaitools.app/compare/effy-vs-goodnotes

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