7 Best Digital Notepads in 2024

We live in a digital age, and writing notes on paper doesn’t feel right anymore. Fortunately, there are more convenient and more eco-friendly alternatives. Digital notepads are lightweight, portable devices that mimic the feel of pen and paper and have many clever features that make jotting down notes and drawing silly pictures more fun.

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At A Glance: 7 Best Digital Notepads in 2020

• New Apple iPad (10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB) - Gold (Latest Model)
  Our Top Pick
• Huion H420 USB Graphics Drawing Tablet Board Kit

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Not sure which one’s are the Best Digital Notepads? Here are seven of our favorites.

Best Digital Notepads

1. Apple iPad

Our favorite digital notepad is a tablet. The Apple iPad is a stunning device running the iOS mobile operating system, which is the same system that powers the iPhone. There are many excellent note-taking apps available for iOS, including GoodNotes, Noteshelf, Evernote, and Apple Notes, to name a few.

The last app, Apple Notes, is included with all recent versions of iOS, and it can be synchronized between devices using Apple’s iCloud service. It offers advanced text formatting options, support for file attachments, rich web and map link previews, and the ability to create sketches using the Apple Pencil.

The Apple Pencil is what makes the Apple iPad, such as beautiful digital notepad, allowing you to write and draw naturally. The tip of the pencil can recognize subtle pressure and tilt differences, so it’s easy to produce a range of artistic effects or imitate other writing and drawing instruments. People have even created stunning works of art using apps such as ArtRage or Zen Brush.

Besides being great for taking notes and drawing pictures, the Apple iPad is also excellent for browsing the web, taking pictures, playing mobile games, listening to music, or watching movies. There are currently around 2 million iOS apps in Apple’s store, so it’s unlikely that you would run out of things to do on your iPad anytime soon.

Buy it now: here

2. Huion H420

Next, we’re looking at the Huion H420. This one is more of a graphics drawing tablet, but you can use it as a digital notepad as well.

You can hook the Huion H420 up to your iPhone or computer, and draw or jot down notes. With a compatible program, what you draw or jot down on the drawing pad will appear in the canvas portion of your program.

The cool thing about this one is that H420 is compatible with all significant drawing programs, including many of the software programs within the Adobe software suite.

It’s easy to set up, as well. With a plug and play solution, this one can quickly and easily connect up to most devices — no extra drivers necessary.

Buy it now: here

3. Boogie Board

The Boogie Board features a pressure-sensitive LCD writing surface that you can write on either with the included stainless steel stylus or using any other suitable writing instrument—your fingers included! There’s only one button on the Boogie Board, and its purpose is to erase the display and provide you with a clean slate.

According to the manufacturer, the built-in battery should last for at least 50,000 erase cycles. In other words, the Boogie Board should last you over 10 years if you were to wipe it 10 times a day. But if you plan on buying it for your kids, you shouldn’t expect to get more than 3 years of use out of it.

When the battery dies, you have to options: you can either purchase a new Boogie Board or carefully pop out the battery cover using a sharp tool and replace it yourself. Many users have done so successfully, but there’s always a chance of something going wrong when it comes to poking inside sensitive electronic devices.

Buy it now: here

4. Apple iPad Pro

The Apple iPad is one of the best devices that you can buy as far as digital notepads go, but if you’re looking for something that’s on the larger side of the spectrum, the iPad Pro might be more up your alley.

This is because the iPad Pro comes in display sizes all the way up to 12.9-inches. This said, you have a ton of room to take notes or even to doodle or draw.

And just like the iPad, this one works with the Apple Pencil. This enables you to take more natural notes, not having to fiddle around with a keyboard whatsoever. The Apple Pencil also allows you to be more precise as far as doodling and drawing goes.

Buy it now: here

5. XP-Pen Star05

The Star05 from XP-Pen is a wireless graphics drawing tablet that comes with a battery-free stylus with a precise tip with 2048 pressure levels. The stylus is optimized for both right- and left-handed users, and its automatic line correction and intelligent anti-shake functionality make creating smooth, natural lines a breeze.

The Star05 takes power from a built-in lithium battery, which can provide up to 14 hours of wireless use. It takes about 2.5 hours to charge the tablet to its full capacity, and you can use it while it’s charging. The Star05 features six touch-sensitive shortcut keys that may be customized to provide quick access to most commonly used functions, and To streamline your graphic design workflow on the overall.

Because this device doesn’t have a display, you need to connect it to a computer to see your drawings and notes. The Star05 is compatible with all recent versions of Windows and macOS, and it works with all popular graphic design software, including Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator, Clip Studio, and others.

Buy it now: here

6. Sony DPT-RP1/B

The Sony DPT-RP1/B is the most advanced ebook reader in the world. It amazes with its 10.3-inch (there’s also a 13.3-inch version) display with a very high resolution and paper-like texture. Unlike other ebook readers on the market, the Sony DPT-RP1/B comes with a digital stylus that allows you to annotate documents or take handwritten notes easily.

The Sony DPT-RP1/B has 16 GB of internal storage, which is enough for approximately 10,000 PDF files. It also automatically synchronizes all documents and notes over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth using the Digital Paper app, which is supported by Windows 7/8/10 and macOS 10.10 and newer.

If we had to point out something unlikable about the Sony DPT-RP1/B, it would be its price. The least expensive version costs $599, which is a lot even for a tablet—let alone an ebook reader with a stylus. But unlike tablets, the Sony DPT-RP1/B won’t lose too much of its value with age.

Buy it now: here

7. ACECAD PenPaper

As precise and natural as the Apple Pencil is, it still doesn’t entirely capture that satisfying feeling of a pen gliding across a sheet of paper. If you’re not ready to give up the traditional note-taking experience but still want to enjoy the ability to easily store your notes in a digital form and share them via email, the ACECAD PenPaper is an excellent alternative to the Apple Pencil.

This digital notepad digitally captures what you write and draw using a pressure-sensitive digital pen with a traditional ink refill on ordinary paper. The pen transmits the captured information in real-time via Bluetooth to any iOS device with the PenPaper Note app.

The app helps you organize and edit your notes and export them as PDF files or images. And if you ever happen to run out of battery power, you can take a picture of your notes using the iPad’s rear camera and import it to the PenPaper Note app.

Best Digital Notepads Verdict

Here we’ve shown yous even excellent options that you can use for drawing and jotting down notes. There are hundreds of options out there; however, we’re convinced that these seven are some of the best that you can pick up today.

We will say that we like the iPad Pro, mainly because it’s just so versatile. You can use it with note-taking apps, but you can also use it for drawing and several other things.

What’s your favorite digital notepad?