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Comparison of our favorite digital notebooks
Our favorite smart pens
Neo Smartpen M1+ for $129: Forget the tablet and instead write directly on paper with a smart pen. The Neo Smartpen M1+ is the thinnest and lightest of all the pens I’ve tried, making it feel a little more similar to your standard pen. Above all, it is comfortable to hold and use. You should be able to find anything notebook size and style you need as well as planners. The Neo Studio application (iOS, Android) is nice, with an easy-to-navigate notebook system and the ability to search for pages by page number or date. You can change the ink color and line weight directly on the page as you go, or you can change them later and change the colors of what you’ve written. —Médée Giodiano
Moleskine Smart Writing Set for $279: Moleskine has attracted a devoted following for its classic notebooks and journals, but it has also branched out into smart territory. The Smart Writing Set gives you a set of notebooks and pens, so it’s the best option for most beginners. Write in the notebook and it will appear in the companion app! But you can buy the pen alone, as well as smart notebooks and diaries in different sizes. The Moleskine Notes 2.0 application (iOS, Android) was easy to use once I got set up. An older version of the app is available for download, but version 2.0 is more simplified. A pop-up informs me that version 2.0 is still under development and that I may have to revert to the older version if my device has problems, but my iPhone 11 had no problems. I tested the $149 2018 version of the Smart Writing Set, which is no longer available, but we plan to test the latest version soon. —Medea Giordano
Honorable mentions
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Boox Note Air3 C for $450: This model was a solid all-around performer. It has a more complex ecosystem than our best picks, but also more capabilities compared to a standard tablet. This version has been discontinued, but there is a new version, the Note Air4 C ($530)which we now recommend above.
Kindle Scribe Colorsoft ($630) And Kindle Scribe (3rd generation) ($500): THE new versions of Kindle Scribe are still solid all-around devices that offer a good mix of e-reader and digital laptop features, but I still prefer the older model. While the new Scribe Colorsoft is a nice option if you want color, I think both are overpriced for what they are. The price comes from all the AI features built into the device, but I don’t think a digital reader or note taker would ask for more. Our picks above offer a better price for similar features, although the Scribe has the most impressive battery life of any digital laptop I’ve tried (and this is still true for the older model I recommend above as well, so you don’t need the newer model for better battery life).
Montblanc Digital Paper for $905: Yes, Montblanc, the one with the famous pens, now has its own digital notebook. It’s no surprise that I consider his digital pen to be one of the best. It offers a super lightweight feel while sporting three different buttons, two of which you can customize. (There’s no eraser, but I’ll forego that so that this end of the pen is more of a home button). I really like this device overall, but it’s expensive for what you get: aside from the customizable pen buttons, there’s not much to differentiate it from my top picks.
The Neo Smart Pen doesn’t cost $59: This is the cheapest smart pen option and uses replaceable batteries. It’s not compatible with Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook like our other picks.
Rocketbook Fusion Plus for $38: If you really prefer the paper experience and don’t want something you have to charge for, then Rocketbook is for you. Rocketbook makes many reusable notebooks, plannersand accessories like sheets And sticky notes. I like the Rocketbook Fusion Plus because it comes with a ton of different template styles, from your classic monthly and weekly pages to project management layouts and meeting notes, making it closer to the variety a digital notebook can give you. Take notes with a Pilot Frixion erasable pen (one is included with the item you purchase), scan photos of the pages into the Rocketbook app, and erase everything with the damp microfiber cloth (also included). The app is designed to keep everything organized and easily send items to Google Drive, Slack, Trello, OneNote, and a handful of other options.
Supernote A6 X2 Nomad for $394 (with standard pen): It’s a smaller version of the Supernote A5 X2 Manta, measuring almost 6 inches on one side and 7.5 inches on the other. Supernote designed it with travel in mind, but I find it’s the perfect size for a daily digital to-do list or for writing quick notes from a meeting. It’s too small for anything major, but if you’re looking for something compact, it’s a good option with the Supernote software (and with the same fantastic pens!). Like the Manta above, this model’s price increased due to tariffs, although it only increased by $30.
FAQs
Do you need a digital note-taking device?
The short answer is no. These devices are expensive, typically costing several hundred dollars while a simple laptop and pen costs a few dollars. But if you love the physical act of writing but need digital copies, it’s worth considering.
Benefits :
- Digital notebooks are thin and light but hold hundreds of notes.
- You can transcribe your notes into text files, making them easier to read and manipulate.
- Depending on the device, you can export files to PDF, Google Docs, Evernote, etc.
- Also instantly digitizes your art.
Disadvantages:
- Dear.
- Must be billed.
- Have a learning curve.
- Most smart pens need to be paired with a laptop. The next Nuwa pen promises smart notes on any paper.
E Ink notebooks are easier on the eyes and feel closer to paper than a tablet with a glass screen. But in some cases, you could spend less to buy an iPad and an Apple Pencil (and a keyboard if you also want to type sometimes). You can also do more with thousands of apps available in the App Store. An iPad is pretty intuitive if you’re familiar with the Apple ecosystem (although the ReMarkable and Supernote ecosystems are also very intuitive). Former WIRED reviewer Jaina Gray recommended using it iPad Pro 11 inch with the Good grades And Notability apps for writing, but there are other models that should work fine, including our top pick, the iPad 2025. Check out our guide to the Best iPads for more shopping tips.
I also have an iPad, and I will say that the advantage of a digital laptop is that the battery tends to last longer, especially if you’re the type to use it for a day or two and then forget about it for a few days. My faithful Kindle Scribe usually manages to have enough battery available whenever I feel the itch to take notes, even if it’s been a week or two since I last touched it.
Why are digital notebooks so expensive?
Just because these devices look like paper doesn’t mean they’re as cheap to make as a sheet of paper. Like any tablet or smartphone, these devices are packed with features, a special ecosystem, and E Ink technology is no easy feat to perfect, as well as a feeling similar to writing on paper. This is impressive technology.
Prices have not fallen for this category in the wake of customs tariffs causing an increase in technology prices. ReMarkable recently increased the price of our top pick, the ReMarkable Paper Pro. Another one of our favorites from Supernote increased by just under $50, and Kobo also raised its prices slightly, although the $10 increase is pretty minor compared to other increases we’ve seen. We will continue to monitor prices and report if further price changes are coming.
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