You Asked, We Listened: Classic is Back

Over the years, one request has come up in our user community more than almost any other: Please bring back a one-time purchase option for Notability.

We heard you! Loudly, clearly, and consistently. Today, we're announcing some of the most significant updates to Notability's plan lineup in years, including the return of Classic, a one-time purchase option; an expanded free Starter plan; and an affordable Lite plan now available across all platforms. We're also offering 20% off on all plans on notability.com (lower than prices on the App Store) for a limited time to celebrate Back-to-School season.

The Story Behind Classic's Return

When Notability transitioned to a subscription model, it was a difficult but deliberate decision. Subscriptions fund the ongoing development of our new features, server infrastructure, AI capabilities, and the kind of continuous improvement that keeps Notability competitive and reliable across millions of devices.

But we were also listening. And what we kept hearing was a version of the same thing: “I love Notability. I just don't want another monthly payment.” This was real feedback from real users who genuinely want to use our app, and we'd be foolish to ignore it. The truth is, subscription fatigue is a real phenomenon. The average person today juggles more recurring charges than ever before, and for an app like Notability, something you rely on for school, for work, for life, the ask to commit to a recurring payment can feel like a lot.

We spent time thinking hard about how to honor that feedback while building a plan that's sustainable for Notability’s future. The answer was the launch of a new version of a one-time purchase option, Classic.

Marc Provost, our Chief Product Officer, shares, “We've always believed that the best products are shaped by the people who use them. Classic is proof of that. Our community told us, again and again, that they wanted a way to own Notability without a subscription,  and we found a way to make that work. We're proud to bring it back.”

A Plan for Every Kind of Note-Taker

Classic: a one-time purchase

Classic is officially available again as a one-time purchase for all users. No subscriptions, no renewals, no surprises. 

Classic includes:

• Unlimited notes
• Handwriting recognition
• Math conversion to LaTeX
• Collaboration
• Sync across iOS, Android, and Web
• 7-day version history

Classic pricing:

• 20% off on notability.com: $39.99
• App Store: $49.99

A note for existing Classic users: If you're one of our grandfathered Classic users* from before our switch to subscriptions, your plan isn't going anywhere. You’ll be upgraded to this new version of classic for free. And now, you'll get more: access to Notability Cloud, collaboration features, and cross-platform syncing are coming your way.

Starter: a more valuable free plan

Notability has always been free to download, and that's not changing. But we've made our free Starter plan meaningfully better. Starter now includes up to 5 free notes, enough for casual users to keep using Notability comfortably and long-term.

Starter still includes all of Notability's core editing tools, our full gallery of 20,000+ note-taking templates, and 7-day version history.

If you're someone who only takes notes occasionally, Starter is now a genuinely useful free experience, not just a trial.

Lite: an affordable unlimited note-taking plan

Lite has been available on the App Store, and we're now officially launching it across all platforms: iOS, web, and eventually Android during our general launch! Lite is our most affordable paid plan for users who want unlimited note-taking without the bells and whistles of our more advanced tiers.

Lite includes:

• Unlimited notes
• 3rd-party backups (iOS only)
• 7-day version history

Lite pricing: 

• 20% off notability.com: $3.99/month or $11.99/year
• App Store: $4.99/month or $14.99/year

The Full Picture

Whether you're new to Notability or you've been with us since the beginning, we hope today's updates feel like what they are: a direct response to what you've been telling us.

As Marc puts it, “We think about Notability as a product for everyone: the professional who just needs a clean note-taker, the student who wants AI-powered study materials, and the power user who wants everything Notability has to offer. These updates make sure there's a right plan for every kind of person. And Classic makes sure that if you want to own Notability outright, you can.”

Thank you to our community for the feedback, the patience, and the trust. You shape this product more than you know. Explore our new plans below to choose the plan that fits your workflow the best and get 20% off this back-to-school season. 💙

– The Notability Team