ZoomNotes for Android

learning curve / UI needs to be a little more user-friendly (recurring comment by many)

So I tried ZoomNotes a while back and gave up on it pretty quickly. I began using NoteShelf. However, I started a new job (so now I work 3 jobs). The other apps worked okay for the journal and the different notes, folders, etc. I had to keep for each job, but they were lacking in some areas. I needed an app to fill all my needs. I came back to ZoomNotes and spent a little time learning. ZoomNotes has the fill feature, so I can easily fill in a bubble or a cell on a “spreadsheet”. Just to make me happy while I’m doing my work, ZoomNotes has different types of pens that no one else does (I love calligraphy and lettering). I can pull images from my photos or from the web, and I can make stickers on the fly to reuse again & again. I don’t have to switch between writing and pointer in order to go to a linked page, which I hated with GoodNotes. There is an endless whiteboard. I have rulers and protractors. I have to admit that I am still learning, so I occasionally hit a hiccup. However, I also know there are features I haven’t even tapped into. ZoomNotes is currently meeting all my needs and then some.

This app has a high learning curve, but once you learn it (took me about 2-3 weeks) it’s definitely the best note taking app there is if you’re looking for the most features. The thing that sets this app apart for me is the ability to choose any color for your pens, the ability to set any thickness, and a setting to allow your thickness to follow the amount that you’re zoo,Ed it. You can also completely customize the colors of the UI and create completely custom document templates and use any color for your page background. Using a black background for all your notes looks so much better. Also, for every feature there is a little question mark icon that takes you to a video showing you how to use it.

ZoomNotes is hands-down my favorite app for taking notes and creative digital journaling because of the hundreds of customizable menu options and useful features. There are far too many tools to choose any one or few to call my favorites. Absolutely love this app and recommend it often. Thanks, Ed, for such a well-thought-out and useful app!

If the rating was for features and functionality alone, this app would get 10 out of 5 stars, I’ve tried just about every note taking app out there and this one has all the features I could wish for and a few useful ones I hadn’t even thought of yet. I use it mostly for digital planning and PDF annotation. I love that I can create links on the fly to pages that I’ve added, and I can easily add/adjust tabs or navigation buttons and apply them to every page in a huge document with just a couple of clicks. Thumbnails for internal and external links update in real time, sub documents are a helpful thing I never knew I wanted. That being said, the user interface isn’t as pretty as many other apps out there, it looks a bit dated. And the learning curve is S-T-E-E-E-E-E-P!!!! Something as simple as turning a page was an exercise in frustration the first few days with this app. Any time there is something I want to figure out how to do, I need to set aside 30 minutes (minimum) to find the setting after watching YouTube videos. There aren’t a lot of written help documents out there aside from the manual the app comes with, mostly videos. That being said, watching those videos has also shown me other helpful tips and the functionality of this app continues to amaze me. TLDR - if you have the time to set aside to learn this app, your patience will be rewarded