Comparing Our Favorite Digital Notebooks
Our Favorite Smart Pens
Neo Smartpen M1+ for $129: If you don’t want an entire tablet to write your digitized notes on, you can get a smart pen to use on regular paper that will log your notes into its companion app. The Neo Smartpen M1+ was the thinnest and lightest smart pen former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordiano tried, and she easily used it with notebooks and planners alike. You’ll pair it with the Neo Studio app, which has a notebook system that’s easy to navigate and organize your notes.
Neo Smartpen Dimo for $59: This is the cheapest smart pen option and uses replaceable batteries. It isn’t compatible with Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook like our other picks.
Honorable Mentions
Boox Note Air4 C for $470: If you’re looking for something a little more powerful than just taking notes and annotating, but still want the E Ink screen experience, then a Boox device is what you need. The Boox Note Air4 C has an e-paper screen and is primarily described as an “e-paper notebook,” but runs on Android 13 and has access to the Google Play Store, giving it more of a tablet feel that happens to have a colorful e-paper screen instead of your usual brightly lit iPad or Android tablet. You’re able to easily access the web (called NeoBrowser) right from the Boox homepage, which usually takes several steps and is incredibly slow on a true digital notebook. You’ll also access apps that look like a tablet, including an image gallery, calendar, music player, and tools like a clock, recorder, and calculator. It was a pick in this guide, but it’s now out of stock for US warehouses (you can still order from the Hong Kong warehouse, but you might have to pay extra tariffs and fees), and there’s a new version out, the Note Air5 ($530).
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Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for $630 and Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen) for $500 and Kindle Scribe Without Front Light for $430: The new versions of the Kindle Scribe are still solid all-around devices that have a good mix of e-reader and digital notebook features, but I still prefer the older model’s price point. While the new Scribe Colorsoft is a nice option if you want color, I think these are too expensive for what they are. The price comes from all the AI features packed into the device, plus connectivity to services like Google and Microsoft, but it still isn’t as powerful as a ReMarkable or Supernote if you want better tools. My picks above are a better price for similar features, though the Scribe does have the most impressive battery life of any digital notebook device I’ve tried (and that’s still true for the older model that I recommend above, too, so you don’t need the newest model for the best battery life).
Moleskine Smart Writing Set for $225: Moleskine is already known for its notebooks, and the brand has a smart version now, too. Our team previously tested a version in 2018 that only cost $149, but the current version that’s $224 is next on my list to test. The set comes with a notebook and pen that will pair with the Moleskine Notes app to show you your notes.
Montblanc Digital Paper for $950: Yes, that Montblanc, the one with the famous pens, now has a digital notebook of its own. It’s no surprise that I’d call its digital pen one of the best. It’s got a super-lightweight feel while sporting three different buttons, two of which you can customize. (There’s no eraser, but I’ll give it up for that end of the pen to instead be a home button). I really like this device overall, but it’s pricey for what you get—aside from the customizable pen buttons, there’s not much to differentiate it from my top picks.
ReMarkable Paper Pro Move for $449: The ReMarkable Paper Pro Move is similar in size to a reporter’s notebook, which turns out to be a pretty great size for daily task and to-do lists. There’s room for a multilevel to-do list and brainstorming, and it’s a nice, small size with just a 7.3-inch screen. There are other small options on the market, but this is the only one designed like a long notebook rather than a square, e-reader-like design. I like this size to layer on top of a paper planner or slip into a bag. It can do everything the larger Paper Pro can, including packing a color screen, and honestly feels like you sliced off a bottom third of the device and kept using it.
ReMarkable Paper Pure for $399: This is another good budget option if you want something larger than the Supernote Nomad. It has the same price as the second-generation Kindle Scribe I adore, but with more powerful digital notebook tools instead of a focus on reading. If you’re looking for a great digital notebook without spending the better part of a grand, ReMarkable’s new Paper Pure is its new basic digital notebook with a black-and-white screen, a lightweight feel, and a great writing experience that is one of the closest things you’ll get to writing on actual paper. It doesn’t have a front light, though, so you need to use it in lit rooms only.
ReMarkable 2 for $419 (Refurbished): This is the older ReMarkable digital notebook from 2020, and it’s still a great device with a great range of accessories—while they’re still available, that is. This device is only available refurbished or secondhand after getting essentially replaced earlier this year with the ReMarkable Paper Pure.
Rocketbook Fusion Plus for $30: If you really prefer the paper experience and don’t want something you need to charge, then Rocketbook is for you. Rocketbook makes several reusable notebooks, planners, and accessories like index cards and sticky notes. I like the Rocketbook Fusion Plus since 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 feel closer to the variety a digital notebook can offer you. Take notes with an erasable Pilot Frixion Pen (one comes with whichever item you buy), scan photos of the pages into the Rocketbook app, and erase the whole thing with the damp microfiber cloth (also included). The app is designed to keep everything organized and easily send things off to Google Drive, Slack, Trello, OneNote, and a handful of other options.
FAQs
Do You Need a Digital Note-Taking Device?
The short answer is no. These devices are expensive, usually costing several hundred dollars when a simple notebook and pen costs a few bucks. But if you like the physical act of writing but need to have digital copies, they’re worth considering.
Pros:
- 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 as PDFs, Google Docs, Evernote files, and more.
- Instantly digitizes your art, too.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Need to be charged.
- Have a learning curve.
- Most smart pens need to be paired with an accompanying notebook. The upcoming Nuwa Pen promises smart notes on any paper.
E Ink notebooks are easier on the eyes and feel closer to paper than a glass-screened tablet. But in some cases, you might spend less getting an iPad and an Apple Pencil (and a keyboard if you also want to type sometimes). You can also do more on them thanks to the thousands of apps in the App Store. An iPad is pretty intuitive if you’re familiar with the Apple ecosystem (though both ReMarkable and Supernote’s ecosystems are also very intuitive). Past WIRED reviewers liked using an iPad with the GoodNotes and Notability apps; check out our guide to the Best iPads for more advice on which to buy.
I also have an iPad, and I’ll say the upside of a digital notebook 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 trusty Kindle Scribe usually manages to have plenty of battery available for whenever I feel the note-taking itch, 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 the E Ink technology is no small feat to perfect, along with a sensation similar to writing on paper. It’s an impressive piece of technology.
Prices haven’t gotten cheaper for this category in the wake of tariffs’ causing technology prices to rise. ReMarkable recently raised the price of our top pick, the ReMarkable Paper Pro. Another favorite of ours from Supernote has gone up a little less than $50, and Kobo also slightly raised its prices, though the $10 increase is pretty minor compared to other increases we’ve seen. We’ll continue to monitor prices and flag if more price changes are to come.
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