The Best Smart Notebooks of 2023

Do you like writing notes on paper but worry about losing them? Consider a smart notebook that allows you to digitalize your notes.

Easily digitalize your notes, store them in the Cloud, and share them with others when you invest in a smart notebook. Remove the stress of finding a pen or losing paper and replace it with a more eco-friendly option.

While there are plenty of ways you can collaborate with others to share digital notes, projects, and more, there are occasions when nothing beats being able to put pen to paper.

Smart notebooks offer a more versatile way to make notes on a physical device using a digital pad and pen. Using cloud storage, you can share notes with others in the way you can using alternatives like Google Docs, directly from your notebook.

The Moleskine Smart Writing Set, for example, offers a more true-to-life notebook experience, allowing you to share notes as images. The Rocketbook Pro 2.0, on the other hand, features reusable pages which you can wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.

Different types of smart notebooks are on the market, so finding one that's right for you shouldn't be too difficult. However, you need to decide whether you want something that feels more like a notebook than a screen, small or large storage options, companion apps, and so on.

Depending on what you want to use your smart notebook for, you may find one option is better than another. Ultimately, the best smart notebooks should digitalize your notes so you can share them with others, or organize your scribbles to reference later.

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Pros

Cons

✓ Reusable pages

✗ Nowhere to store the pen

✓ Vegan leather material

✓ Additional Pro Page Packs can be purchased

✓ Variety of page styles

The Rocketbook Pro 2.0 features a premium vegan leather cover and reusable pages. The pages can be swapped out for alternate packs, including a range of styles like plain, lined, to-do lists, and so on. If you're looking for a smart notebook that feels like real paper, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results the Rocketbook Pro 2.0 offers.

Included in the Rocketbook Pro 2.0 you get 20 pages (40 including front and back) which can be wiped clean using the included microfiber cloth and reused again and again. If you want to upload your notes or drawings, you can use the Rocketbook app on iOS or Android to conveniently scan and send notes with ease.

If you're traveling for leisure or work and want to make notes on the go, the Rocketbook Pro 2.0 is a great companion. However, its lack of a pen holder could be a deal-breaker if you don't want to have to worry about remembering where your notebook and pen are. Rocketbook removed this feature to achieve a more minimalist and professional design. While you can still clip the pen to the cover, it's a little frustrating.

This smart notebook comes in Executive (7 x 9 inches) and Letter (8.5 x 11 inches) sizes. There are also multiple pen types you can purchase, such as the 0.7mm fine tip Frixion pen, or 0.6mm tip Frixion Fineliner Markers. Once you've got all the necessary accessories, the Rocketbook Pro 2.0 provides an eco-friendly way to write, store, and save notes forever.

On each page you'll find a QR code; using the app, pages are detected, and the camera will adjust accordingly depending on the page type. You can save all of your documents to the app and share them from the same place. Alternatively, you can save to cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and so on.

Enjoy a smarter way to write, store, and share notes with the Rocketbook Pro 2.0. Reuse the included pages by wiping them clean and never run out of paper.

Pros

Cons

✓ Great for daily planning and to-do lists

✗ Only 3 months worth of use

✓ Includes prompts that make you think more about your goals

✓ Personalized to your brain type

✓ Includes lined and blank pages

You can choose the right EVO Planner to suit your "brain type". Oracle is designed for people with abstract ideas and possibilities that process lots of data while honing in on specific outcomes. Alchemist is similar, but for users who prefer variety and sharing ideas with others. Explorer, on the other hand, is catered more towards those who prefer tangible and real-life experiences, living at the moment, whereas Architect brain types like detailed and step-by-step planning.

This smart notebook's approach is undoubtedly different from other alternatives, but if you want a more customized option, this is certainly unique. Depending on what you choose, the EVO Planner provides you with a 90-day planner and journal, which they claim is based on over ten years of cognitive psychology research and development.

Unlike the Rocketbook Pro 2.0, the EVO Planner doesn't feature reusable pages. With 90 days worth of pages, you're limited to how much you can use this smart notebook. And, since it uses normal paper, you can use your pens or pencils to write notes or add to your journal. Using the EVO app, you can share and track progress with friends and plan your days more effectively by scanning the QR code on each page.

Plan your days, weeks, and months more clearly with the EVO Planner and create tangible goals you can work towards. This unique take on a smart notebook is a great idea for those who struggle to organize themselves. It's perfect for people who want to focus on certain aspects of their lives, whether it be school, work, or everyday activities.

Get the right planner based on your brain type and focus on organizing your days with actionable goals. Upload your notes, journal, and to-do lists easily with the EVO app.

Pros

Cons

✓ Very affordable

✗ Cover feels cheap

✓ Works and feels like pen and paper

✓ Can be wiped clean

✓ Scannable pages

Like the Rocketbook Pro 2.0, the Rocketbook Fusion features reusable pages you can wipe clean. Its true-to-life pen and paper feel makes it a great choice for those who want a smart notebook but prefer it not to feel so digitalized. Using a Pilot Frixion pen, you allow 15 seconds for the ink to dry, then use the QR code on the page you're on to upload your notes to the Rocketbook app on iOS or Android. Use a clean cloth to wipe away your notes and start again.

Any notes you make can be shared with other cloud services, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote, and iCloud. Whether you want to fill out your budget planner, take notes, make a list, or organize tasks, you can do it all with the Rocketbook Fusion.

Inside, you'll find 42 pages you can work with. The Pilot Frixion pen and microfiber cloth are also included, making this electronic notebook great value for money. It's a simple way to write things down as they come to you, then upload them so you can access them anytime.

To ensure the Rocketbook Fusion remains budget-friendly, there is a small price to pay for the materials used. For example, the outer cover feels plastic-y and cheap compared to the Rocketbook Pro 2.0 or Moleskin Smart Writing System. Still, if you're not fussed about premium quality, you'll be happy with what this smart notebook can offer.

Perfect for a range of users, the Rocketbook Fusion is an affordable smart notebook that can be reused plenty of times. It comes with a great selection of page types, so no matter what you need to jot down, you'll have the right tools at your disposal.

This affordable smart notebook features 42 reusable pages, making it easy to take notes, scan them, and save them.

Pros

Cons

✓ Easily readable large screen

✗ Expensive

✓ Simple and minimalist approach

✗ Less features compared to the competition

✓ Two weeks battery life

✓ Import Microsoft Office files

The paper-like e-ink display on the reMarkable 2 appeals to those searching for a digital notebook that feels more like a tablet. Design-wise, it's barely thicker than the USB-C port on the underside and weighs a mere 0.88lbs. In fact, if you were to glance at the reMarkable 2, you might mistake it for an iPad. It's extremely minimalistic and perfect for traveling with.

The 10.3-inch display is generous, so you can easily read and make notes. With a 226 dpi, your reading and writing experience will be smooth and seamless, like the device itself. But, when you compare the reMarkable 2 to the competition, you'll soon notice certain features aren't there. Most notably, this smart notebook doesn't feature a backlight as you might expect with other tablet-like displays such as the Kindle Paperwhite.

Since the reMarkable 2 doesn't have pages like the Rocketbook Fusion, you'll need to navigate to various tools from the homepage. Here you'll find a taskbar that directs you to create folders, and add notes or sheets. You can also see recent documents and a few settings that allow you to rearrange the homepage. It's a user-friendly experience because not much is going on, but if simplicity is key for you, it will work well.

reMarkable offers desktop, iOS, and Android apps. If you're on a desktop, you can download the Read on Remarkable browser extension, which means you can send web content, Word and Powerpoint files, and even PDFs directly to your reMarkable 2 device. This is a neat feature if you want to work on files or annotate webpages without sitting at a computer or laptop.

You can expect two weeks of battery life from the reMarkable 2, which is pretty generous. Writing on the device is lag-free and feels surprisingly close to writing on paper with a pen. The distraction-free tablet-like experience will likely appeal to many users, but it does come at a high cost and present fewer features than the competition.

This minimalist tablet offers a seamless writing experience without any distractions. Easily send webpages and documents directly to the reMarkable 2 and enjoy note-taking on the go.

Pros

Cons

✓ Looks and feels like a notebook

✗ Expensive

✓ Automatic page detection

✓ Works with PDFs, Google Drive, Microsoft Word, etc.

Moleskine is well known for its notebooks, so it's no surprise that the Moleskine Smart Writing Set looks and feels more like a normal notebook than most smart notebooks. That's because it is a notebook. Using an ink-equipped pen with standard refills, you can easily write in the notebook on real paper and upload your notes, drawings, and annotations into digital text using the Moleskine Notes app.

The app offers many different functions. If you enjoy making handwritten notes but would prefer to be able to upload and transcribe them into digital text, the Moleskine Notes app does this for you. It also works in over 20 different languages. Using the app, you can create tags to search for notes quickly and save them to your favorites.

Sharing is straightforward, too—you can export content from your smart notebook and select different file types, e.g. Image, PDF, SVG, etc. You can even decide where to export your notes too. And, if you really want to feel like you're in Inception, you can upload notes and drawings to the Moleskine Notes app, then add markup on your phone as a separate layer that you can edit or remove later.

Thanks to the Smart Pen's infrared camera, the tip tracks as you write to ensure precise results. The pen even features onboard memory, which can hold up to 1,000 note pages. So if you don't have your phone to hand, you can easily digitalize your notes. Plus, you can purchase additional Smart Pen Ballpoint Refills for the pen.

This impressive smart notebook takes note-taking to a new digital level. It offers the right balance between traditional and modern technology, ticking the boxes for many people. Without having to purchase additional accessories, you can change the color of your text, use standard refills, and save money in the long run. However, the initial expense may put some users off.

This smart notebook boasts real paper and a standard ink pen that allow you to connect with the Moleskine Notes app to digitalize your notes, drawings, and annotations.