slownotes.app

What It Is

Slownotes is a mobile app for digitizing handwritten notes, operated by Superintendent BV in the Netherlands. After users scan paper pages with their phone, the system reads the handwriting, recognizes tags, mentions, tasks, and “discoveries” in marginal notes, then generates digital notes that are searchable, shareable, and exportable. Its emphasis is on preserving the pen-and-paper experience rather than forcing users to switch to a stylus or writing on a screen.

Core Capabilities and Integrations

At the core of the product are AI handwriting recognition and a handwritten markup language called Slowdown. Users can mark up paper notes with simple symbols for headings, checkboxes, key decisions, tags, @mentions, +discoveries, or use an asterisk to trigger word definitions and contextual additions. The output can become structured Markdown with hierarchy, tasks, and cross-references. For integrations, Slownotes can serve as a standalone note library, sync to Obsidian and Notion, connect to n8n, Zapier, Make, or custom workflows via Webhooks, and export Markdown, PDF, and JSON. It can also be used as context for AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude.

Pricing and Privacy

The available text only states that Slownotes uses a subscription model, can be canceled in Apple subscription settings, and reserves the right to adjust pricing, free quotas, and feature limits. It does not disclose specific prices, plans, or trial allowances. On privacy, the terms clearly state that users own their notes, that notes are not used to train AI, and that they will not be sold or shared for marketing purposes. However, processing takes place on the Slownotes backend, so users with sensitive material should still pay attention to undisclosed details such as data retention, encryption, and third-party processors.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Users

Its strengths are a focused use case, natural interaction, the ability to connect paper notes to search, knowledge bases, and automation workflows, plus relatively open export formats. Its drawbacks are the lack of clear information on Chinese handwriting support, recognition accuracy, offline capability, Android/Web availability, and exact pricing. It is well suited to heavy pen-and-paper users who take meeting notes, reading notes, manage personal knowledge, or collect research ideas. If you mainly write in Chinese or handle highly sensitive notes, it is better to wait for official clarification or verify it through a trial first.

Access from China

The crawled text currently provides no information about access from mainland China, network stability, or local payment options. Payment appears to rely on App Store subscriptions, so availability for domestic users depends on the listed regions, Apple ID, and network connectivity. Alternatives include Apple Notes, OneNote, Goodnotes, Evernote, and Notion/Obsidian combined with OCR or automation plugins.