The Best Smart Pens for Taking Notes

Investing in a smart pen can help enhance your note-taking process and allow you to get the most out of your lectures. With so many options to choose from, finding the right one can be a daunting task. Looking for advice on choosing the best smart pen for you?

Check out the list below to help you in making your decision.

Best Overall: Livescribe 2GB Echo Smart Pen

This pen is labeled best overall for a reason. It is capable of syncing to your Mac or Windows computer to optimize the usefulness of your lecture notes. Leave worries of misplacing important scraps of paper in the past, and don’t fret about writing fast enough to record every piece of critical information from the lecture. This pen memorizes your strokes so you can upload notes to your computer for safekeeping. It also has an audio-record feature that will record the speaker’s lecture, allowing you to focus on retaining information rather than struggling to write it all down. The purchase of the pen comes with Echo Desktop software available to download for Mac and Windows, a Starter Notebook, two ink cartridges, and a cap for your smart pen.

Best for Budget: Livescribe Aegir Smartpen

Looking for a smart pen that won’t cost you a fortune? This option from Livescribe has what you need. It’s offered in multiple colors, so you can pick the color to match your preference. The pen is designed to simulate the size and feel of a regular ballpoint pen to allow for comfort and familiarity. It can record your handwritten notes and audio from your lecture to give you the ability to “write now, sync later.”

What’s more, the pen lets you upload content to your mobile phone. You can download the Livescribe+ app on your device to access your notes and use the app’s convenient features, such as a search bar that lets you navigate your handwritten notes to find exactly what you need when you need it. The pen is also capable of recognizing 22 handwritten languages, which adds to its expert ability to transcribe in real-time.

Best for iPads: Moleskine Pen+ Ellipse Smart Pen

This pen is a great choice for seamlessly transferring extensive notes and drawings on the page to your Android and Apple devices. Purchase of this smart pen comes with quality perks like recording audio and syncing it with your notes; that way, you can flesh out your ideas to their fullest extent. Once you’ve spoken it into existence and jotted everything down that need be, you can save your notes in a PDF and upload them to your Google or Evernote drive. Additional features include the pen’s Smart Writing System, which allows the pen to recognize individual pages, multiple different paper tablets, and specific times and dates.

Also Consider: Moleskine Pen+ Ellipse Smart Writing Set

This set is a great option if you’re looking to buy a smart pen that comes with a set of companions. The purchase of this pen comes with a compatible paper tablet containing encoded microdot paper, a USB recharging cable, one ink refill, and a user manual. This pen is specifically designed to be used with these resources, and downloading the Moleskine Notes app onto your device will give you access to your digitally-stored notes.