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Comparing Our Favorite Digital Books
Our Favorite Smart Pens
Neo Smartpen M1+ for $129: Skip the tablet and write directly on paper with a smart pen instead. The Neo Smartpen M1+ is the slimmest and lightest pen of all the pens I tested, which makes it feel like your own pen. Most importantly, it is easy to handle and use. You have to find everything copy size and style you should as well organizers. Neo Studio software (iOS, Android) is great, with an easy-to-navigate text editor and the ability to search pages by page number or date. You can change the ink color and line thickness on the page as you go, or you can change it later and change the colors of your text. —Medea Giodiano
Moleskine Smart Writing Set $251: Moleskine has gained a devoted following for its high-quality notebooks and magazines, but it has also made inroads part of wisdom. The Smart Writing Set comes with a pen and a writing set, so this is the best option for most beginners. Type it in the notebook, and it will appear in the other app! But you can buy the pen itself, as well strategic notes and plans different ages. Moleskine Notes 2.0 software (iOS, Android) was easy to use once I got the hang of it. An older version of the app is available for download, but version 2.0 is much easier. A pop-up let me know that 2.0 is still working and I may need to downgrade to an older version if my device has issues, but my iPhone 11 had no issues. I tested the $149 2018 version of the Smart Writing Set, which is no longer available, but we plan to test the latest version soon. —Medea Giordano
Honorable Mentions
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Kindle Scribe Colorsoft ($630) and Kindle Scribe (3rd Gen) ($500): The new versions of Kindle Scribe they are still strong across the board with a good mix of e-reader and digital book titles, but I still prefer the old version. Although the new Scribe Colorsoft is a good option if you want color, I think they are both too expensive for what they are. The price comes from all the AI stuff packed into the device, but I don’t think a reader or digital writer asks much about it. Our pick above is the best price for similar products, although the Writer has the most impressive battery life of any digital notebook device I’ve tested (and that’s also true of the older model I’m also recommending above, so you don’t need the latest version of the best battery).
Montblanc Digital Paper for $935: Yes, that Montblanc, that famous fountain pen, now has its own digital fountain pen. It is no surprise that I would call his digital pen one of the best. It feels very light when you play with three different buttons, two of which you can change. (There’s no eraser, but I’ll give the pen a home button). I really like this device overall, but it’s expensive for what you get—besides the customizable buttons, there’s not much to differentiate it from my choice.
Free Neo Smartpen for $59: This is the cheapest smart pen option and uses replaceable batteries. It’s not compatible with Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook like our other choices.
Remarkable 2 for $569 (with Marker Plus and Book Folio): This is ReMarkable’s oldest digital book since 2020, and it’s still a great tool with a lot of features (while it’s still available, that is). It feels like real paper with its matte screen, and it works on the same platform as the new ReMarkable tablets. But the functionality is not as simple as the new models, and ReMarkable is no longer produced after the introduction of ReMarkable Paper Pure. I prefer using it with the Keyboard Folio as an e-paper tablet, though.
Rocketbook Fusion Plus for $30: If you really like paper notebooks and don’t want to pay for them, then Rocketbook is for you. Rocketbook makes several reusable documents, organizersand extensions such as index cards and sticky notes. I love Rocketbook Fusion Plus because it comes with tons of different templates, from your monthly and weekly pages to project management layouts and meeting notes, making it close to the variety that a digital book can offer. Write notes with the Pilot Frixion Erasable Pen (one comes with every purchase), take pictures of the pages in the Rocketbook app, and wipe it all away with a damp microfiber cloth (included). The app is designed to keep everything organized and easily export to Google Drive, Slack, Trello, OneNote, and more.
Supernote A6 X2 Nomad for $394 (with Standard Pen): This is a smaller version of the Supernote A5 X2 Manta, weighing about 6 inches on one side and 7.5 inches on the other. Supernote was designed with travel in mind, but I find it’s great for daily to-do lists or quick notes from meetings. It’s too small for anything big, but if you want something smaller, this is a great option with the Supernote app (and the same great notepad!). Like the Manta above, this model went up in price due to pricing, though it was $30 higher.
FAQs
Do You Need a Data Entry Tool?
The short answer is no. These devices are expensive, often costing several hundred dollars while a simple notebook and pen cost less. But if you love print but must have digital copies, they are worth considering.
Advantages:
- Digital notebooks are thin and light but contain a lot of text.
- You can write your notes into text files, making them easier to read and edit.
- Depending on the device, you can send files like PDFs, Google Docs, Evernote files, and more.
- It also puts your skills on the computer instantly.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive.
- Need to be paid.
- Have a learning curve.
- Most smart pens need to be combined with a follow-up pen. What’s coming up Nuwa Pen they promise smart posts on each one paper.
E Ink writing is easy on the eyes and feels closer to paper than a tablet looking at a glass. But in some cases, you can spend less money to get an iPad and Apple Pencil (and a keyboard if you want to write again sometimes). You can also do more on them thanks to thousands of apps in the App Store. The iPad looks great if you’re familiar with the Apple environment (although both the ReMarkable and Supernote environments are great). Former WIRED reviewer Jaina Gray recommended using her 11-inch iPad Pro and GoodNotes and Recognition apps they wrote, but there are other models that should work just as well, including our top pick, the 2025 iPad. Check out our guide to The best iPads for more information on what to buy.
I also have an iPad, and I’m talking about a digital notebook and that the battery tends to be long, especially if you’re kind of working for a day or two and then forget about it for a few days. My trusty Secretary of Charity I usually end up with a lot of battery whenever I feel the itch, even if it’s been a week or two since I last touched it.
Why Are Digital Notebooks So Expensive?
Just because these materials look like paper doesn’t mean they are cheap to make like paper. Like any tablet or mobile phone, these devices have a lot of features, a unique environment, and E Ink technology is not the least, and the sound is similar to writing on paper. It is an impressive piece of technology.
Prices have not decreased in this category because of the price hikes that are causing the prices of technology to rise. ReMarkable recently raised the price of our premium option, ReMarkable Paper Pro. Another favorite of ours from Supernote has gone up a bit by $50, and Kobo has also raised its prices, although the $10 increase is less than some of the other increases we’ve seen. We will continue to monitor prices and flag if prices change.
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