15 Digital Planners for Goodnotes and iPad: Dated 2027, Undated and Free

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The listing looked perfect: rainbow tabs down the side, 150 covers, a sticker book with thousands of stickers. You downloaded it, opened Goodnotes, tapped Import, and instead of January you got a polite message about limits. The planner is fine. It is just bigger than the free version of the app will take.

A digital planner is a PDF with its tabs and dates wired up as links, so one tap on “March” takes you to March. Choosing one is mostly about fit: your app, your tablet, and whether you want the dates printed in. So here are four checks first, then 15 picks sorted by type, with the free ones up top.

The short version: If you use the free version of Goodnotes, stick to one small planner, because the free plan caps imports at 5 MB and stops at three files. Pick landscape if your tablet sits propped up on a desk and portrait if you write with it in your lap. Pick dated 2027 if you plan every week, and undated if you drop off in spring and come back in summer.

Four checks before you buy a digital planner

1. Will your app open it? Most listings name the apps they were tested in: Goodnotes, Notability and Noteshelf come up again and again, and some add Xodo, Penly, ZoomNotes or Samsung Notes for Android tablets. Then check the free-plan limits. Goodnotes’ pricing page lists the free plan at three files and a 5 MB import size (we checked in September 2026). A big all-in-one planner with thousands of stickers blows past that, which is why several sellers below warn that you need a paid Goodnotes account for large files. A small, single-purpose planner is far more likely to fit, and since the free plan stops at three files, you will want just one.

2. Portrait or landscape? Landscape planners show a wide spread, like an open planner on a desk, and suit a tablet propped in a keyboard case. Portrait planners look like one page of a notebook and feel more natural with the tablet in your lap. Neither is better. One of them just matches how you hold the thing.

3. Dated or undated? A dated 2027 planner has every day filled in and the links go to real dates, which is lovely until you skip six weeks and the empty pages start to feel like a reproach. An undated planner makes you write the dates, but you can start any month and duplicate pages as you go. Some of the big dated planners below come with free yearly updates, which splits the difference.

4. Monday or Sunday start? Several planners here ship both versions. If a listing shows only one, look at the preview before you buy.

Free digital planners, plus one free extra

Free hyperlinked planners are rare, so be clear about what these are. The first is a real PDF planner, editable in Goodnotes. The second is a Canva template for daily and weekly pages that you download as a PDF, without tabs. The third is not a planner at all, just sticky notes to decorate whichever planner you choose. All three were free when we checked. On Creative Fabrica the main button starts an All Access trial; for the free file, look for “Download this product as a freebie” just below it.

All-in-one digital planners

The everything planners: daily, weekly and monthly pages, trackers, stickers and covers in one file. These are the ones most likely to need a paid Goodnotes account, so read the note on the listing.

Simple dated 2027 planners

For people who want a calendar that links to a week, and not much else. Fewer pages means a smaller file and less scrolling past trackers you never fill in.

Undated digital planners

Start whenever you like, fill in the dates yourself, and use the same file next year.

Planners for one thing

A separate small planner for books, a trip or your energy levels keeps your main planner lighter, and on the free Goodnotes plan it is the kind most likely to fit.

Getting a planner into Goodnotes

Unzip the download first (the Files app on an iPad does this with a tap), then in Goodnotes choose New, then Import, and pick the PDF. The tabs and dates keep working as links after import. If tapping a tab with the Apple Pencil just draws a line on it, tap with your finger instead, or switch the notebook to read-only mode while you navigate. Some listings deliver a small “download instructions” PDF instead of the planner itself; open that one first and follow its link to the full file.

Stickers go in the same way as photos. Our guide to digital stickers covers importing and using them without covering the whole page. If you want your typed notes to look handwritten, our handwriting fonts roundup includes fonts you can add to Goodnotes.

Digital or paper?

A digital planner wins if you already carry a tablet everywhere and like undoing mistakes. Paper wins if you want to see the whole week without unlocking anything. Plenty of people use both: a digital planner for the week and a printed calendar on the wall. If paper is calling, our printable 2027 planners and 2027 calendars are the paper side of this page.

Frequently asked questions about digital planners

Can I use a digital planner with the free version of Goodnotes?

Sometimes. Goodnotes’ free plan allows three files and a 5 MB import size, so one small planner can work. The big all-in-one planners are another story, and their sellers say so. Several sellers say outright that a paid account is needed for large files.

Do digital planners work on Android tablets?

The PDF itself opens anywhere, but the tabs only work in apps that follow links inside a PDF. Pick a listing that names your app, such as Samsung Notes, Xodo or Penly, like the dated 2027 all-in-one planner above.

What does hyperlinked mean in a digital planner?

The tabs, month names and dates are clickable links inside the PDF. Tap “June” and the planner jumps to June, the same way a link on a web page takes you somewhere else.

Can I print a digital planner?

It is a PDF, so you can, though the tabs mean nothing on paper and landscape layouts print small. The free undated monthly planner above includes a separate printable version for exactly this reason.

Is a dated or undated digital planner better?

Dated suits people who plan every week of the year. Undated suits people who plan in bursts, because nothing goes to waste when you skip a month.

The planner that opens

Check the app, the file size and the way you hold your tablet, and the import screen will show January instead of a limit message.