Supernote Alternatives (2026): E-Ink Tablets, iPad and Paper Options

The best Supernote alternative depends on why you're looking. If it's price, a reMarkable Paper Pure, Kobo Elipsa 2E or BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen II) includes a stylus for about $400, while a Manta plus Supernote's cheapest pen is $570. For Android apps or color, look at BOOX; for Kindle books and a front light, the Kindle Scribe. An iPad with an Apple Pencil has the most apps. And if what you miss is ink on real paper, a smart pen or a Rocketbook keeps a digital copy for far less than any tablet here.

We make Ophaya smart pens, one of the paper options, so weigh our view with that in mind. If you annotate PDFs or read ebooks on your Supernote, stay with an e-ink tablet, because no paper pen does either, ours included. Prices are US list prices on each brand's own store at our October 27, 2026 check.

What Supernote is and why people like it

Supernote is made by Ratta, which its about page describes as a private company with offices in Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington. It sells two e-ink notebooks: the 10.7-inch Manta at $505 and the 7.8-inch Nomad at $359. Neither box lists a pen. Supernote's pens start at $65, and none of them takes a battery.

Most of Supernote's pitch is about how it feels to write. The screens have a soft "FeelWrite 2" film, and the Manta page describes a ceramic nib that "won't wear out" and never needs recharging. It also makes a point of what you don't pay later: the homepage promises "Free software updates, constantly" and says there is no subscription. Both models have replaceable batteries. Neither has a front light, which Supernote calls "a deliberate design choice" for pen feel and battery life, so writing at night means finding a lamp.

Supernote alternatives compared

Cheaper alternatives to Supernote

With the cheapest pen added, a Nomad comes to $424 and a Manta to $570. Several 10-inch e-ink tablets include a stylus for less.

The reMarkable Paper Pure is $399 with the Marker in the box and a 10.3-inch black and white screen, which makes it the nearest match if you're weighing Supernote vs reMarkable on a Manta budget. reMarkable does have an optional Connect plan: $3.99 a month or $39.90 a year after a 50-day free trial, and handwriting search and unlimited cloud storage come with it. Supernote says it has no subscription at all.

The Kobo Elipsa 2E is $399.99 with the Kobo Stylus 2 included, a 10.3-inch screen and handwriting conversion to typed text. Nearer the Nomad's size, the 7-inch color Kobo Libra Colour costs $259.99, plus $69.99 for the stylus. Both get their books from Kobo's own store and take notes on the side.

Below that price you're out of e-ink. An LCD board such as the Boogie Board Blackboard Smart Scan ($44.99, sold out at our check) keeps a page only if you scan it with the Blackboard app before erasing, and it can't open files. Our LCD writing tablet vs e-ink tablet comparison explains how the two screens differ.

BOOX for Android apps and color

The Go 10.3 (Gen II) starts at $399.99 with the InkSense Plus stylus in the box, a 10.3-inch black and white screen and Android 15 with the Google Play Store built in. The Lumi version adds a front light for $429.99, and the color Note Air6 C starts at $549.99 with the BOOX Pen3 included. BOOX says the final price depends on your shipping address.

Google Play lets you install the note and cloud apps you already use, though many were built for phone screens and may feel slower on e-ink. That openness is why we'd point tinkerers to BOOX, and why someone who liked their Supernote for doing one job might find it fussy.

Kindle Scribe if you read mostly Kindle books

You can already read Kindle books on a Supernote: the company says the Manta and Nomad "integrate with Kindle app." But if most of your reading happens in Kindle, or you want a front light, the Kindle Scribe is the better buy (we set it against the same rivals in our Kindle Scribe alternatives guide). The store is built in, Amazon sells it with or without a front light, and each of the three 11-inch models comes with a pen that Amazon says needs no charging. Amazon's feature roundup lists Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive support for importing documents and exporting marked-up PDFs. At our October 27, 2026 check, Amazon listed the three models at $429.99, $499.99 and $629.99.

iPad and Apple Pencil for the biggest app library

The iPad (A16) starts at $449 and works with the Apple Pencil (USB-C), sold separately (Apple's page showed no price for it at our check). Notes on iPad can search typed and handwritten text, and the App Store has the Kindle app and plenty of other note apps, all in color.

In exchange, the LED-backlit screen gets the same notifications as your phone, and Apple's spec page rates the battery at up to 10 hours of web browsing or video. A pen on glass also feels slicker to us than on Supernote's soft film. If you'll watch lectures or edit photos on it too, the iPad makes sense; if your Supernote was a way to keep the phone out of your notes, it doesn't.

Real paper and ink: smart pens and Rocketbook

Some people leave Supernote because they miss paper itself, the ink and a page you can tear out and hand over. The options below keep the paper and still give you a digital copy. If you annotate PDFs on your Supernote, though, stay with an e-ink tablet.

Rocketbook Core is the scan-based option and the cheapest: $34.99 for the 36-page Executive size, with a Pilot FriXion pen and a microfiber towel. You scan each page with the Rocketbook app to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote or another service before wiping it with a damp cloth.

Ophaya, the pen we make, captures as you write. An infrared camera in the pen reads a printed dot pattern, so it records handwriting only on Ophaya dot-code paper or the Ophaya LCD writing tablet; ordinary paper gets the ink but no digital copy. It is not an e-ink tablet and has no screen, so it can't show a PDF or an ebook, and it needs a phone (or tablet) with the free Ophaya Pro+ app for iPhone, iPad or Android. Pages sync live over Bluetooth, and the pen holds about 1,000 pages offline until you reconnect. OCR turns handwriting into editable text, which you should check before sharing. Syncing, OCR and app audio recording need no subscription, and pages export as PDF, Word, PNG, GIF or MP4. The 3-in-1 set adds a 10-inch LCD writing tablet for the same pen; save the page in the app before you press erase.

The Neo smartpen M1+ uses the same dot-paper idea. It's listed at $129 but showed as sold out at our check, and Neo says it works only with Neo's digital paper, through the Neo Studio2 app. Our best smart pens of 2026 roundup compares the paper pens.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a cheaper alternative to Supernote?

Yes. The reMarkable Paper Pure, Kobo Elipsa 2E and BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen II) each include a stylus for about $400, less than a Manta with a pen, and a Kobo Libra Colour with its stylus ($329.98) undercuts a Nomad with one. Paper options cost much less but can't open files.

Supernote vs reMarkable: which should you buy?

Choose Supernote if you don't want a subscription and don't mind buying the pen separately. Choose reMarkable for the pen in the box and a lower 10-inch price, as long as you'd pay for Connect to get handwriting search. reMarkable's model closest to the Nomad in size is the Paper Pro Move, from $449 with a 7.3-inch color screen. Our reMarkable alternatives guide covers the brand from the other side.

What is a good Supernote Nomad alternative?

The reMarkable Paper Pro Move and the Kobo Libra Colour with Kobo Stylus 2 are close in size, and both have color screens. Supernote pitches the Nomad as a replacement for small planners and journals. If that's how you use yours, a small dot-code notebook and a smart pen can do the same job on paper.

What is a good Supernote Manta alternative?

At 10 to 11 inches, look at the reMarkable Paper Pure, BOOX Go 10.3 (Gen II), Kobo Elipsa 2E and Kindle Scribe. App users will be happier with the BOOX and Kindle readers with the Scribe. The reMarkable and Kobo cost less with the stylus included.

Can a smart pen replace a Supernote?

For handwritten notes you want saved and converted to text, yes. For reading or PDF markup, no. Before deciding, write a week of meeting notes in a dot-code notebook and see if you ever reach for a file.