The Best Spiral Bound Notebooks in 2023

Have you ever had a spiral notebook fall apart or snag on your clothing while you were in school? The quality of the notebook’s binding is important to consider when buying spiral-bound notebooks. The best spiral notebooks have durable binding and thick paper. Ink bleeds on paper that’s too thin.

With a passion for organization, we have become experts on the topic. If you need a quality notebook for school, work, or home, we have analyzed the top options.

Top Spiral Notebooks Reviews

1. Mead Spiral Notebook

Mead Spiral Notebooks are the best spiral notebooks for college students. Each notebook is three-hole-punched so that you can fit it inside your binder. These notebooks also feature a wired spiral lock to prevent snags.

The brand has overwhelmingly positive ratings from customers. Even if you’re not a student, you can use the Mead Spiral Notebook for taking notes at work or organizing your life.

Customers describe the notebooks as high-quality at a great price. You can save money by buying them in bulk as a six-pack. A lot of customers liked the fun colors as well.

As a respected brand in student notebooks, the Mead Spiral Notebook is easily considered the best spiral notebook. You can use it for taking notes whether you’re self-studying, working, or attending school.

2. Miliko Transparent Hardcover B5 Dot Grid Wirebound Spiral Notebook

The best spiral notebooks for bullet journaling are the Miliko Transparent Hardcover Spiral Notebook, which comes in a two-pack. Each notebook has 80 double-sided dotted sheets.

It has a transparent hardcover to protect the notebook and acid-free ivory white paper. Because the hardcover is transparent, you can create a unique title page. You can also tear sheets out of the spiral notebook if needed.

Customers love that you get two notebooks for the price of one with this set. They have described the paper as smooth and of good quality. Not many writing utensils bleed through.

Another reason customers like this dotted spiral notebook is they can work on one page at a time with ease. However, some customers said their gel pens ghosted on this notebook’s paper.

Get the Miliko Transparent Hardcover Spiral Notebook if you have been wanting to try bullet journaling. It’s a quality dotted spiral notebook at an affordable price.

3. Rite In The Rain 946 Weatherproof Top Spiral Notebook

As a weatherproof notebook, this spiral notebook is great for those who enjoy the outdoors. Its paper repels water, grease, sweat, and mud. The small spiral-bound notebook can fit inside your back pocket. And the wire binding is impact-resistant to maintain its shape.

In order to successfully use this spiral notebook in the rain, you need to use all-weather pens or a #2 Ticonderoga pencil.

Customers have found the Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Top Spiral Notebook effective at resisting water damage. They could write in humid and rainy weather without problems. Customers also like that this high-quality weatherproof notebook is inexpensive.

4. TOPS Spiral Steno Books

The TOPS Steno Book is a durable double spiral notebook for stenography. As a Gregg-ruled notebook, there is 11/32″ spacing between lines and a vertical margin in the center of the page.

The TOPS Steno Book sells in packs of four with each notebook having 80 sheets. They have no-snag coils to prevent them from snagging on paper or your clothing.

Many customers found the TOPS Steno Book helpful for taking fast notes. One of the downsides mentioned is the notebook is flexible, so it wasn’t as comfortable writing on their laps. It’s more suitable for laying flat on a table or other hard surfaces.

Choose the TOPS Steno Book if you want to learn stenography or if you need a Gregg ruled book for shorthand writing. Although journalists and other professionals who need to write notes as fast as someone speaks often use stenography notebooks, it’s a skill anyone can learn.

5. Black n’ Red Notebook

Are you looking for high-quality spiral notebooks to use in the office? The Black n’ Red Twin Wire Poly Cover Notebook is a favorite among professionals.

It’s made of high-quality ruled Optik paper that minimizes ink bleeding. The paper is smooth to write on and has a high-white color.

You can securely close the notebook with the bungee closure. And the notebook’s twin-wire binding increases its durability, so the binding stays together during frequent use.

Customers like that these spiral-bound notebooks are durable and take ink well without bleeding. Some customers said that their fountain pens don’t bleed through the paper. Those who don’t like wide-ruled paper didn’t like this notebook. Permanent markers may show through the paper as well.

Black n’ Red Twin Wire Poly Cover Notebook is a great notebook for creating to-do lists and taking notes. It would work well in a professional setting due to its design and high-quality build.

6. Blue Sky Notes Professional Spiral Notebook

With half the pages as graph paper and the other half as ruled paper, the Blue Sky Notes Professional Notebook is the best spiral notebook for work. Each sheet of paper has ruled on the front and a graph on the back. This makes it easy for you to draw relevant graphs, designs, and other ideas on the back after jotting down important notes.

The professional spiral notebook also has a calendar and contacts list – helpful features in the workplace.

Customers love that they are able to make lists and then create a more visual representation of what they want to get done on the back of the page. One customer said the ruled/graph paper design is perfect for the type of work they do. Another customer was happy that their office workers loved the notebooks too.

The Blue Sky Notes Professional Notebook is a great spiral-bound notebook to use at work, especially if you need to create diagrams, mind maps, and other designs.

7. Oxford Spiral Notebook

Oxford spiral notebooks are cool spiral notebooks for school. You can get six in the pack at a low price. The spiral notebooks are built with snag-resistant coils for durability. You don’t have to worry about them snagging on your clothing or other items.

The six-pack comes in a random assortment of colors, making it possible for you to color-code subjects. These notebooks are three-hole-punched, so you can fit them in binders. Ballpoint and gel pens work well on this notebook’s paper.

Most customers thought these notebooks were a great value and used them for school. Some customers weren’t satisfied with the quality because their writing utensils bled through the paper.

Oxford Spiral Notebooks are good choices for students who want to save money on school supplies.

8. Mead Five Star Spiral Notebook

The Mead Five Star Spiral Notebook has a divider with two pockets where you can store handouts and other important papers. Although it’s ideal for school, you can use it for personal organization too. These notebooks are sold in a pack of six in assorted colors.

Each notebook has 100 college ruled sheets. The plastic front cover is water-resistant to help protect your notes. This notebook is also made with Spiral Lock wire to prevent snags.

Many customers said these notebooks lasted the entire school year. Those who used them outside of school were also pleased with their quality build. One of the complaints among customers was the perforated sheets aren’t easy to tear out of the notebook.

The Mead Five Star Spiral Notebook is a durable, convenient notebook that will last the entire year. You can buy them as a six-pack in assorted colors to save money on your school supply or personal needs.

9. Amazon Basics College Ruled Wirebound Spiral Notebook

The AmazonBasics Wirebound Notebook is a 100-sheet college-ruled notebook perfect for school. You could use the notebook for to-do lists and self-study too.

They come in three different design options: sunburst pattern, solid, and lattice pattern. These notebooks also come in assorted colors sold as a five-pack to help you save money.

They are three-hole punched to fit inside a binder, and they have Coil Lock binding to prevent snags. The sheets are perforated if you need the ability to cleanly tear them out of the notebook.

Many customers found the notebooks a good deal for the price. Some complaints were ink bleeding and notebooks arriving damaged.

The AmazonBasics Wirebound Notebook is a good choice in low-cost notebooks that you can store in your binder.

10. Medium Hardcover Spiral Notebook by Studio Oh!

Looking for something that isn’t a solid color? Studio Oh! has beautiful spiral notebooks in various designs, including white flowers on slate blue, a secret garden, la-la llama, and the sloth life. They are cute spiral notebooks for school, journaling, or planning.

The Wire-O binding is designed to last longer, making them suitable for frequent use. You can write with standard ink, five-point felt, and rollerball pens. Ink bleeding isn’t a major issue with this notebook.

Customers like the cute designs on these hardcover spiral notebooks. They have used them for various needs, such as hobby journaling and food journaling. Customers have been able to use fountain pens on this notebook. From some perspectives, the notebook is too expensive.

Choose a Studio Oh! Hardcover Spiral Notebook if you want to be able to easily differentiate between your notebooks. The beautiful designs of those hardcover notebooks stand out.

Tips on Choosing

Size

If you need a notebook to carry in your purse, then you’ll need to look at sizes A6, B7, and smaller. Notebooks of this size are around 4.13″ x 5.83″, 3.5″ x 4.9″, and below. Students often need larger spiral notebooks than this to have enough space for notes the whole year.

Binding

Double spiral-bound notebooks tend to be stronger than single spiral-bound notebooks.

If you have had problems in the past with spiral notebooks falling apart in your bag, then you should choose those with double binding. Spiral lock features can keep notebooks together longer too.

Paper color

Some people find the paper color very important. It comes down to your own aesthetic preference. Do you dislike writing on paper when it isn’t bright white? Or does it not matter to you how white the paper is? The different shades of white may be referred to as bright white, regular white, warm and cool.

Paper finish

Paper comes in different finishes, but what do they all mean? Several types of paper finishes include matte, gloss, linen, dull, and satin. You may also find paper described as either uncoated or coated.

Coated paper, such as matte, gloss, dull, and satin has a surface sealant whereas uncoated doesn’t. Matte and dull finishes don’t have a sheen like gloss and satin do. Linen paper, often used in business stationery, has fine-textured lines.

Paper thickness

Certain types of writing utensils bleed through thin paper easily. If you use gel pens or fountain pens, then you’ll usually need to choose a notebook that has thick paper. In the paper industry, the thickness is referred to as weight and is measured in gsm or pounds.

It’s helpful to check the reviews to see what types of pens people have successfully used on paper without ink bleeding problems. Keep in mind the brand of a pen can make a difference too.

Purpose

What you plan on using the spiral notebook for affects your decision too. Students who don’t want to spend a lot of money will go with essential notebooks that are durable enough to last the school year.

Working professionals typically prefer something that doesn’t remind them of school and has a more professional or stylish design.

Spiral notebooks can be used for dozens of things besides school and work. Other uses of notebooks include time tracking, health journaling, project tracking, meal planning, daily scrapbooking, habit tracking, and gratitude journaling.

Making the Decision

If you need spiral notebooks for school, then making the decision is easy. Look for notebooks that have secure binding like a spiral lock to help prevent them from snagging or falling apart.

Those who are using notebooks for organizing their lives may prefer unique designs and even sturdier construction. Whether you need the spiral notebook for school, work, or personal life, there is something for everyone.