Key Takeaways
- It’s potential to discover a note-taking app that matches your wants, with choices for organizing, syncing, and cross-platform assist.
- Microsoft OneNote presents textual content formatting, voice enter, and cross-platform assist inside the Microsoft ecosystem.
- For an intuitive Apple-based possibility, think about Apple Notes for straightforward entry throughout units, even on an online browser.
Notice-taking is one thing all of us do in some capability. Regardless of if you’ll want to write lists, copy down a telephone quantity, or take detailed notes on a dialogue or class, there is a note-taking app on the market that is for you. The right note-taking app should simplify your workflow, and enable you preserve issues organized. There’s a variety of choices now for a note-taking app; some are perfect for desktops, whereas others are designed for use with phones and tablets. There are even some new apps that I’ve included which have been featured by Apple and have simply been launched to the general public.
The suitable note-taking app will can help you seamlessly jot down or dictate your notes throughout a number of platforms and have them synchronized and able to go from anyplace. A fair higher hub of ideas must also have group methods that make it straightforward to seek for and discover your notes as a way to shortly reference info everytime you want it.
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1 Microsoft OneNote
My favourite note-taking app
Microsoft / Pocket-lint
My prime total note-taking app
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote manages to suit the majority of Microsoft Phrase’s text-formatting and modifying talents into a light-weight note-taking app that handles every part from textual content, to audio, to handwriting and drawing.
- Free to make use of
- Helps handwriting enter from tablets
- Cross platform assist on iOS, Android, and Mac
- Works greatest inside Microsoft’s app ecosystem
Microsoft’s OneNote is my favourite, hands-down, and it is the note-taking app that I’ve used probably the most. OneNote is my day by day driver for each my skilled writing, nevertheless it’s additionally what I exploit to draft brief tales and jot down day by day reminders. It is not the snazziest note-taking app obtainable, however in the event you’ve used Microsoft Phrase, then OneNote’s interface, which options the identical “ribbon” bar, ought to really feel snug to you. Better of all, you need to use OneNote with a free Microsoft Account.
The free model of OneNote will give you all of the options you may want, together with the flexibility to cross-sync your notes throughout Home windows, Android, macOS, iOS, and even iPadOS. You’ll need to pay further in order for you greater than the 5GB of allotted space for storing or if you wish to export your OneNote recordsdata to Workplace Phrase or Excel. If any of those apply to you, you’ll need to pay for a Microsoft 365 account, which begins at $7 per thirty days, however you do obtain the remainder of Microsoft’s 365 productiveness suite.
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2 Apple Notes
The default and fully-free notes app for macOS and iOS
My favourite iOS note-taking app
Apple Notes
Apple’s Notes app comes pre-installed on all Macs and iOS units, and it is our favourite iOS note-taking app. Whereas there are different note-taking apps on the market for iOS, Notes has seen some nice enhancements over the previous couple of years that make it our favourite for the iOS platform.
- Current updates have improved the app
- May even be accessed from a bowser
- Expertise is not very intuitive
If in case you have an iPhone or Mac pc, there is a fairly good likelihood you’ve got interacted with Apple’s free Notes app. That is in all probability my second most-used notes app, and I prefer it as a result of it’s straightforward to make use of, has constant helpful characteristic updates, and is totally built-in along with your different Apple units by your iCloud account.
Notes has improved vastly since its authentic launch again with the unique iPhone. The most recent iOS replace lets you have hidden conversations with the Notes app, in addition to create straightforward group notes for issues like social gathering planning or a category project. In case you are utilizing the Notes app on an iPad, the app is Pen suitable, and you may hand-write notes. Be warned, nonetheless, it isn’t probably the most intuitive expertise, as it’s a must to insert a handwriting part into your notice, as a substitute of drawing straight on the notice.
Apple Notes could be accessed from practically anyplace, together with your browser. You may entry your whole Apple notes by your iCloud account, and that is true even if you’re utilizing a Chromebook or Home windows PC. When you can view and edit your Apple Notes recordsdata by an online browser, I do not suggest utilizing the Home windows model of the Notes app, because it interacts fairly poorly with the Home windows 10 and 11.
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3 Bear
One of the best various to Apple Notes for iOS units
Bear / Pocket-lint
Nice various to Apple Notes
Bear
Bear is for iOS customers who desire a clear design and feature-rich alternative for Apple’s Notes app. Bear contains a tagging system together with Markdown assist for straightforward organizing of your notes.
- Markdown textual content modifying assist
- Apple Pencil assist
- Intuitive tagging system for group
- Solely suitable with Apple merchandise
Bear is a superb possibility for anybody who needs a extra feature-rich note-taking app for iOS units and Macs. The killer characteristic of Bear is that it lets you write in Markdown (a formatting device that lets you format textual content in real-time) and tag every notice to maintain your ideas neatly organized. You do not have to make use of the Markdown characteristic, although. Bear is straightforward to make use of, and it is easy to prepare your notes your personal approach. There’s additionally pen assist, so you need to use the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.
I actually recognize how straightforward utilizing the Apple Pencil is with Bear when in comparison with Apple’s personal Notes app. You do not have to create any further fields to attract with the pen, and the app’s response to the pen is nice. Bear can be utilized totally free, however the free model limits your exports to simply .TXT, Markdown, and Textbundle recordsdata. The fee tiers for Bear are a bit complicated, however for $3 a month or $30 a 12 months, you possibly can export your notes to just about any format, together with ePUB and OCR. The paid model additionally contains iCloud syncing, so your notes can go anyplace with you.
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4 Google Preserve
One of the best easy and totally free note-taking app
My prime light-weight note-taking app
Google Preserve
Google Preserve is free to make use of and obtainable on all platforms, nevertheless it lacks group options in comparison with the opposite choices on this listing. Nonetheless, it’s a nice note-keeping app for anybody searching for a light-weight note-taking app.
- Straightforward to make use of
- Completely free
- Cross-platform
- Lack of group options
- Google Docs has higher integration
In case you are searching for a easy and light-weight note-taking app or one that does not have a steep studying curve with a ton of options, think about Google Preserve. Google Preserve could be accessed from any gadget and is a superb note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating day by day to-do lists. You may enter pictures into Preserve notes and hyperlinks with ease, and Preserve is built-in with the remainder of Google’s ecosystem.
Preserve is accessible straight from Gmail, making it straightforward to jot down fast bits of knowledge from emails. You too can draft writings in Preserve and export them on to Google Docs, saving time within the writing course of. That is how I exploit Preserve, and whereas it isn’t my day by day driver in the best way OneNote is, it is nonetheless in my rotation of apps. It is good with the ability to copy down essential dates, telephone numbers, or names from Gmail with out having to open a separate window. There is no payment for utilizing Preserve, however do needless to say your Preserve notes will impression your total Google account storage, so in case you have a variety of already-existing Sheets and Docs, you could must pay for extra Google storage.
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5 Notion
One of the best premium note-taking app
My favorite feature-rich premium note-taking app
Notion
Notion is a well-liked note-taking app typically utilized by software program builders, nevertheless it’s nice for anybody because of its wide selection of customized templates and options.
- Large ranging use circumstances
- Totally different templates for various makes use of
- AI integration
If you happen to’ve labored for a startup or have labored on a technical workforce, there is a good likelihood you might have interacted with Notion. I’ve used Notion each in a job setting, however I’ve additionally used it as a digital journaling device. It is one of the crucial versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and in the event you’re prepared to spend time on studying all of the ins-and-outs, Notion can do practically something you need it to as a note-taking app.
Notion / Pocket-lint
Notion is constructed with blocks of your notes. It is easy to create your personal Wiki, to-do lists, or day by day or weekly planner with Notion because of the block system of the UI. Notion runs in your browser, so it is usable from anyplace, and you may share something you create with every other Notion customers. It is free to make use of, however if you wish to convey in additional than 10 individuals to your Notion, or create personal pages, you possibly can pay for Notion beginning at $8 a month.
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6 Obsidian
Essentially the most expansive note-taking app, for these with persistence
My favourite feature-rich note-taking app
Obsidian
Obsidian is a superb, feature-rich note-taking app, nevertheless it contains a steep studying curve. It is free to make use of for people, however companies might want to pay for a industrial license from Obsidian.
- Free to make use of for people
- Graph notes
- Big selection of free plug-ins
Obsidian is probably the most feature-rich note-taking app on this listing, nevertheless it’s additionally probably the most tough to study. It shines by domestically saving your notes, eliminating the requirement for an web connection that many of the different apps on this listing have. It additionally retains your notice safe, however safety at all times comes at a value, and that primarily interprets to how tough Obsidian is to study.
There is a ton you are able to do with Obsidian. You can also make a nesting doll of your notes, graph them, and arrange connections inside an online design. You too can make the most of the lots of of free plug-ins which are obtainable for Obsidian. Obsidian’s greatest characteristic is its customizable options. You can also make issues look nonetheless you want, so long as you’re prepared to discover ways to grasp the app.
The place I’ve actually seen it shine personally is with long-form writing.
I’ve spent a variety of time with Obsidian, and whereas I have not mastered the app by any means, I’ve gotten a style of simply how helpful and deep Obsidian options go. I’ve used Obsidian to draft tales, however the place I’ve actually seen it shine personally is with long-form writing. Obsidian is a superb device for storyboarding because of its graphing characteristic, and it is my most popular technique of utilizing the app.
7 Craft
As featured by Apple at WWDC
Craft
Craft is a feature-rich note-taking app that rivals Notion in each design and options. It is easy to make use of, though there’s a steep studying curve if you wish to turn out to be an professional with the app. You may attempt it totally free, however plans begin at $8 for limitless entry.
- Accessible interface
- Characteristic-rich design
- Totally different note-taking choices
- Steep studying curve
- Month-to-month subscription
Craft is a brand new note-taking app that has discovered some buzz on-line after Apple featured the app at WWDC. Craft does an amazing job at balancing being a feature-rich app with accessibility. Just like Notion, you possibly can create backlinks in any doc in Craft with a purpose to hyperlink to different notes. I used backlinks to simply hyperlink again whereas planning the analysis for future articles, and I discovered it to be an intuitive characteristic, however it’s practically an identical to how Notion operates on this regard.
The place Craft stands aside from Notion is in how briskly the app is. Craft responds instantly, even with giant recordsdata, whereas Notion generally is a bit gradual the larger your Notion will get. Whereas the training curve at occasions can really feel steep with Craft, the Craft workforce has an enormous repository of free movies that may train you tips on how to do something you need obtainable on their YouTube. You may really go far with Craft, in the identical approach you possibly can with Obsidian and Notion to create your personal excellent note-taking app inside the app itself.
Craft is free to make use of for the primary 1500 blocks, which the common consumer will doubtless replenish in about two weeks. I hit the restrict a bit extra shortly, inside a week-and-a-half, however I used to be testing the app totally and used extra options than I might if I used to be utilizing it for myself. After the free trial with Craft ends, you may must pay for one of many plans, with probably the most fundamental plan beginning at $8 month-to-month. For $8 month-to-month, you possibly can create as many paperwork in Craft as you want, however you may want a marketing strategy if you wish to add others to your Craft.
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FAQ
Q: How did you determine on these picks?
As a author masking shopper tech and way of life, I’ve examined many alternative note-taking apps through the years. I constructed this listing by prioritizing ease of use and price whereas contemplating options. The highest picks are what I’ve present in my very own testing to be the easiest-to-use apps, whereas the extra feature-rich apps are additional alongside within the listing.
Q: Is it value paying for a note-taking app?
This finally relies upon by yourself particular person wants. If there’s a particular characteristic that you’ll want to pay for for a note-taking app, and also you suppose it is going to simplify your workflow, I might say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps up to now due to sure options I wished to make use of, however I do not at the moment pay for any note-taking apps. As a author, nonetheless, I’ve no drawback with paying for a note-taking app if I do know that it’ll make my life simpler.
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