Navigating Note Taking : Our Top Picks and Why They’re Unbeatable

Note-taking apps are more useful than you might think. Taking notes with pen and paper works just fine for some, but if you have a smartphone or tablet, using an app designed for note-taking can truly change the way you get things done.

Whether your note-taking style demands minimal design and slick gesture-based functions, or advanced organization and cataloging of various media, chances are there’s a notes app that’s right for you.

Here are 10 of the best to consider, whether you’re using a Windows or Mac computer, an Android device, iOS, Chrome OS, or another operating system.

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Organize All Your Notes Into Categorized Notebooks: Evernote

What We Like

• Available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
• Use on the web; browser extensions available.
• Excellent search function for notes.

What We Don’t Like

• Free basic plan is limited in features.
• Monthly cost for premium plan is pricey.

Practically anyone who has ever looked into note-taking apps has come across Evernote—which tops the list. This powerful tool lets you organize notes into notebooks, which can be synced across as many as two devices. All free accounts also get 60MB of space for uploading files to thecloud .

A few compelling features of Evernote include the ability to clip web pages and images, search for text inside images, and share and work on notes with other users. Plus and Premium subscriptions get you more storage, the opportunity to use more than two devices, and access to more advanced features.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• Android
• macOS
• Windows
• Web

Visit Evernote

02

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Creative Note-Taking for the Apple Fan: Notability

What We Like

• Good text-formatting options.
• Text wrapping with images.
• Works well with Apple Pencil.

What We Don’t Like

• Only for iOS/iPadOS devices.
• Free version has limited features.

If you like to write by hand, draw, sketch, or doodle, Notability is a must-have. Its suite of advanced note-taking tools lets you combine your handwritten or drawn work with typed text, photos, and videos, and zoom in when you need a closer look.

Notability also lets you do some amazing things withPDF files ; you can annotate them, fill them out, sign them, and send them off. The free version of Notability gets you the basics, but the paid versions give you considerably more, including unlimited edits, iCloud syncing, automatic audio transcriptions.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS

Download Notability

03

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Use Cards to Make Note-Taking Fun and Colorful: Google Keep

What We Like

• Organize with customizable labels.
• Set time and location-based reminders.
• Free and well-integrated with Google ecosystem.

What We Don’t Like

• No desktop app; notes are available on the web.
• Maximum of 50 labels; no hierarchical organization.
• Web clipper saves URLs only.
• No text formatting.

With a more visual approach, Google Keep’s card-based notes are perfect for people who want to see all their ideas, lists, images and audio clips in one place. You can color-code your notes, add other attributes so that they’re easy to find, and share your notes with others who need to access and edit them.

Like Evernote and Simplenote, changes made by you or other users with whom you share your notes are automatically synced across all platforms. However, there’s no formatting flexibility, and you’re limited to 50 labels.

You can set up time- and location-based reminders so that you remember to do something at a specific place or time. When typing is inconvenient, the app’s voice memo feature lets you record a message for a quick note in audio format.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• Android
• Google Chrome web browser
• Web

Visit Google Keep

04

of 10

Build on the Power of Microsoft Apps: OneNote

What We Like

• Works with Chrome, Apple Watch, and browsers.
• Syncs well across all your devices.
• Lots of options for note formatting and design.

What We Don’t Like

• No quick customizable tagging.
• Notebook, section, and pages navigation could improve.
• Search isn’t as slick as Evernote or Google Keep.

Microsoft’s OneNote is an app to consider if you regularly use Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; the app is fully integrated with them. Type, write, and draw using the freeform pen, and use powerful organization tools like pinning to easily find what you’re looking for later.

There’s room for improvement with navigation and search, and tagging’s limited, but you can use OneNote to collaborate with others and access the latest versions of your notes from any device. Capture an image of a whiteboard or slideshow with automaticcropping , and make an audio note without having to use an external recording app.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• Apple Watch
• macOS
• Android
• Windows Phone
• Windows
• Google Chrome Web Browser
• Web

Visit OneNote

05

of 10

Note-Taking for the Minimalist: Simplenote

What We Like

• Design is minimalist and simple.
• Syncs to all your devices.
• Works with most popular platforms and devices.

What We Don’t Like

• May be_too_ simple for some users.
• Text notes only; no images or other media.
• No text formatting.

Evernote is great if you need extra storage and fancy features, but if you’re looking for a stripped-down notes app with a clean, minimal interface, Simplenote could be for you. Built for speed and efficiency, it lets you create as many notes as you like and keep them all straight with basic organizational features such as tags and search.

You can use Simplenote to collaborate with others, and all notes are automatically synced across your account whenever changes are made. A nifty slider feature allows you to go back in time to previous versions of your notes, which are always automatically saved before you make any changes to them.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• Android
• macOS
• Windows
• Linux
• Web

Visit Simplenote

06

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A Stunningly Visual Note-Taking Experience: Zoho Notebook

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What We Like

• Design is bright and appealing.
• Text photo, audio, sketch, and file cards.
• For Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web.
• Customize notebook covers with your images.

What We Don’t Like

• Needs more art for notebook covers.
• Not geared toward collaborative note-taking.

If you like the idea of Google Keep’s card-like interface, then you might find the Zoho Notebook app useful, too. Create a checklist card for your grocery items, a card for a story you’re working on with inline images included, a sketch card for some doodling, or even an audio card of your voice.

Zoho features smooth, intuitive, gesture-based functions that help you organize, reorder, copy, group, and flick through notes to find what you’re looking for. Notebook is free and syncs everything across your account automatically, so you always have your notes no matter which device you’re using.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• macOS
• Android
• Windows
• Web

Visit Zoho Notebook

07

of 10

A Collaborative Note-Taking App for Your Whole Team: Dropbox Paper

What We Like

• Strong features for collaboration.
• Clean and uncluttered look.
• Add a variety of media; not just links.

What We Don’t Like

• More complex than a simple note-taking app.
• Paper documents are separate from Dropbox folders.
• Takes time to get used to.

If you already use Dropbox to store files in the cloud, check out Dropbox Paper. It acts as a flexible workspace built to prevent distraction while helping people work together. This app focuses on collaboration, allowing users to chat with each other in real-time while editing any document.

Don’t be fooled by its minimal design: Dropbox Paper has lots of advanced features tucked away that are easy to access and intuitive to use once you’re familiar with the app. Create new documents, edit existing ones, see all your team activity in an organized list, post and reply to comments, prioritize documents, and more.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• Android
• Web

Visit Dropbox Paper

08

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Best App for Taking Digital Handwritten Notes: Squid

What We Like

• Designed for handwritten notes; use your finger or a stylus.
• PDF markup is easy.

What We Don’t Like

• Not available for macOS, iOS, or Windows devices.
• Not easy to sync with other devices.

Squid modernizes the old-fashioned pen and paper with digital features that enhance the note-taking experience. Just use your finger or stylus to handwrite notes just as you would on paper. Similar to Google Keep and Notebook, Squid displays all your most recent notes in a card-like interface for easy access.

Every note has a toolbar at the top that allows you to customize your ink, duplicate what you’ve written, resize it, erase mistakes, zoom in or out, and more. You can insert PDF files for markup, highlight text, and insert new pages wherever you want.

Compatibility:

• Android
• Chromebook

Visit Squid

09

of 10

Most Flexible Note-Taking App: Bear

What We Like

• Import notes from other apps.
• Simple, easy-to-use design.
• Export to various formats, including PDF and JPEG.
• Supports Markdown.

What We Don’t Like

• Available only for Mac and iOS devices.
• Requires a paid plan to sync devices.

Bear is one of the most flexible, beautifully designed note-taking apps available for Apple devices. Made for both quick notes and in-depth essays with advanced markup and options to insert images, links, and more, the app offers a “focus mode” to help you concentrate.

You can customize the theme and typography to fit your style, use a wide variety of editing tools to optimize your notes, quickly add to-dos to any note, tag any note with a hashtag, and much more. The core version is free, but a pro subscription takes your note-taking to the next level.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• macOS

Download Bear

10

of 10

Basic, Minimal, and Possibly All You Need: Notes

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What We Like

• Handwrite notes and sketch with Apple Pencil.
• Organize notes with folders and tags.
• Pin notes to the top of the list.
• Scan documents using device camera.

What We Don’t Like

• Available only for Apple devices.
• Basic note-taking features.
• Only simple text formatting.

Apple’s Notes app is uncomplicated and intuitive, yet it does the job with just the essential features. In macOS Monterey (12.0) and later, you can use tags and smart folders to organize your entries, and you can mention collaborators with the @ sign to grab their attention.

Create a checklist, insert photos, customize formatting, or even add another Notes user so they can view and add information to it. Although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of many other note-taking apps, Notes stands out for getting the job done in the simplest, quickest way possible.

Compatibility:

• iOS
• iPadOS
• macOS

Download Notes

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