My favourite note-taking apps for organizing my ideas

Observe-taking is one thing all of us do ultimately. Irrespective of if you might want to write lists, copy down a cellphone 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 assist you hold 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.

The appropriate note-app will assist you to seamlessly jot down or dictate your notes throughout a number of platforms, and have them synchronized and able to go from wherever. A great note-taking app will even have group methods that make it simple to seek for and discover your notes, to be able to rapidly reference data everytime you want.

1 Microsoft OneNote

My favourite note-taking app

My prime general note-taking app

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote manages to suit the majority of Microsoft Phrase’s text-formatting and enhancing talents into a light-weight note-taking app that handles all the things from textual content, to audio, to handwriting and drawing.

Professionals

• Free to make use of
• Helps handwriting enter from tablets
• Cross platform assist on iOS, Android, and Mac

Cons

• Works finest inside Microsoft’s app ecosystem

Microsoft’s OneNote is my favourite, 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, however it’s additionally what I take advantage of to draft brief tales and jot down day by day reminders with. It is not the snazziest note-taking app obtainable, however should you’ve used Microsoft Phrase, then OneNote’s interface, which options the identical “ribbon” bar, ought to really feel snug to you.

The free model of OneNote will offer 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 have to to pay additional if you’d like greater than the 5GB of allotted space for storing, or if you wish to export your OneNote information to Workplace Phrase or Excel. If any of those apply to you, you will want to pay for a Microsoft 365 account, which begins at $6.99 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.

Professionals

• Current updates have improved the app
• May even be accessed from a bowser

Cons

• Expertise is not very intuitive

When you have an iPhone or Mac laptop, there is a fairly good likelihood you have interacted with Apple’s free Notes app. That is most likely my second most-used notes app, and I prefer it due to how simple it’s to make use of, comes with constant helpful function updates, and is totally built-in along with your different Apple units by your iCloud account.

Notes has improved vastly since its unique launch again with the unique iPhone. The newest iOS replace permits you to have hidden conversations with the Notes app, in addition to create simple 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 appropriate, and you’ll handwrite notes. Be warned, nonetheless, it isn’t probably the most intuitive expertise, as it’s important to insert a handwriting part into your notice, as a substitute of drawing straight on the notice.

Apple Notes may be accessed from practically wherever, together with your browser. You’ll be able to entry all your Apple notes by your iCloud account, and that is true even if you’re utilizing a Chromebook or Home windows PC. Whilst you can view and edit your Apple Notes information by an internet browser, we 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

The most effective different to Apple Notes for iOS units

Nice different to Apple Notes

Bear

Bear is for iOS customers who desire a clear design and feature-rich alternative for Apple’s Notes app. Bear incorporates a tagging system together with Markdown assist for simple organizing of your notes.

Professionals

• Markdown textual content enhancing assist
• Apple Pencil assist
• Intuitive tagging system for group

Cons

• Solely appropriate with Apple merchandise

Bear is a good choice for anybody who desires a extra feature-rich note-taking app for iOS units and Macs. The killer function of Bear is that it permits you to write in Markdown (a formatting instrument that permits you to 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 function, although. Bear is straightforward to make use of, and it is easy to prepare your notes your personal means. There’s additionally pen assist, so you should utilize the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.

Bear can be utilized totally free, however the free model limits your exports to only .TXT, Markdown, and Textbundle information. The cost tiers for Bear are a bit complicated, however for $2.99 a month or $30 a yr, you may 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 wherever with you.

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4 Google Preserve

The most effective 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, however it lacks group options in comparison with the opposite choices on this record. Nonetheless, it’s a nice note-keeping app for anybody searching for a light-weight note-taking app.

Professionals

• Simple to make use of
• Completely free
• Cross-platform

Cons

• 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 may be accessed from any system and is an excellent note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating day by day to-do lists. You’ll be able to 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 simple 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. There is not any payment for utilizing Preserve, however do needless to say your Preserve notes will impression your general Google account storage, so when you have loads of already-existing Sheets and Docs, it’s possible you’ll must pay for extra Google storage.

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5 Notion

The most effective 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, however it’s nice for anybody due to its wide selection of customized templates and options.

Professionals

• Vast 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’ve interacted with Notion. I’ve used Notion each in a job setting, however I’ve additionally used it as a digital journaling instrument. It is one of the vital versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and should you’re keen 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 is constructed with blocks of your notes. It is simple to create your personal Wiki, to-do lists, or day by day or weekly planner with Notion due to the block system of the UI. Notion runs in your browser, so it is usable from wherever, and you’ll share something you create with some other Notion customers. It is free to make use of, however if you wish to deliver in additional than 10 individuals to your Notion, or create non-public pages, you may pay for Notion beginning at $8 a month.

6

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7 Obsidian

Probably the most expansive note-taking app — for these with persistence

My favourite feature-rich note-taking app

Obsidian

Obsidian is a good, feature-rich note-taking app, however it incorporates 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.

Professionals

• Free to make use of for people
• Graph notes
• Wide selection of free plug-ins

Obsidian is probably the most feature-rich note-taking app on this record, however it’s additionally probably the most troublesome to be taught. Obsidian shines by regionally saving your notes, eliminating the requirement for an web connection that a lot of the different apps on this record have. It additionally retains your notice safe, however safety all the time comes at a value, and that primarily interprets to how troublesome Obsidian is to be taught.

There is a ton you are able to do with Obsidian. You can also make a nesting doll of your notes, graph them and set up connections in an internet design. You too can make the most of the lots of of free plug-ins which might be obtainable for Obsidian. Obsidian’s finest function is how customizable it’s. You can also make issues look nonetheless you want, so long as you might be keen to place the time into studying methods to grasp the app.

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FAQ

Q: How did you resolve on these picks?

As a author protecting shopper tech and way of life, I’ve examined many various note-taking apps over time. I constructed this record by prioritizing ease of use and value 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 record.

Q: Is it price paying for a note-taking app?

This in the end relies upon by yourself particular person wants. If there’s a particular function that you might want to pay for for a note-taking app, and also you assume it’ll simplify your workflow, I’d say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps prior to now due to sure options I needed to make use of, however I do not presently 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.