Nowadays, we’re all coping with enormous quantities of data, from assembly notes to social media, to photographs and movies, to no matter else we’ve collected — and we’re all looking for some technique to retailer it, arrange it, and discover it once we want it.
If you wish to get actually primary, you should use a spreadsheet or create a easy set of word-processing paperwork. In any other case, you possibly can strive what’s considerably inaccurately described as a note-taking app. These apps, at their easiest, retailer your notes and different ideas and, at their extra advanced, are able to manipulating any and all content material you need to drop into them.
One of the well-known has been Evernote, which has gone by means of fairly just a few modifications over time, each financially and in its characteristic set. I’ve been utilizing it for my private notes for years, and whereas I really feel that it’s develop into approach too overblown (and too costly), I haven’t been in a position to encourage myself to tug my decade of information out of there. At this level, although, I’m undecided I’d suggest it to a brand new person — particularly now that it’s limiting the options of its free model much more than it used to.
Nevertheless, there are numerous others on the market now with a variety of choices, from simply plain notes to functions that may do virtually something so long as you’ve got the time and an inclination to study. I’ve checked out a bunch, and these are some that seemed most promising, from the simplest to probably the most advanced.
Ultimately, although, the app you utilize will largely rely in your private wants. Listed here are extra particulars on our high picks on this class.
Google Preserve began out as a reasonably easy note-taking app, and whereas it has added just a few options because it started, it’s nonetheless a superb, simple technique to file your ideas. As a result of it’s so interconnected with different Google apps (for instance, you possibly can entry it straight from Google Calendar, and you’ll convert a Preserve notice to a Google Doc), it really works particularly properly for those who’re invested within the Google ecosystem.
Preserve isn’t fairly as sparse because it was once: you possibly can create new notes with on the spot lists, drawings, or pictures; you too can add collaborators and a wide range of backgrounds. As well as, there have been some attention-grabbing upgrades not too long ago which have been promised, equivalent to textual content formatting (though, as of this writing, they had been solely accessible for Android). In the meantime, being Google, the search ain’t dangerous.
Bear Markdown Notes is an app for macOS and iOS units with a wonderful interface and number of options that would make me remorse my faithfulness to Android. Even the free model provides a variety of tweaks — for instance, the header can both be the primary sentence of the notice or the date and time (or you possibly can depart it empty and put in something you need). You’ve got a large selection of fonts and numerous formatting choices.
The app makes use of tags as a way to arrange its notes; you create a tag for a notice by beginning your chosen phrase with a pound signal (or surrounding a phrase with them). The phrase / phrase will then seem within the left-hand column, the place you possibly can click on on it to search out all of the tagged notes.
In addition to the column on the left, you’ve got a second column that exhibits all of the notes within the highlighted part, whereas the primary window exhibits what’s within the chosen notice itself. It’s a UI that’s utilized by a number of apps, together with Evernote.
You’ll be able to format your notes in a wide range of methods by clicking a BIU (daring / italics / underline) icon on the high proper of every notice; you too can create subheads, bulleted and to-do lists, tables, hyperlinks, and add attachments. One other icon enables you to see the statistics for the notice — variety of phrases, characters, and when it was modified. You may as well see a top level view of your numerous heads, subheads, and any backlinks. In different phrases, even within the free model, there are many methods you possibly can play with Bear Notes.
However, if you wish to sync your notes throughout units, you’ll should improve to the Professional model. With that, you additionally get password safety, the flexibility to go looking inside attachments, extra codecs, and the flexibility to export notes as PDFs, ePub, and different codecs (the free model enables you to export in Markdown, TextBundle, txt, and rtf).
Price: Free model accessible. Professional model prices $2.99 a month or $29.99 a yr with a 7-day free trial.
Evernote began out in 2008 as an progressive and well-regarded note-taking app. Through the years, nonetheless, its repute has suffered because it labored by means of privateness missteps, elevated charges, and an interface that may really feel bloated and feature-heavy. It’s now owned by app developer Bending Spoons and has moved its operations to Europe (shedding most of its US staff within the course of). And as of December 2023, it’s limiting its free model to 50 notes and a single pocket book, making it basically unusable for many customers besides as a trial model.
That being stated, the paid model of Evernote nonetheless does what it does properly, particularly for those who’re a kind of customers who has caught with it for some time. The fundamental appear and feel of the net app hasn’t modified a lot, though the homepage now exhibits current notes, a scratch pad, and not too long ago captured web sites. (The homepage may be customized with different widgets you probably have a paid account.)
There are a number of methods to arrange your notes: they are often tagged and / or assigned to folders, and folders may be grouped into named “stacks.” You’ll be able to create to-do notes. You’ll be able to search inside all of your notes, clip webpages in a wide range of methods, and sync as much as two units. You’ll be able to add as much as 60MB of information a month with a most notice dimension of 25MB. And Evernote has been including AI options equivalent to AI Word Cleanup, at the moment in beta, which makes use of AI to “tidy up” your notes.
In different phrases, Evernote has develop into a reasonably advanced product, though, as talked about earlier than, you’ll need to have a look at the paid variations to make use of it correctly. The Private plan enables you to sync an infinite variety of units, add as much as 10GB of information a month with a most notice dimension of 200MB, join a Gmail account, and extra; the Skilled plan provides extra app integration and a wide range of different options.
Price: Restricted free model accessible. Private plan prices $14.99 a month or $129.99 a yr. Skilled plan prices $17.99 a month or $169.99 a yr.
The Venn diagram of Evernote customers and OneNote customers seldom overlaps. This regardless of all they’ve in frequent: each have huge ranges of helpful options, and every appears so as to add new performance each couple of months or so. However the really feel of every is completely different.
In OneNote, every entry is a web page, and every web page can include a wide range of completely different media, together with textual content, audio, pictures, video, tables, and drawings, amongst others. Pages are organized into sections and sections into notebooks.
There are numerous methods you possibly can tweak your knowledge, how it’s organized, and the way it seems to be. You’ll be able to create to-do lists and reminders, mark textual content as necessary, and alter the look of the textual content. You’ll be able to spotlight and make a wide range of drawings in a wide range of colours. Should you use different Microsoft apps equivalent to Outlook, you possibly can sync your OneNote entries with them — for instance, to maintain observe of Outlook conferences. You’ll be able to change the web page shade and magnificence or change from darkish to mild.
In reality, like Evernote, OneNote has had so many alternative talents added that it could develop into a bit overwhelming. For instance, after I wished to search out out whether or not I may extract textual content from a photograph, I went to OneNote’s “Inform me” icon, which, if it could’t discover a direct reply to your query, provides a wise lookup hyperlink. When “extract textual content” didn’t provide you with something, I clicked it and was provided (through a facet column) a Wikipedia definition of a textual content file and hyperlinks to a number of third-party apps. (A easy “we don’t do this” would have been good.)
One factor about OneNote that offers it a bonus over Evernote: it’s nonetheless fully free. So for those who’re searching for alternate options, it’s price giving OneNote a strive.
Joplin is an open-source app that, on first look, seems to be like a considerably easier model of Evernote. It has the record of folders (also called notebooks) on the far left, a column itemizing the contents of the folder to the proper of that, after which an area to indicate the contents of the highlighted entry.
A significant distinction, although, is that Joplin produces simple Markdown recordsdata (versus Evernote’s proprietary .enex format), and there’s truly a toggle that permits you to see every file in markdown or, for those who want, wealthy textual content. Which is useful, particularly for those who like to have a look at code. My solely drawback is that hyperlinks will not be stay within the wealthy textual content format — though there’s most likely a technique to tweak that.
That could be a second attention-grabbing factor about Joplin: if you would like to have the ability to personalize your app, you possibly can. There are a selection of plugins, and you’ll even create your individual scripts and plugins utilizing the Extension API. If, then again, you’re not snug with coding and APIs, Joplin’s present extensions ought to give you lots to work with. You simply might must seek the advice of its energetic person discussion board.
With a purpose to synchronize Joplin amongst your units, you want to set it up with considered one of a number of present cloud providers (equivalent to Dropbox or OneDrive). You may as well use Joplin Cloud, which is obtainable in Joplin’s paid plans: Primary, which incorporates 2GB space for storing and 10MB per notice or attachment, and Professional, which provides 30GB space for storing, 200MB per notice or attachment, and different options.
Price: Free model accessible. Joplin Primary prices €2.99 ($3.21) a month or €28.69 ($30.76) a yr; Joplin Professional prices €5.99 ($6.42) a month or €57.48 ($61.64) a yr.
UpNote is a handsome, comparatively easy to grasp app that appears to be a horny different to Evernote. It has roughly the identical look, with notebooks listed on the left, the notes in a highlighted pocket book listed subsequent to it, after which a foremost window displaying the contents of every notice. It provides the flexibility to create checklists, insert pictures and tables, nest notebooks, and (you probably have the Premium model) lock particular notebooks. And it imports a wide range of codecs — together with Evernote.
There are apps for macOS, Home windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, and there’s a internet clipper (a characteristic that’s considered one of my “musts”) that works with the most important browsers, though the clipper’s talents will not be as in depth as Evernote’s.
In reality, for those who do plan to make use of UpNote extensively, you’ll have to transfer off the free plan, which solely permits as much as 50 notes. After that, the Premium plan — which is, admittedly, a lot cheaper than Evernote’s — could be the way in which to go, providing limitless notes, the flexibility so as to add attachments (as much as 20MB) and tables, extra methods to design the interface, and the flexibility to export to a variety of codecs.
Price: Free model accessible, restricted to 50 notes. Professional model prices $1.99 a month or $39.99 for a lifetime subscription.
If there’s one technique to describe Notion, it will be formidable. You can begin with a number of several types of codecs — a desk, a board, a timeline, a calendar, an inventory, a created template, or simply an empty web page. Should you’re a person, you possibly can create an infinite variety of pages, share your knowledge with a variety of apps, together with Slack and GitHub, and share your content material with as much as 10 “friends” totally free. In reality, for most individuals, free can be fairly enough. There are some limitations — for instance, file uploads are restricted to 5MB — however not sufficient to essentially depend. A Plus model provides limitless uploads and a few extra group options.
Like Evernote and different higher-end apps, Notion organizes its notes into folders — besides on this case, every notice can act as a folder and might include different notes, which may include different notes. Notion additionally appears to be consistently including new options, equivalent to AI writing capabilities and new varieties of sharing choices.
In reality, its lack of limitations could also be an issue for some customers. Should you like to essentially get into the workings of a fancy app and screw round with it till it does the whole lot you need it to do — after which some — then it’s possible you’ll need to take a look at Notion and play a bit with its options. (For instance, I at the moment use Notion to trace my numerous workflows and upcoming duties.) Nevertheless, if all you need to do is write down your ideas with perhaps just a few additional choices, you would possibly need to go along with one thing a bit easier.
Price: Free model accessible. Plus model prices $12 a month or $120 a yr (each costs per person).
Some apps are fashionable, some are very talked-about — and a few even have what quantities to fan golf equipment. Obsidian is among the latter.
This app is the type of factor that, for those who’re into it, may have you exploring its numerous ins, outs, and add-ons for days and weeks on finish. Obsidian makes use of the Markdown format for its notes (which suggests they can be utilized on a wide range of different apps). Your notes and different media are stored domestically in a Vault (in different phrases, a foremost folder). There are methods to sync between units totally free — relying on which units you need to sync. Or you should use considered one of Obsidian’s paid plans: Commonplace, which helps you to use Obsidian’s service to sync the information in a single vault and retailer as much as 1GB of information, and Plus, which helps you to sync as much as 10 vaults and retailer as much as 10GB of information. There’s a cost as properly if you wish to use Obsidian commercially.
As you possibly can think about, one thing this versatile is tough to explain.
Even originally, there are a number of attention-grabbing codecs that you just don’t get in most different note-taking software program. Once you first open it after set up, you get a number of decisions on the left facet of the web page: a graph view, a canvas view (which helps you to create a circulation chart, pinboard, or different association), and considered one of my present favorites, a day by day notice (which is just a dated notice however is a pleasant thought if you wish to hold a journal). You may as well create templates. And none of this takes into consideration the varied plug-ins which have been created by its neighborhood — there have been 1,233 after I final checked.
After all, which means if you wish to actually benefit from Obsidian, you must make investments some effort and time. However for these into tweaking their apps to go well with them fully, it is going to most likely be price it.
Price: Free. Sync Commonplace prices $5 a month or $48 a yr, whereas Sync Plus prices $10 a month or $96 a yr. A business use license prices $50 per individual per yr.
If Notion isn’t advanced sufficient for you, then maybe it is best to strive Capacities, a comparatively current app that organizes your notes utilizing a networking reasonably than a file / folder format. Once you create an entry (or object) in Capacities, the very first thing you must do, even earlier than you begin typing, is choose what class it belongs in: web page (in different phrases, an easy doc), assembly, individual, picture, and so on. Solely then are you able to begin creating your entry. Every entry can hyperlink to a number of different entries; every can also be routinely dated so yow will discover it from the app’s calendar.
And that’s just the start — there are all types of how to create and manipulate your entries. Capacities may very well be very helpful for those who discover it really works together with your pondering processes, nevertheless it would possibly take some self-training earlier than you’re positive.
The fundamental model consists of limitless entries, affordable however restricted media uploads, and synchronization throughout units, amongst different options. A Professional model offers entry to AI options and limitless media uploads, amongst different options.
Price: Free for primary options; the Professional model prices $11.99 a month or $119.88 a yr.
Streetwriters (Non-public) Restricted
Notesnook kind of seems to be like Evernote: it has an inventory of your notebooks on the far left, the contents of the highlighted pocket book subsequent, and the contents of the highlighted entry on the proper. However there are some massive variations. Notesnook is open supply with an emphasis on privateness: your knowledge is encrypted (and there’s a full clarification of how its encryption works), and whenever you enroll, you might be supplied with a restoration key as a protected technique to get well your knowledge must you neglect / lose your password.
The free model is complete sufficient that you should use it for some time with out worrying about paying — for instance, you’ve got entry to as much as 20 notebooks and an infinite variety of units and notes. It additionally has some attention-grabbing options. For instance, you possibly can create a “monograph,” which basically a notice that you could share publicly with or with out a password, and with a self-destruct connected, for those who select.
The Professional model permits you up so as to add attachments as much as 500MB (attachments will not be accessible within the free model), the flexibility so as to add pictures, and limitless notebooks and tags.
Price: Free for primary options; the Professional model prices $4.49 a month or $50.04 a yr, right down to $9.99 a yr for college students and academics.
Twos may be troublesome to determine, however when you do, it’s possible you’ll determine it actually works for you. For some cause, every entry you make is known as a “factor.” Once you create a factor, you possibly can hold it as a single entry in a bigger record or designate it to be the start of recent record. Click on on a dot on the proper of any entry, and a backside menu opens that means that you can create sublists, transfer the entry to a distinct record, add a tag or a photograph, create a reminder, or add a variety of different options. You may as well have a working record of the day’s duties that you just entry through the “Immediately” button on the high of the web page (which is nice for those who rely upon to-do lists). Bookmarks of your lists can be found in a column on the left. There’s additionally the flexibility to make entries public, sync appointments together with your calendar, create a template, or use a “sensible strategies” AI characteristic. And all this may be tweaked.
In different phrases, Twos is sophisticated however fascinating. The free internet and desktop variations include all the app’s options; the cellular apps are a bit extra restricted, however you possibly can improve with “cash” that you just earn through the use of numerous options (or you should buy a characteristic for $2). Twos Plus will get you all present and future upgrades, a badge, and sneak peaks on future options.
Price: Free; non-obligatory subscriptions value $2 a month or $20 a yr, and there are larger ranges for these feeling beneficiant.
There are numerous note-taking apps on the market, and whereas not all made our “better of” record, there are others which may fit your wants, so I believed I’d point out them right here.
- Notes is Apple’s model of Google Preserve (or Preserve is Google’s model of Apple Notes). It’s a free, built-in, easy technique to take notes, save photographs, scan paperwork, and make sketches, offered you might be utilizing an Apple machine.
- Simplenote is a text-only app that provides simple note-taking for anybody who simply desires to, properly, take notes.
- Workflowy is a web based app that makes use of a top level view format and is definitely extra versatile than it seems to be at first.
- Anytype, is a fancy and privacy-aware app that, like Obsidian, may very well be ultimate for many who actually like to analyze how one can personalize their functions.
- Craft is an attention-grabbing app that provides a wide range of templates and is comparatively simple to get used to. The free Starter model may be very restricted, however you get 14 days to check out the extra full Plus model, which prices $10 a month or $96 a yr.
- Zoho Pocket book is a free app that organizes your notes by dividing them into separate notebooks; every pocket book may also include audio recordsdata, photographs, or different attachments.
Correction, November sixteenth, 2023, 4:25PM ET: This text initially said that Obsidian is open-source software program. It isn’t. We remorse the error.
Replace June twelfth, 2025: This text was initially printed on November sixteenth, 2023, and has been up to date since so as to add a number of new apps and replace the pricing.
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