Did you know that note-taking (apps or paper) is not just about writing down everything that you think or hear? Usually, when people come across an idea or hear one, they find a piece of paper to jot down. However, the disadvantage with this is that you may forget where you dropped this piece of paper and hence lose the information. Lucky for us in the 21st century, we live in the digital age when almost everything is achievable in a virtual form.
The biggest advantage of using digital notebooks instead of physical ones is the ease of finding specific detail. Additionally, you will be able to neatly edit your work, access it anywhere, and as well keep it for longer. In this article, we are going to discuss 10 of the best notes taking apps you should consider trying out.
Related:
How to Take Notes with Siri on your iPhone and iPad
How to sync sticky notes to your devices (Android and iPhone)
Here’s How to share iPhone notes to android, PC, MAC, or another iPhone
Contents
Top 10 Best Note-Taking Apps for PC and Mobile
1. Microsoft OneNote | Best Note-Taking App For Windows
This app is quite similar to note-taking tools like Evernote and Dropbox Paper. OneNote will allow you to keep text and images in free-form documents that are absolutely private, but sharable. This service is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite which comes along with other products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Features
The app has very easy navigation as well as versatile search tools. These let you find notes right where you left them and this works across all devices. You can revise your notes with type, highlighting, or ink annotations. Share your bright ideas, collaborate on them, and organize your notes in distinct notebooks that can be divided into sections and pages. You can get the app on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Pros:
Cloud syncing lets you access your work on all your devices. Integration with Outlook which would let you work with your notes through one account. It also has versatility and therefore you are less likely to lose your work. The simple, thought-out user interface allows one to focus on their work.
Cons:
There’s a common issue of not syncing immediately between the desktop and the cloud versions. The app can have more robust table features which make it quite technical.
2. Google Keep | Best Note-Taking Apps For Android
Just like all other mainstream Google products, Google Keep is a free and one of the best note-taking apps for personal use. It will let you capture your notes, lists, photos, and audio to keep along with locations. The aesthetic app also allows time-based reminders to make sure you never miss a thing. This app is fast, colorful, and comes pre-installed on several Android devices. Available For: Android, Chrome, iOS, Web Version (for PC and Mac)
Features
Google Keep has the ability to recognize images which makes notes search a lot more interesting. You can even convert images (photos of your notes) and PDFs into searchable text. Google Keep works on your phone, tablet, and computer, so everything you add syncs across. This will definitely ensure that all your important stuff is always with you.
Pros:
The app syncs your notes and reminders across all your devices which allows ease of access. Google Keep is very beautiful, colorful, and aesthetic. The interface is quite intuitive, hence the app becoming a darling to those who use it. The user-friendly interface is another plus if you ask me.
Cons:
The app is not so reliable or useful for larger note databases. No tags – This means that you cannot use other words to find what you forgot. It is most suitable for people who are using other Google services because it does not support any other emails.
3. Typora
This app is one absolutely unique tool with a minimalistic interface. The note-taking application allows one to create organized notes that come out exactly as expected.
Features
Typora works with an HTML editor that helps you format your text as you write in the most effortless manner possible. This app can make a table of contents which is useful to keep track of all your headlines, subheadings, titles, and the entire outline. Are you looking for a tool that helps your notes stay detailed and organized at the same time? Typora could save the day! Available for: Windows, Mac, and Linux
Pros:
It has a focus Mode option that helps you cut out all the unnecessary notifications. Another cool feature is the typewriter mode. Typora notes app is extremely customizable for you to achieve your tastes. The app has the option to import and export files in the form of PDF files. The predefined themes help you easily customize. A Markdown editor that formats your text when you write
Cons:
Typora unfortunately has no app for Android and iOS.Typora is exclusively available as a desktop version. In this app, you cannot save your notes, but instead, download them as documents.
4. Apple Notes | Best Note-Taking Apps For iOS
Apple Notes is the stock note-taking app for iPhones, iPads, iMac, and all Apple devices. The notes app lets you capture your ideas the very moment they come across your mind. For most Apple users, this note-taking tool will surely get the job done with basic note-taking requirements. Just like Simplenote, Apple Notes seamlessly syncs with iCloud. Available For: iOS only.
Features
The app supports drag and drop of all content including photos. You can also create and manage simple basic to-do lists. Recently, the Notes app added a variety of new features, including a Gallery View, checklist options, subfolders, shared folders, and more. Apple Notes is so excellent for writing down random thoughts and ideas.
Pros:
Apple Notes is a very swift and easy note-taking tool. It works perfectly for iPad, iPhone, and iMac users since it’s an Apple product. If you have been using Simplenote, you will find Apple Notes easy to adapt to. Gallery view is another cool feature. You can also set it to a checklist view.
Cons:
Cannot be used by Android and Windows users. Apple Notes is fluid but lacks the features of a full-on note-taking tool.
5. Simplenote
Simplenote makes things – unbelievably, well, simple! You get the option to categorize your notes using tags, which makes it easy to find them later on. Available For: iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Features
This is a cross-platform note-taking tool offering users simple ways to create notes, to-do lists, and capture ideas. Additionally, you enjoy synchronization for free.
Pros:
The app supports quick and easy formatting. Notes quickly syncing across mobile apps and the web app is a plus advantage. The app is so easy to use and in no time, you will be doing some excellent formatting.
Cons:
They do not have a Windows app, but instead a web version. Simplenote does not support individual text formatting. Whilst using tags is a cool feature, you are limited to using one tag.
6. ProofHub
This is more of an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software with note-taking being one of its core capabilities. Taking notes in ProofHub is relatively easy to use and excellent for jotting down almost every important piece of information. The app is so useful that you can keep a record of your daily minutes of meetings and save all your ideas securely. Here is more on the ProofHub note-taking feature.
Features
One cool feature is the possibility to share notes directly with someone else and even let them make contributions to those notes. You can even add comments, attach files to a note, and store multiple notes together in a Notebook to keep things neatly organized.
Pros:
ProofHub has a very intuitive interface with little to no learning curve. The app has impressive performance with the ability to handle multiple projects. There is an option to pin notebooks and keep them on top for ease of access. You can keep track of all the changes made to your notes. You can mark notes as private to ensure that nobody else accesses them.
Cons
It has a limited number of app integrations. Involve payment and in-app purchases.
7. Evernote
This service can help you store everything from personal thoughts and ideas to business projects. These would always be safe, secure, and accessible through any of your devices. Evernote is ranked as one of the best note-taking apps. It auto-syncs across all your devices, and supports team collaboration. Available For: Windows, iOS, Android.
Pros:
It has a PDF and DOC search option which lets you find the information you want in documents. Evernote has some excellent formatting tools for beautiful note-taking. Evernote connects with several productivity tools you most likely already use.
Cons:
You cannot record audio and video directly from Evernote.
It does not support image rotation and cropping.
8. Bit.ai
This is one of the most unique services on this list as it is a new-age cloud-based document collaboration platform. Bit.ai works well for creating documents, note-taking, and creation of workspaces around projects. It also serves well for teams and departments to keep your notes and documents organized. Available For: Web
Features
Bit.ai workspaces are fluid for your notes, collaborative documents, and published work. You can move your work through your organization’s workflow and it can help you brainstorm and collaborate in real time. It even supports teamwork through chat, in-line comments, @mentions, and more.
Pros:
Bit.ai has over 100 rich media integrations. The service supports auto-formatting. The biggest feature is the real-time collaboration support. It has a feature known as smart workspaces. It has a clear, clean, and minimalistic editor.
Cons:
There is no mobile app designed by Bit.ai, although their documents are very responsive and slick for all devices.
9. Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is a clean online documentation workspace that lets you organize and edit your notes. It’s clearly one of the cleanest Note taking apps on this list which you can directly access here for Windows, iOS and Android.
Features
It lets you display all your text, media, and files in a single location and as well collaborate with others and access your docs from anywhere. With Dropbox Paper, you can drag and drop images, PDFs, videos, audio files, spreadsheets, and over 175 other file types directly into your documents.
Pros:
Dropbox allows you to design your documents accurately to your preference. The learning curve is not steep, so you will be able to navigate and use it quite fast. It has a user-friendly interface so you enjoy creating your notes.
Cons:
It has no spell-check feature which leaves your notes prone to numerous errors. The default view of folders is not the most aesthetic.
10. Nifty
This note-taking app helps users stop switching between chats, tasks, docs, calendars, and meeting tools. Nifty will bring your team and clients together in one simple, yet powerful app. The app is excellent for setting goals as you can create tasks and watch yourself complete them. Available For: Windows, iOS, Android.
Features
The app allows a flexible organization, prioritization, and management of daily work with a high level of detail using Kanban, List, and Swimlane views. With this tool, you can ensure that members share ideas and finalize assignments. You can even gather feedback in real time with chats and one-click Zoom meetings. Another surprising feature is the native integration with Google Docs.
Pros
The app is awesome for campaign tracking. Nifty is able to consolidate campaign assets. The integration with Google Docs is a lifesaver for android users.
Cons:
None so far mentioned by users.
Conclusion: Best Note-Taking Apps
These have been our top 10 picks for the best note-taking apps you should try. A good choice for your note-taking needs is mentioned above, but if we missed out on any, please let us know in the comments section.