19 Best Note-Taking Apps For Taking Notes

Last Updated on May 8, 2023

Taking notes is an essential part of any research project. And if you’re like most students, you probably depend on a standard note-taking application to get the job done. But what if you’re looking for an app that helps you take better notes? In this article, we will review 19 of the best note-taking applications of 2023.

There are a ton of different note-taking applications available on the market today. It can be tough to decide which one is right for you. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best 19 alternatives for 2023.

If you want a powerful note-taking application to help your research process goes smoother, check out some of these options. They all have different features and abilities, so find the one that suits your needs.

What Is Note-Taking?

The practice of recording information from a source or event is known as note-taking. Recording, writing, scribbling, paraphrasing, drawing, labeling, outlining, and annotating are usual methods. Note-taking mobile apps allow users to type, scribble, and draw on their devices in the same way as they would on paper. Several programs have distinct features, storage, organizing, and sharing capabilities to determine which note-taking application assists in their needs.

The 19 Best Note-Taking Application On The Market Today

Notability

Notability is one of the best iPad note-taking apps, owing to its simple UI and tremendous capabilities. Notes are no longer just notes when you can include multimedia such as music and video. It combines multiple distinct types of note-taking apps for iPad, allowing you to take notes, keep a diary, or use additional note-taking apps like ink and highlighter.

It supports note-taking apps but also PDF annotation. It helps students and professionals who spend a lot of time analyzing and working with PDF files. Templates are available to assist you in getting started, or you can upload your document or slide to get started. For added convenience, the application is Pencil-compatible.

The Starter plan is free with restricted note modifications, but if you want access to more features, you must upgrade to the Plus plan.

Pricing

• Annual Plan: $11.99/month
• Monthly Plan: $2.99/month

Evernote

Evernote is a complete powerhouse for dedicated note-taking apps. Make journals to organize your notes and save stuff such as PDFs, drawings, and other multimedia such as images and music. You may link your account to your Google calendar, giving you complete scheduling capabilities with a great note-taking apps for-taking. Evernote’s Web Clipper feature allows you to build agenda lists, Tasks and clip your favorite websites.

When you use your camera, you may also scan in your own handwritten or printed note-taking apps. You can sync all of your devices up to the number of devices specified in your membership plan. Your subscription limits the size of your digital notes and the number of monthly uploads.

Pricing

• Three different plans: Up to $9.99 per month
  • 60MB Monthly Uploads
  • 200MB Monthly Uploads
  • 20 GB Monthly Uploads

GoodNotes 5

GoodNotes, like Evernote, syncs across devices for simple access no matter where you are or what device you are using. Using featured tools like Shape, Lasso, and Elements, you may tweak and change your handwriting or use other colored inks. You can even import photographs and diagrams. Furthermore, it is ideal for usage with the Apple Pencil.

You can also work with PDFs and document outlines, storing them inside folders and subfolders for improved organization. Your note files’ standard notes and folders are all searchable, whether handwritten or typed. A substantial amount of covers and paper layouts enables you to add flair and design to your notes. GoodNotes Five app works with various devices and apps, including iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive. Furthermore, it is a free note-taking apps.

Pricing

• Starter: Free
• $7.99 one-time purchase

Nebo

If you have an Apple Pencil and want to utilize it with your new iPad note-taking apps, Nebo provides complete pen compatibility. It uses cutting-edge AI technology to give handwritten notes or explain where you see appropriate. Nebo supports 66 languages, transforming your scrawled note files into elegant notes.

If you want to resume where you left off, import a file because the software supports PDF, Word, and Powerpoint. Whichever way you want, you can shift from handwriting to text to dictation, even within the same word, to make transcribing a snap. It can even handle arithmetic equations and diagrams, accessible in LaTeX or picture format.

Nebo also has a companion app, Nebo Viewer, that shows read-only copies of your notes on your iPhone. Before reading your note files, you must create a free MyScript account and access cloud sync.

Pricing

• Free
• Upgrade: $7.99 per month

Notes

The Notes app is Apple’s distinctive note-taking apps with simple features making it our favorite free note-taking application for iPads. If you possess an iPad, you’ve most likely already installed the Apple Note-taking apps. It is one of the simplest methods to take notes, but the software can be used for more than simply taking notes.

It can also handle other materials like photos, checklists, sticky notes, and doodles. It also works with handwritten notes or scanned documents that you want to have on hand. Password-protect your notes or scan paper documents with the built-in scanner. You may view your note files on any of your Apple devices with the icloud-based software.

Pricing

• Free

Obsidian

The Obsidian application is a text file reader that sits on top of markdown files in a folder. It also allows users to create, edit, and link notes.

It was designed for capturing quick notes and may be used to create note files for a personal wiki. So that authors and note-taking apps may see organic links, the program delivers contextual information about significant themes and topics in each note-taking apps.

You can easily customize owing to a wide choice of plugins, themes, and custom CSS styles. Data save locally, eliminating the need for cloud storage. Notes are in human-readable markdown format, allowing you to build an extendable knowledge base customized to your specific needs.

Pricing

• Personal: Free
• Catalyst: $25 paid once
• Commercial: $50 per user per year

Apple Notes

Apple provides a wide range of hardware and software for personal and corporate usage, including Apple Notes, a free, versatile note-taking program.

This software quickly records a concept, generates checklists, draws ideas, or takes extensive notes. You may then use Google Cloud to sync them across all other apps on your devices.

You may arrange your notes by creating folders or utilizing the gallery view to receive a quick overview of your papers. It can find a message or attachment, and you can even make one from the lock screen.

Pricing

• Free

Simplenote

Simplenote provides a simple yet effective note-taking and syncing experience for those who do not require complex features and capabilities.

This program is billed as the easiest method to keep notes. And it is available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, and in your browser. To remain up to date, you may sync your notes in real-time across all of your devices.

Just tag your notes to make them searchable and to keep them organized. Share notes with colleagues or share them publicly to collaborate. Simplenote supports markdown, which simplifies creating rich, sophisticated notes.

Pricing

• Free

Zoho Notebook

Zoho Notebook is a free version of a card-based note-taking application that allows you to create color-coded notes, create checklists, and collaborate successfully inside a single platform.

You may use Zoho Notebook to capture and save pictures, PDF files, documents, and spreadsheets. The built-in sketch tool simplifies drawing, visualizing ideas, and scribbling short notes.

The many sorts of note cards complement the type of note you’re taking. What you need to remember may be readily jotted, listed, recorded, sketched, and snapped. Employees may also use the audio feature same note taken to record meetings, courses, and other talks for future reference.

Pricing

• Essential: Free
• Pro: $19.99 per year

Microsoft OneNote

The many sorts of note cards complement the type of note you’re taking. What you need to remember may be readily jotted, listed, recorded, sketched, and snapped. The employees may also use the audio feature to record meetings, courses, and other talks for future reference.

Microsoft OneNote allows users to type notes, handwrite notes using a stylus/fingertip, and record audio. The deep search feature makes it simple to locate important information.

Handwritten notes can transform into digital text, and concepts can emphasize with different shapes and colors. Microsoft 365 files can go in a note file to allow simple modification. Note files may share with coworkers for further collaboration and insight.

Pricing

• Free: 30-day free trial
• Starts from $6.99 per user per month

Bit.ai

Bit.ai is a workplace and document collaboration platform that allows you to create, collaborate and organize information in one location from anywhere.

This software application assists teams in creating dynamic notes, papers, wikis, knowledge bases, projects, client deliverables, technical documentation, training aids, and client portals.

Use the simple editor to collaborate on usual tasks, which adds context with visual online connections, rich media, videos, graphic design embeds, social media postings, polls, files, and attachments. With sophisticated document monitoring, you’ll get real-time insights into your shared documents. For example, you may observe how much time users spent on papers and how frequently they returned to them.

Work may be organized by creating workspaces based on teams, projects, or clients. Instead, leverage @mentions, real-time alerts, shared workspaces, guest access, and permission management to help your teams collaborate.

Pricing

• Free
• Pro: $8 per member per month
• Business: $15 per member per month

Clover

Clover serves as your daily workstation, with features such as notes, tasks, whiteboards, and a daily calendar. All of this incorporates into a simplified workflow.

This software application presents a new method of collecting thoughts, monitoring tasks, organizing your daily schedule, and planning work. It is simple to record ideas and arrange work, and unfinished tasks are automatically carried over to the next day.

Clover also functions as a task management, communication tool, and planner. Due dates may be added, tasks can be color-coded, and ideas can be networked. Clover will automatically build backlinks to connect your pages as necessary.

Pricing

• Starter: Free
• Pro: $8 per month

Google Keep

Google Keep is a free note-taking app that anybody with a Google account may use to jot down ideas and take notes.

Professionals and people may use Google Keep to write, edit, and share notes from a single platform. It’s simple to include lists, images, and audio notes. You may then search for notes based on parameters like color, labels, and kind. You may also make voice memos and establish location-based or time-based reminders with the tool.

The software syncs across all devices, allowing teams to use the tool from any location. Voice notes may be recorded and transcribed, and notes can be easily transferred into a Google Doc.

Pricing

• Free

Notion

The Notion app is a digital workplace that allows you to keep track of your notes, tasks, records, projects, and calendars.

Notion app, which is available in both cloud and on-premise versions, enables team members to communicate and complete joint tasks, exchange meeting notes, update project expenditure reports, and manage benefits policy. The application may also be used to create product roadmaps, task lists, and repository patterns, and optimize project workflows..

Via a sleek, basic user interface, the editor provides distraction-free writing. Users may see and manage tasks from anywhere with mobile applications for both iOS and Android smartphones.

Pricing

• Free
• Plus: $8 per user per month
• Business: $15 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom Plan

Box Notes

Box Notes, like Microsoft OneNote and Google Keep, is a note-taking program that is part of a broader cloud-based infrastructure. Box Notes, on the other hand, is used by enterprises that utilize Box as their storage provider and want to make the most of its collaboration options.

Box Individual, the free option, provides 10GB of free storage that is shared across all Box apps. The Box Starter and Personal Pro plans, which cost $7 and $10 per month, respectively, expand this to 100GB, while the Business and Business Plus plans, which cost $20 and $33 per month, respectively, allow limitless online storage. Even Evernote Business does not have unlimited storage.

Box Notes is not as basic as Simplenote, but its constraints make it impossible to use it for anything other than business cooperation. You may have up to 30 people working on the same document at the same time, and you can specify various access levels for each user, allowing all team members to contribute by editing, viewing, or offering input via comments.

Pricing

• Business: $20 per user per month
• Business Plus: $33 per user per month
• Enterprise: $47 per user per month
• Enterprise Plus: Custom Plan

Notebooks – Write And Organize

Notebooks is a powerful and adaptable program for writing, taking notes, organizing, and managing projects. Support for several frequently used formats offers you flexibility over what you generate and how you use it, and automated link management helps keep your notes logical.

Notebooks are excellent for creating and organizing notes, papers, and other items. Users of this software will learn how to remain on top of the massive volumes of information that contemporary living frequently necessitates, and other note-taking apps but the app does not explicitly teach knowledge or skills.

Inside the program, you may mix your notes, scans, text, and documents to produce PDFs and eBooks. Notebooks not only handle all of this, but it also helps you organize your files and projects.

Pricing

• Free

NoteLedge

NoteLedge is one of the best iOS and Android note-taking apps for better study and research. The app is fantastic and has taken notetaking to the next level, providing users with a significant productivity boost. Use NoteLedge for taking quick notes on, reviewing documents, bullet journaling, or modifying textbook pages. On the study notes, you may highlight with pen motions and record photos and text. You may save time transcribing the summaries by using an Apple pencil to make movements on study notes.

Notes can be scrawled or typed into text boxes on the same page as the original pages of a document, or they can be assembled on separate notebook-style pages with material copied from the original. You may export notes as PDFs with incorporated multimedia content.

Pricing

• Free

Penbook

Penbook is an excellent, note-taking tool and-taking software for the iPad and iPhone. You won’t be restricted to personal notebooks or diaries because there are over 100 different notebook and stationery styles available. Using the live dynamic paper in combination with an Apple Pencil, stylus, or just your finger, you may use the notebook as a monthly planner, sketchbook, or even a calendar.

Live Paper, variations of academic, scientific, and planning stationeries, unlimited unique cover combinations for your notes, the ability to search your handwritten notes for words or phrases, and drawing features that will Snap your strokes to create perfect shapes with shape recognition are all included in the app.

Penbook does support the Apple Pencil, but if you don’t have one, you may still use it with your finger.

Pricing

• Free

Bear

For writers and note-takers, Bear is one of the greatest free note taking apps take-taking apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. If you’re searching for an alternative to Evernote or Apple Notes, Bear is worth a try, albeit it might not be for everyone.

Bear is stunning, and it’s one of the most gorgeous writing tools I’ve ever used. Bear, like other writing programs, is divided into three sections: the Sidebar (on the left), the Notes List (in the center), and the Text Editor (on the right).

This notebook system is not provided by Bear. Alternatively, you may organize your notes using a tag system (such as Evernote). But, you can easily replicate the notebook format by using a sub-tag. Another useful feature of Bear is the todo. Simply highlight a line and click on T to create a task. You may also shift the job around in your notes. While it won’t replace task management tools like Todoist, Wunderlist, Trello, and so on, having this in your notes might be useful.

If you’re a writer looking for a simple, clean, and speedy writing program that’s highly versatile and just works, try Bear. Bear – lovely writing software for notes and prose is available for free on the App Store as a universal app for the iPhone and iPad.

Pricing

• Free

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