The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022

The 20 Best Note-taking Apps of 2023

2022-09-1312 mins

When relentless digital information flows colonize every second of our lives, high-quality note-taking skills become essential.

Note-taking helps us capture, categorize, and communicate the flood of information pouring through our screens. It assists us in organizing and summarizing the world around us.

It’s also a highly personal activity. A fact reflected by the growing range of note-taking apps available.

This post will look at 20 of the best note-taking apps in 2023 and discuss why one may suit you better than another. It will also answer some of your most frequently asked questions about note-taking.

How we construct our reviews

Our app roundups take considerable time to produce, and we only summarize an app's capabilities when we’ve evaluated it thoroughly.

For this article, we’ve broken the apps into clear use case categories and drilled down to provide you with. 

  • An Overview.

  • A look at the pros & cons.

  • Details on pricing.

  • Platform availability.

  • Who the app is best suited for.

What makes a great note-taking app?

We believe a great note-taking app should have the following qualities: 

  • It should open instantly, provide fast text input, and have easy sharing options. 

  • It can be minimal or have many features, but it must make you want to use it and function as a trusted system to capture your notes and ideas.

  • It must work with your personality and notetaking style.

In this article, we’ve searched for the best apps to suit each use case and categorized them as follows:

The best note-taking notetaking apps for

  • Voice users.

  • Those who need to share and collaborate.

  • All-purpose note-takers.

  • Markdown text users.

  • Back-linking and bi-directional note-takers.

  • Those needing quick capture tools.

  • Stylus and Apple Pencil users.

Breaking them down like this will help you quickly find the best tool for your needs.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 reviewVoice users

  • Notta ai: AI-empowered note-taking, recording, transcription, and translation.

  • Otter ai: AI speech-to-text transcription and collaboration.

All-purpose note-takers

  • Evernote: A one-stop shop for notes, files, tasks, and scheduling.

  • Google Keep: Capture, edit, and share, on any device, anywhere.

  • One Note: User-friendly note-taking with powerful collaboration tools.

Sharing and collaboration

  • Craft: An intuitive, block-based document styling hub.

  • Notion: An all-in-one workspace for writing, planning & thinking. 

  • Dropbox Paper: Collaborative text, media, and file management.

  • Milanote: Visual notetaking for designers and creatives.

Bi-directional link builders

  • Roam Research: Networked notetaking with bi-directional linking.

  • Obsidian: A note-taking Second Brain.

  • Mem: A folderless, self-organizing workspace.

Markdown Users

  • Bear: An elegant Markdown-based writing app.

  • Typora: Seamless and attractive Markdown writing.

  • Ulysses: A capable, focused writing environment.

Quick Capture

  • SimpleNote: Stripped down, cross-platform notetaking.

  • Drafts: Instant text capture with powerful customization & sharing options. 

Stylus & Apple Pencil users

  • Apple Notes: Apple’s built-in note-taker.

  • Nebo: Natural handwritten notes with stylus support and gestures.

  • Good Notes 5: Handwriting with a journal-like approach to note-taking.

Voice-based note-takers

Notta ai

 The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - notta voice transcriptionOverview

Notta uses advanced AI to remove the pain of manual transcription. Creating accurate voice-to-text transcriptions from your thoughts, conversations, and meetings. 

Pros

Instant transcription

  • Converts audio to text in real-time.

  • Transcribes while you’re speaking. 

  • Supports transcript translation for up to 42 languages.

  • The highest accuracy in its class.

Editing & organizing tools

  • Listen back at multiple speeds. 

  • Skip to keywords instantly. 

  • Add notes, timestamps, and bookmarks.

  • Edit the text later. 

  • Create workspaces and folders.

  • Export and share in multiple formats

Web recording, Notta bots & seamless sync

  • A free Chrome extension lets you record audio on the web. 

  • Send a Notta bot to transcribe your Zoom meetings.

  • Notes and conversations sync across all your devices.

Cons

Subscription required for the best experience:

 Notta works best with a subscription.

 Price

  • The basic plan is free. 

  • Notta Pro costs $8.25 a month. 

  • Team plans are $18 a seat.

Platforms

  • Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.

Best for

 Busy professionals, students, and anyone needing access to low-cost, high-quality transcription and translation.  

 Link: 

Notta ai

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - notta

Otter ai

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - otter

Overview

Otter is a subscription-based note-taking app that offers excellent real-time transcription, audio recording, and collaboration. It’s feature-rich and simple to use.

Pros:

Real-time transcription

  • Fast transcription engine that works well and has good accuracy.

  • Excellent differentiation between speakers. 

  • Notes are transcribed in real-time.

Collaboration features

  • Easy to share notes and transcriptions, making it an excellent choice for team projects.

  • Designed to facilitate collaboration.

Cross-platform support

  • Available on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

  • Supports auto-captioning for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.

Cons

Expensive.

  • Pro plan offers 90 minutes of recording time, compared to Notta’s, which offers 30.

English and US speech only.

  • Otter can only transcribe in English.

  • No translation abilities.

Price

  • The basic plan is free. 

  • The Pro plan costs $16.99 a month. 

  • Small team plans are $20 a seat.

Platforms

  • Mac, Windows, iOS, Android.

Best for

Otter’s collaboration tools benefit teams looking to collaborate in online meetings. 

The accessible UI allows for the creation of transcripts and documents and delivers well on accuracy and performance. 

Link

Otter.ai

All-purpose note-takers

Evernote

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - evernote

Overview

Evernote is a feature-rich note-taker that allows individuals or teams to create shareable media-rich notebooks to enhance workflows and collaboration across multiple devices.

Pros

Fast capture

  • Evernote’s interface is well-designed for the fast capture of content and ideas.

  • Uploading everything from text to rich-media content is extremely easy. 

Feature-rich

  • Evernote integrates with almost all media file types and media embeds in pages with almost no friction.

  • Features like handwriting recognition, web clipping, calendar integration, and task management add power.

Integration

  • Evernotes’ API is hooked into hundreds of apps and services, adding significant power to its workflows and capabilities.

Tagging, geo-tagging & predictive search

  • Evernote's search and tagging capabilities are amongst the best in the business, making it simple to tag and find documents or files.

Tasks, reminders & integrations

  • Evernote adds a task manager, calendar integration, and scheduled reminders to help keep you productive and organized. 

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - evernote

Cons:

Capped tiers

  • Evernote’s free plan is capped at 60Mb per month.

Dated aesthetics & features

  • Evernote’s UI feels very dated.

  • New features take a long time to be integrated.

Price

  • Evernote offers a free version. 

  • Paid accounts start at $7.99 for a personal plan and $14.99 for teams.

 Platforms 

  • Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.

Best for

Nearly everyone. Evernote is ubiquitous. Its capture and search features are top-notch. However, it’s starting to show its age against the new generation of apps like Roam, Craft, and Obsidian. 

Link

Evernote.

Google Keep

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - google keep

Overview

A simple, efficient, cloud-based note-taking app with a post-it note feel. Extremely fast (especially on mobile), its limitations may be frustrating for some.

Pros:

Simple & fast

  • Designed for quick capture, making it easy to use, with a minimal interface that lets you get started immediately. 

Cross-platform support

Keep is Available on Android, iOS, and the web.

Simple, efficient feature-set

  • The ability to create voice memos, add tasks, insert images and create drawings.

  • Labeling and simple collaboration options.

Free & easy to use

  • Keep it free to use. There’s no need to sign up for an account. Unlimited notes ensure no bandwidth issues. 

  • Log into Google, and you’re ready to start.

Cons

Lack of features

  • Google Keep lacks many features other apps offer as standard. 

  • No text formatting tools.

Poor organization

  • Keep’s accessibility places hard limits on both its customizability and feature set.

Price

  • Google Keep is free to use.

Platforms

  • Android, iOS, Web.

Best for

Light note-takers who need an app with speed and minimal fuss. 
Keep has enough features for most people's needs. But, its lack of document formatting tools feels like a missed opportunity.

Link

Google Keep.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - google keep

OneNote

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - miscrosoft onenoteOverview

One Note is a free and highly capable notes app. Its integration of much of Microsoft’s Office toolkit makes it a ‘one-stop-shop’ for most note-taking tasks.

Pros

Advanced feature set

  • Robust cloud sync.

  • Optical character recognition & ink-to-text conversion.

  • Audio and video recording.

Solid organizational structure

  • Deep hierarchical folder structures.

  • One Note allows each folder to contain as many sections, sub-sections, and pages as required—and each page can store a wide variety of file types.

Works offline

  • OneNote syncs as you work, so if you lose connection, it will automatically re-sync once you’re back online.

Cons

Lags and freezes

  • Prone to lagging and occasional app freezes.

Inconsistent layouts & dated design

  • UI can feel cumbersome and antiquated.

  • Features differ across platforms.

Price

  • Free to use. 

  • Additional storage is available for Microsoft 365 users.

Platforms

  • Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Web.

Best for

One Note is a reliable choice for professionals and students working in Microsoft’s information environment. Its toolset is powerful, but it feels grounded in the previous decade rather than the current one.

Link

OneNote.

 The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - onenote

Sharing & Collaboration

Craft

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - craftOverview

Craft is what happens when Notion meets Google Docs. Utilizing a block-based approach blending beautiful design with a rich media toolkit including images, video, markdown, tables, cards, subpages, real-time sharing, and more.

Pros

Design

  • Craft’s UI is a genuine standout —allowing easy and attractive page creation.

Organization

  • Create personal & shared Workspaces.

  • Use workspaces to hold ‘Collections.’ 

  • Create pages & nest notes within other notes

  • Insert elements and navigate using the / backslash command.

  • Add backlinks

Share options & deep linking

  • Real-time collaboration:  All the notes within a folder can belong to a collaborative workspace.

  • Share options: Output can be shared as Markdown, Textbundle, PDF, or MS Word document, with HTML, Plaintext, or RTF. 

  • Deep linking: Private password-protected links can be created for any page.

Cons

Limited free plan

  • The free plan only provides 100 blocks. 

Price

  • Craft offers 100-blocks of free content.

  • Personal accounts are $5 a month

  • Business users start at $10.

Platforms

  • Mac, iOS, web.

Best for

Any individual or company that wants to create & present well-formatted rich media documents.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - craft

Notion

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - notionOverview

Notion creates highly readable, well-formatted text and pages. Shareable workspaces, wikis, and documents exist alongside databases and custom Gantt, calendar, and Kanban setups, enabling entire teams to collaborate.

Pros

Huge customizability

  • Notion can function as a note-taker, knowledge base, project manager, content hub, and more. 

Flexibility

  • Notion’s flexibility means it can bundle lists, charts, tasks, notes, forms, wikis, and lightweight databases into a single cohesive whole. 

Integration

  • Notion integrates with dozens of apps, allowing automation of hundreds of processes and workflows. 

Notion community

  • The developer community around Notion is enormous. There are thousands of unique templates, tutorials, and events to explore.

Cons:

Learning curve 

  • Steep learning curve. 

  • Not the most intuitive or the fastest of notetaking apps. 

Search

  • Limited search capability within pages and documents.

Price

  • Free.

  • Subscriptions start at $4.49 per month.

Platforms

  • Windows, Mac, Web.

Best for

Teams and individuals looking to create unique, all-in-one workspaces. 

Link

Notion.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - mem

Dropbox Paper

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - dropbox paperOverview

With a frictionless UI, Paper provides a note-taking app similar to Google Docs. Its collaborative features will appeal to teams using the Dropbox ecosystem.

Pros

Seamless collaboration

  • Paper integrates note-taking and file management into a collaborative workflow. 

  • Internal and external collaboration, templates, tasks, and a solid media file management system.

Clean, modern UI

  • Paper’s UI is attractive. With simple drop-down and pop-up menus and a presentation mode. 

Media integrations

  • Paper handles standard media file types with panache, especially those in the Dropbox system. 

  • Preview YouTube, Vimeo, and Soundcloud links inside the app. 

Cons

Simplistic to-do list & formatting options

  • Paper provides only the most basic task management functionality.

  • Its text formatting options are sub-par.

Subscription only

  • If you cancel your Dropbox account, you will lose access to Paper.

Price

  • Free. 

  • Paid plans start at $9.99 per month. 

Platforms

  • Windows, Mac, Desktop, iOS, Android.

Best for

Anyone well invested in the Dropbox ecosystem.

Paper is a solid (if unspectacular) note-taker that shines most in file management and collaboration.

Link

Dropbox Paper.

 The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - dropbox paper

Milanote

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - milanoteOverview

Milanote is a gorgeous notetaking app aimed at creative professionals. Using a draggable board/canvas workspace, it’s highly intuitive and extremely flexible.

Pros:

Interface

  • The dotted grid provides a feel reminiscent of Baronfig notebooks, and the interface encourages creative expression.

Boards

  • Milanote boards function like pages, acting as containers for notes, to-do’s, bullets, headings, audio, video, drawings, and more. 

Templates & ease of use

  • Nearly 30 templates across areas such as project planning, storyboarding, novel writing, and web design.

Import/Export options & other tools

  • All standard image formats are supported, alongside PDF, Zip, Rar, audio and video, and most Adobe file formats. 

  • Export options include PDF, Markup, Word, and plain text. Dropbox and Google Drive.

Cons

Limited text formatting

  • Milanotes text formatting tools are attractive but limited. 

  • You can use markup and Html, but the in-built text editor is basic.

No offline mode

An internet connection is required to access Milanote.

Price

  • Free.

  • $9.99 a month for individuals

  • $49 a month for teams.

Platforms

  • Windows, Mac, Web. Mobile.

Best for

Milanote is an excellent choice for visual creatives. It excels as a hub/whiteboard, and its note-taking functionality is specifically designed to aid creative collaboration. 

Link

Milanote.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - milanote

Bi-directional link builders

Obsidian

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - obsidian

Overview

Obsidian offers a highly customizable approach to note-taking, combing bi-directional linking, solid privacy, and graph-based visual tools. 

Pros

Privacy

  • Obsidian files live directly on your computer, ensuring they remain in your care.

Folders, bi-directional linking & graph view

  • The ability to create internal links allows Obsidian to develop a ‘constellation of notes,’ increasing discoverability. 

  • Graph mode allows for powerful visualizations of your data.

Markdown

  • Obsidians markdown file type is easily exportable and editable in other apps.

CSS customizability & plug-ins

  • Obsidian themes can be customized using CSS. 

  • An active community exists, creating themes and plug-ins to extend the program's functionality.

Cons

Steep learning curve

  • Obsidian has a lot of features but presents a steep learning curve.

Price

  • Obsidian is offered fully functional for free. 

  • Upgrades earn early access to new features.

Platforms: 

  • Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.

Summary

Obsidian does a fantastic job of bringing backlinking, folders, and markdown together. Its natural appeal is to anyone looking to build an interlinked, private knowledge system.

Link

Obsidian

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - obsidian

Roam Research

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - roam research

Overview

Roam uses bi-directional back-linking to help surface new interconnections between notes and ideas in a simple, intuitive way.

Fluid information structures

  • Roam’s lack of a hierarchical structure makes notes relational rather than hierarchical.

  • Pages live anywhere and can be embedded inside other pages.

Easy linking

  • Allows almost instant linking and referencing using hashtags and bi-directional linking.

  • Links are created simply by referencing them.

  • Unlinked references show new connections between ideas.

Robust search, customization & graph view

  • Multiple search options, including queries.

  • Themes and customization options to change the look & functionality.

  • A graph view allows visual explorations of your notes and their connections.

Cons

Poor mobile app

  • Roams mobile app is slow, buggy, and borders on unusable, behaving nothing like its respective desktop version.

Price

  • Roam plans are $15.00 a month.

Platforms

  • Windows, Mac, Web. Mobile.

Best for

Roam’s note-taking approach benefits anyone looking to surface the relationships between ideas. 
It’s exceptional as a thinking tool, information capture device, and idea synthesizer.

Link

Roam.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - roam research

Mem

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - mem

Overview

 Mem is a bi-directional note-taker for fast capture, collaboration, and idea connection. It represents a growing trend of AI knowledge graphs being applied to sort and filter note-taking apps.

Pros

Intuitive Organisation

Mem creates a fluid workflow by dividing capture into three main sections:

  • ‘Timeline’ - provides a clean, efficient daily capture space.

  • ‘In-box’ - a place to process those inputs.

  • ‘Tasks’ - a management and scheduling hub.

Writing experience

  • Toggling on 'Focus mode' ensures that distracting sidebars disappear when typing.

  • Formatting and markdown options provide the tools to create attractive-looking text.

Custom templates

  • Mem’s ‘Flow’  templates allow the creation of custom workflows and automate repetitive tasks.

Cons

Still in Beta

  • Mem's biggest weakness stems from its relative newness. 

  • The desktop app is Mac only.

  • Export options are undeveloped. 

  • A paid upgrade is not yet out of Beta.

Price

  • Mem is currently free.

Platforms

  • iOS, Mac, Web.

Best for

Mem hasn’t clearly defined its audience. It appeals primarily to people trying the latest alternative to apps like Roam & Obsidian. It has plenty of promise and is certainly one to watch.

Link

Mem.

 The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - mem

Markdown I Notetakers

Bear

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - bearOverview

Bear is an elegant note-taking app for both Mac and iOS. Its minimalist appearance provides a distraction-free writing experience, advanced markup options, and full-in-line image support.

Pros

Themes, typography & dark mode

  • Provides a beautiful writing experience. 

  • Its typography features are excellent.

  • The dark mode is free, but access to most themes requires a subscription.

Solid tagging & organization

  • Bears tagging features allow ideas to be linked via hashtags (#) and forward slashes (/).

Encrypted notes

  • Bear allows subscribers to lock individual notes behind a password. 

Markdown & export

  • Bear provides comprehensive markdown support for headings, paragraphs, lists, blockquotes, and more. It's export options.

Cons

Mac & iOS only

  • Mac and iOS only availability leave windows and Android users looking elsewhere.

No way to separate workspaces

  • No separation between personal notes and work ones.

  • You can’t search within notes.

Price

  • Free.

  • Subscriptions start at $1.49 per month.

Platforms

  • Mac & iOS.

Best for

Bear’s attractive simplicity and good looks appeal to writers looking for a lightweight and attractive application to store notes, ideas, and articles. 

Link

Bear.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - bear

Typora

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - typora

Overview

A powerful, distraction-free, cross-platform writing tool. Typora offers a live preview markdown writing experience and supports hundreds of coding languages, custom themes, headings, tables, links, images, and more.

Pros

Genuine distraction-free writing

  • Offers a minimal, distraction-free writing environment, 

  • Custom typography, beautiful CSS-enabled themes, and a spacious landscape for the written word. 

Focus & Typewriter modes

  • From focussing only on the current line (and blurring the rest) to keeping your currently active line always in the middle of the screen, Typora implements a level of concentrated attention as good as any.

Custom CSS themes &  a detailed toolkit

  • Excellent default themes and some remarkable user creations.

  •  Full markdown, diagram, and math support.

  • Great export options

Cons:

Pricing model

  • Free trial. No free version of the app.

Price

  • 15-day free trial. $14.99 to purchase.

Platforms

  • Windows, Mac, Linux.

Best for

Typora appeals to writers looking for a focussed workspace and solid export options. It handles text formatting with a genuine graphical flair, and its visual appeal encourages writing.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - typora 

Ulysses

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - ulysses

Overview

Ulysses combines an award-winning interface with markdown formatting, grammar, and style tools to create a stylish, distraction-free writing app suitable for tasks from note-taking to full manuscripts.

Pros

Aesthetics

  • Every pixel has been carefully crafted, making it a genuinely pleasing application to use.

Built-in grammar and style checking

  • Ulysses points out grammar, punctuation, semantics, capitalization, and style errors to help improve the quality of your work. 

Goals, keywords & filters

  • From setting word and character goals for each document to filtering texts with intelligent filters, Ulysses strikes a delicate balance between motivation and organization.

Cons

Apple Only

  • Ulysses is Mac and iOS only, leaving PC users in the cold.

No free trial

  • Ulysses doesn’t offer any kind of free trial without setting up an active subscription.

Price

  • $5/month or $40/year 

Platform

  • iOS, Mac

Best for

Minimalist, easy to use, and with a detailed and thoughtful interface, Ulysses is a writer's tool rather than a quick notepad. 
With built-in grammar checking and a lovely focus mode, it's easy to see why Ulyssess is universally well-regarded.

Link

Ulysses.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - ulysses

Quick capture

Simplenote

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - simplenote

Overview

In contrast to other apps, Simple Note’s approach to notetaking is minimalist. It’s fast, uncluttered, and focuses solely on the act of writing. 

Pros

Minimal design

  • Spartan in nature. Simple Note ignores text formatting, image, and file uploads, and any bells or whistles favor a clean interface, fast, responsive note-taking, and zero bloat.

Reliable sync & cross-platform support

  • Working reliably across all platforms, it's a doddle to take notes and to-do’s on one platform and instantly access them on another. 

Completely free

  • No paid upgrades, no storage tiers, and no hassle. Simple Note is accessible across all devices.

Cons:

Lack of features

  • Simple Note is a very basic note-taking. While that’s a plus for some, a lack of options like text formatting and image upload is a definite no-no for others.

No organization

  • Simple Note offers no way to organize your notes, making it difficult to quickly find what you're looking for.

Price

  • Simple Note is free.

Platforms

Android, iOS, Web.

Best for

The appeal of the app is in its no-frills approach. Those who like that will love it. Those who don’t won't.

Link

Simple Note.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - simplenote

Drafts

Overview

Drafts positions itself as a trusted quick-capture ‘launching off point’ for text.  Custom text editing, UI personalization options, and high-quality features provide the Apple ecosystem with a rugged, connected note-taking experience.

Pros

Customizability

  • Drafts can function as both the simplest and the most complex text editors and has options for almost every menu. 

Easy capture

  • Instant capture via blinking text prompt.

  • Hand-free capture via Siri on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

 Personalization & UI clarity

  • Device-specific custom settings.

  • Actions function for copying and linking hooks into other apps.

  • Tags for custom organization.

  • Focus Mode when writing.

Support for multiple syntaxe 

  • Drafts supports inline syntax highlighting for Plain Text, Markdown, TaskPaper, JavaScript, and Simple List.

  • Syntax options are per draft, making it possible to control font choice, size, height, and spacing separately.

Cons

  • Drafts are Apple only, leaving Windows and Android users looking elsewhere.

Paid upgrade for features

Custom themes, advanced automation, action syntaxes, workspaces, and sharing options are locked behind a paid upgrade.

Price

  • Upgrade for $19.99 per year or $1.99 per month. Drafts are free.

Platforms 

  • iOS, Mac.

Best for

Draft’s is an excellent tool for anyone who needs to manage text across multiple programs and services. While it specializes in fast capture, it has enormous power under the hood and integrates with almost everything.

Link

Drafts.

Apple Pencil & Stylus

Apple Notes

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - apple notes

Overview

Apple Notes is a free note-taking app for Mac and iOS. It’s feature-rich, polished, and uncluttered and comes with 5Gb of free iCloud storage.

Pros

Solid feature set

  • Excellent text formatting options.

  • Tables, To-Do's, image and audio import, Siri voice dictation, document scanning, and access to all Apple’s sharing and export options.

Siri integration

  • Asking Siri to 'take a note' will prompt you to speak. Simply tell Siri what you want the note to say, and it's created and synced across all your devices.

Locked notes, folders, tags & search

  • Notes can be locked with a password and unlocked using Face/Touch ID. 

  • Messages can be searched using a combination of letters and tags,

  • Text inside attachments is searchable.

Camera integration

  • As well as the ability to insert photos and videos, Notes will scan documents. It can also scan portions of printed text directly into a note.

Cons

Apple Only

  • The biggest reason you might skip Apple Notes is that it's only available on Apple devices.

Price:

  • Apple Notes is pre-installed on Apple devices.

Platforms

  • iOS, Mac, Web.

Best for

As expected, Notes contains Apple’s signature design and hundreds of thoughtful UI and useability touches. It continues to improve constantly and offers a lot of power and flexibility.

Link 

Apple Notes.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - apple notes

Nebo

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - nebo

Overview

Considered the best handwriting app on the market, Nebo turns even scribbled writing into clear, readable text. 

Pros

Handwriting recognition

  • Nebo’s handwriting recognition lets you write notes by hand and instantly converts them to text. 

  • The app uses touch gestures, pen strokes, and taps to format.

  • Handwriting support for 66 languages.

PDF Annotations

  • Share a PDF to Nebo and instantly annotate using highlighting, sketching, and drawing. Annotations are indexed and appear in search.

Images, diagrams & rich content

  • Images from the camera or album can be imported,  resized, and placed anywhere.

  • Interactive diagramming is intuitive. It’s easy to draw a quick circle and replace it with a whole shape.

  • The freeform sketching tool offers different pens, colors, and pen widths.

Cons

Gestures can be frustrating

As intuitive as Nebo is, it can be frustrating to use when it misunderstands your intentions.

Price

Nebo is free with upgrade packs adding extra features. 

Platforms

iOS, Windows.

Suitable for

Students.

Link

Nebo.

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - nebo

Good Notes

The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - good notes 5

Overview

Good Notes is a famous planner-style note-taker for the iPad that offers excellent handwriting recognition, a pleasing visual experience, and plenty of customizability using stickers and journal templates.

Pros

Personalization:

  • From importing personalized covers for journaling and planning to add images or stickers, creating mind maps, or taking lecture notes, Good Notes has many quick and easy personalization options.

Folders & iCloud Sync

  • Create folders and sub-folders and have them auto-sync across all your devices.

Flashcards & PDF annotation

  • Built-in flashcards create an accessible memorization mode.

  • Freely annotate and draw on PDFs/

Cons

A free version is severely limited

Only three notebooks can be created before the app forces you to upgrade to progress further.

Mac & iOS Only

Another note-taking app with no Android or Windows version. 

Price

The basic version of Good Notes is free with limitations.

It costs $7.99 to unlock the app completely.

Platforms

iOS, Students.

Link

Good Notes.

 The 20 Best note-taking apps of 2022 - good notes

FAQ

Which app is best for note-taking with a stylus?

Although we included it in our all-purpose note-takers section Microsoft’s One Note is recognized by many for the quality of its stylus input. Google Keep also gets an honorable mention.
If we're talking Apple Pencil support, the clear winners are Good Notes, Nebo, and Apple’s Notes app.

What is the best free app for taking notes?

It’s essential to ask yourself what kind of note-taking you want and which device you want to use.
The short answer is One Note on Microsoft and Android systems and Apple Notes on iOS and Mac. 

Should I take notes digitally or on paper?

There’s nothing wrong with doing either (or both). The advantages of analog note-taking lie in the unique feel of pen and paper. 
The rise of Bullet Journaling and Moleskine notebooks is a testament to that appeal.
From a digital perspective, the level of control and the ability to incorporate media, links, and more is an obvious benefit.

How do I write notes on my phone?

Get started with what you have. 
As we’ve already shown, there are tons of fantastic apps to try, and the default note-taking apps from Microsoft and Apple are pretty incredible in their own right!

Conclusion

We hope you’ve discovered the note-taking app of your dreams.

While you’re here, why not try out our free Chrome extension? Having transcripts of all the YouTube videos and tutorials you watch is a beautiful way to help you remember what you learn!