Today, we’re all coping with big quantities of data, from assembly notes to social media, to pictures and movies, to no matter else we’ve collected — and we’re all looking for some strategy to retailer it, manage it, and discover it after we want it.
If you wish to get actually fundamental, you should use a spreadsheet or create a easy set of word-processing paperwork. In any other case, you’ll be able to 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 complicated, are able to manipulating any and all content material you need to drop into them.
One of the crucial well-known has been Evernote, which has gone by means of fairly a number of adjustments over time, each financially and in its function set. I’ve been utilizing it for my private notes for years, and whereas I really feel that it’s turn into means too overblown (and too costly), I haven’t been in a position to encourage myself to drag my decade of knowledge out of there. At this level, although, I’m undecided I’d suggest it to a brand new consumer — particularly now that it’s limiting the options of its free model much more than it used to.
Nonetheless, there are a number of 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 will have the time and an inclination to be taught. I’ve checked out a bunch, and these are some that seemed most promising, from the most straightforward to probably the most complicated.
In the long run, although, the app you utilize will largely rely in your private wants. Listed below are extra particulars on our high picks on this class.
Google Maintain began out as a reasonably easy note-taking app, and whereas it has added a number of options because it started, it’s nonetheless an excellent, simple strategy to document your ideas. As a result of it’s so interconnected with different Google apps (for instance, you’ll be able to entry it straight from Google Calendar, and you’ll convert a Maintain be aware to a Google Doc), it really works particularly effectively in the event you’re invested within the Google ecosystem.
Maintain isn’t fairly as sparse because it was: you’ll be able to create new notes with on the spot lists, drawings, or photographs; it’s also possible to add collaborators and a wide range of backgrounds. As well as, there have been some attention-grabbing upgrades lately which have been promised, corresponding to textual content formatting (though, as of this writing, they have been solely accessible for Android). In the meantime, being Google, the search ain’t unhealthy.
Bear Markdown Notes is an app for macOS and iOS gadgets with a superb interface and collection of options that might make me remorse my faithfulness to Android. Even the free model gives a lot of tweaks — for instance, the header can both be the primary sentence of the be aware or the date and time (or you’ll be able to depart it empty and put in something you need). You may have a large alternative of fonts and varied formatting choices.
The app makes use of tags to be able to manage its notes; you create a tag for a be aware 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’ll be able to click on on it to search out all of the tagged notes.
Apart from the column on the left, you will have a second column that exhibits all of the notes within the highlighted part, whereas the primary window exhibits what’s within the chosen be aware itself. It’s a UI that’s utilized by a number of apps, together with Evernote.
You possibly can format your notes in a wide range of methods by clicking a BIU (daring / italics / underline) icon on the high proper of every be aware; it’s also possible to create subheads, bulleted and to-do lists, tables, hyperlinks, and add attachments. One other icon allows you to see the statistics for the be aware — variety of phrases, characters, and when it was modified. It’s also possible to see a top level view of your varied heads, subheads, and any backlinks. In different phrases, even within the free model, there are many methods you’ll be able to play with Bear Notes.
However, if you wish to sync your notes throughout gadgets, 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 allows you to export in Markdown, TextBundle, txt, and rtf).
Value: Free model accessible. Professional model prices $2.99 a month or $29.99 a 12 months with a 7-day free trial.
Evernote began out in 2008 as an progressive and well-regarded note-taking app. Over time, nonetheless, its status 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 workers 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 mentioned, the paid model of Evernote nonetheless does what it does effectively, particularly in the event you’re a kind of customers who has caught with it for some time. The fundamental feel and appear of the online app hasn’t modified a lot, though the homepage now exhibits current notes, a scratch pad, and lately 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 possibly can create to-do notes. You possibly can search inside all of your notes, clip webpages in a wide range of methods, and sync as much as two gadgets. You possibly can add as much as 60MB of knowledge a month with a most be aware measurement of 25MB. And Evernote has been including AI options corresponding to AI Observe Cleanup, at present in beta, which makes use of AI to “tidy up” your notes.
In different phrases, Evernote has turn into a reasonably complicated product, though, as talked about earlier than, you’ll need to take a look at the paid variations to make use of it correctly. The Private plan allows you to sync a limiteless variety of gadgets, add as much as 10GB of knowledge a month with a most be aware measurement of 200MB, join a Gmail account, and extra; the Skilled plan provides further app integration and a wide range of different options.
Value: Restricted free model accessible. Private plan prices $14.99 a month or $129.99 a 12 months. Skilled plan prices $17.99 a month or $169.99 a 12 months.
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 totally different.
In OneNote, every entry is a web page, and every web page can include a wide range of totally different media, together with textual content, audio, photographs, video, tables, and drawings, amongst others. Pages are organized into sections and sections into notebooks.
There are a number of methods you’ll be able to tweak your knowledge, how it’s organized, and the way it seems. You possibly can create to-do lists and reminders, mark textual content as vital, and alter the look of the textual content. You possibly can spotlight and make a wide range of drawings in a wide range of colours. For those who use different Microsoft apps corresponding to Outlook, you’ll be able to sync your OneNote entries with them — for instance, to maintain monitor of Outlook conferences. You possibly can change the web page colour and elegance or change from darkish to mild.
In reality, like Evernote, OneNote has had so many various skills added that it could possibly turn 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 possibly’t discover a direct reply to your query, gives a wise lookup hyperlink. When “extract textual content” didn’t provide you with something, I clicked it and was supplied (through a aspect column) a Wikipedia definition of a textual content file and hyperlinks to a number of third-party apps. (A easy “we don’t try this” would have been good.)
One factor about OneNote that offers it a bonus over Evernote: it’s nonetheless fully free. So in the event you’re on the lookout for alternate options, it’s price giving OneNote a strive.
Joplin is an open-source app that, on first look, seems like a considerably less complicated model of Evernote. It has the listing of folders (also referred to as notebooks) on the far left, a column itemizing the contents of the folder to the best of that, after which an area to indicate the contents of the highlighted entry.
A serious distinction, although, is that Joplin produces simple Markdown information (versus Evernote’s proprietary .enex format), and there’s really a toggle that allows you to see every file in markdown or, in the event you choose, wealthy textual content. Which is useful, particularly in the event you like to take a look at code; my solely drawback is that hyperlinks usually are not reside within the wealthy textual content format — though there’s most likely a strategy to tweak that.
And that may be a second attention-grabbing factor about Joplin: if you’d like to have the ability to personalize your app, you’ll be able to. There are a number of plugins, and you’ll even create your individual scripts and plugins utilizing the Extension API. If, however, you’re not snug with coding and APIs, Joplin’s current extensions ought to give you loads to work with. You simply could must seek the advice of its energetic consumer discussion board.
With a view to synchronize Joplin amongst your gadgets, you must set it up with considered one of a number of current cloud companies (corresponding to Dropbox or OneDrive). It’s also possible to use Joplin Cloud, which is out there in Joplin’s paid plans: Fundamental, which incorporates 2GB cupboard space and 10MB per be aware or attachment, and Professional, which gives 30GB cupboard space, 200MB per be aware or attachment, and different options.
Value: Free model accessible. Joplin Fundamental prices €2.99 ($3.21) a month or €28.69 ($30.76) a 12 months; Joplin Professional prices €5.99 ($6.42) a month or €57.48 ($61.64) a 12 months.
UpNote is a handsome, comparatively easy to grasp app that appears to be a lovely 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 most important window exhibiting the contents of every be aware. It gives the flexibility to create checklists, insert photographs 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 function that’s considered one of my “musts”) that works with the foremost browsers, though the clipper’s skills usually are not as in depth as Evernote’s.
In reality, in the event you 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 lot of codecs.
Value: 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 strategy to describe Notion, it will be bold. 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. For those who’re a person, you’ll be able to create a limiteless variety of pages, share your knowledge with a lot of apps, together with Slack and GitHub, and share your content material with as much as 10 “friends” free of charge. In reality, for most individuals, free shall be fairly adequate. There are some limitations — for instance, file uploads are restricted to 5MB — however not sufficient to actually rely. A Plus model provides limitless uploads and a few further group options.
Like Evernote and different higher-end apps, Notion organizes its notes into folders — besides on this case, every be aware can act as a folder and may include different notes, which might include different notes. Notion additionally appears to be consistently including new options, corresponding to AI writing capabilities and new kinds of sharing choices.
In reality, its lack of limitations could also be an issue for some customers. For those who like to actually get into the workings of a posh app and screw round with it till it does every little thing you need it to do — after which some — then chances are you’ll need to take a look at Notion and play a bit with its options. (For instance, I at present use Notion to trace my varied workflows and upcoming duties.) Nonetheless, if all you need to do is write down your ideas with perhaps a number of further choices, you may need to go along with one thing a bit less complicated.
Value: Free model accessible. Plus model prices $12 a month or $120 a 12 months (each costs per consumer).
Some apps are well-liked, some are very fashionable — and a few even have what quantities to fan golf equipment. Obsidian is without doubt one of the latter.
This app is the form of factor that, in the event you’re into it, could have you exploring its varied 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 most important folder). There are methods to sync between gadgets free of charge — relying on which gadgets 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 info in a single vault and retailer as much as 1GB of knowledge, and Plus, which helps you to sync as much as 10 vaults and retailer as much as 10GB of knowledge. There’s a cost as effectively if you wish to use Obsidian commercially.
As you’ll be able to think about, one thing this versatile is tough to explain.
Even in the beginning, there are a number of attention-grabbing codecs that you simply don’t get in most different note-taking software program. Whenever you first open it after set up, you get a number of decisions on the left aspect of the web page: a graph view, a canvas view (which helps you to create a stream chart, pinboard, or different association), and considered one of my present favorites, a day by day be aware (which is solely a dated be aware however is a pleasant concept if you wish to preserve a journal). It’s also possible to create templates. And none of this takes under consideration the assorted plug-ins which have been created by its group — there have been 1,233 after I final checked.
After all, because of this if you wish to actually make the most of Obsidian, it’s a must to make investments some effort and time. However for these into tweaking their apps to swimsuit them fully, it can most likely be price it.
Value: Free. Sync Commonplace prices $5 a month or $48 a 12 months, whereas Sync Plus prices $10 a month or $96 a 12 months. A industrial use license prices $50 per individual per 12 months.
If Notion isn’t complicated sufficient for you, then maybe it is best to strive Capacities, a comparatively current app that organizes your notes utilizing a networking fairly than a file / folder format. Whenever you create an entry (or object) in Capacities, the very first thing it’s a must to do, even earlier than you begin typing, is choose what class it belongs in: web page (in different phrases, a simple doc), assembly, individual, picture, and so forth. Solely then are you able to begin creating your entry. Every entry can hyperlink to a number of different entries; every can be routinely dated so yow will discover it from the app’s calendar. And that’s only the start — there are all types of the way to create and manipulate your entries. Capacities could possibly be very helpful in the event you discover it really works together with your considering processes, nevertheless it may take some self-training earlier than you’re positive.
The fundamental model contains limitless entries, cheap however restricted media uploads, and synchronization throughout gadgets, amongst different options. A Professional model provides entry to AI options and limitless media uploads, amongst different options.
Value: Free for fundamental options; the Professional model prices $11.99 a month or $119.88 a 12 months.
Different apps to strive
There are a number of note-taking apps on the market, and whereas not all made our “better of” listing, there are others which may fit your wants, so I assumed I’d point out them right here.
- Notes is Apple’s model of Google Maintain (or Maintain is Google’s model of Apple Notes). It’s a free, built-in, easy strategy to take notes, save pictures, scan paperwork, and make sketches, supplied you might be utilizing an Apple machine.
- Simplenote is a text-only app that gives simple note-taking for anybody who simply desires to, effectively, 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 at first.
- Anytype, which continues to be in beta, is a posh and privacy-aware app that, like Obsidian, could possibly be best for individuals who actually like to analyze personalize their functions.
- Craft is an attention-grabbing app that gives 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 12 months.
- Zoho Pocket book is a free app that organizes your notes by dividing them into separate notebooks; every pocket book can even include audio information, pictures, or different attachments.
Correction, November sixteenth, 2023, 4:25PM ET: This text initially acknowledged that Obsidian is open-source software program. It’s not. We remorse the error.
Replace November sixth, 2024: This text was initially printed on November sixteenth, 2023, and has been up to date since so as to add UpNote and Capacities, summarize a number of apps on the backside of the article, and replace the pricing.
