The Best Note-Taking Apps for 2024 (2024)

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Why We Picked It

OneNote stands out because of its generous free version, and even for free, it is the best note-taking app we've tested. It has every feature you could want in a note-taking app, from organizational structure to cross-platform syncing to voice notes and optical character recognition (OCR). It also comes with the best web clipping tool we've seen. OneNote is the first application most people should consider when looking for a note-taking app, earning it our Editors' Choice award.

Who It's For

Just about anyone. Note-taking is intensely personal, and no application will work for everyone, but Microsoft OneNote comes close. It's easy to use, doesn't skimp on features, and is usable on every major operating system.

Why We Picked It

Joplin is as close to a perfect note-taking app as you can get if you're looking for something relatively simple. It's completely free and stores your notes locally on your computer if you choose—though you can pay to use Joplin's cloud storage if you prefer. Notes you take in Joplin are yours in the same way that notes you take in a paper notebook are. This approach, until recently, had a downside: a lack of collaboration tools. That's changed, as Joplin now has notebook sharing for those willing to pay, all without diminishing the free version.

Who It's For

Joplin is for anyone who wants a straightforward app for taking notes and wants complete control and ownership over their data. Joplin can't match OneNote for features, granted, but OneNote doesn't let you use the app on Mac, Android, or iPhone without syncing to OneDrive. Joplin stores all notes in a folder structure on your computer. You can sync files with a paid account or with any cloud syncing service you like.

Why We Picked It

Obsidian is the most flexible note-taking app out there. Because it has hundreds of user-built plug-ins and themes, along with extensive customization options, you can make Obsidian look and act exactly the way you want. It also stores files locally with an optional subscription to enable syncing.

Who It's For

With rich customization options, plug-ins galore, and the ability to connect notes in a network-like structure, Obsidian is a note-taking app best suited for power users. If you need a note-taking system to work precisely how you want and don't mind taking the time to get it there, Obsidian is the application you should check out first.

Why We Picked It

Built by a two-person team, UpNote feels every bit as polished as the best note-taking apps made by huge corporations—all without the need for an ongoing subscription. This app has some downsides, mostly around the size of files you can upload and a few missing features, but UpNote is an otherwise worthy note-taking app.

Who It's For

UpNote is best for anyone looking for good value. It isn't the most feature-filled note-taking application on the market, but it's extremely usable for a low price. If you want to take notes without breaking the bank or missing out on much, it's an excellent app that's well worth looking into.

Why We Picked It

Bear is a beautifully designed note-taking app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It falls somewhere between a power tool and a simple one. The application comes across as a very simple note-taking app, but it has a few advanced features, such as OCR (so you can search for text in images) and a web clipper (so you can save the content of web pages to the app), that make it a viable alternative to the likes of Apple Notes and even OneNote for some.

Who It's For

Bear is a note-taking app that's appropriate for Apple users whose needs fall between basic and advanced. It syncs using iCloud—and there are no other options. There's no version of Bear for Windows, Android, and Linux, which limits its appeal, though a web version is in the works, according to the company that makes the app.

Why We Picked It

Evernote once dominated the note-taking space. That's not true anymore, but it's still a powerful note-taking application. Evernote offers features like built-in OCR, voice notes, and AI-enabled plain language search. The problem is a limited free version and extremely expensive paid plans.

Who It's For

The only people we think should use Evernote are those who already use it. There's no compelling reason to create an Evernote account if you don't have one already. An extremely limited free version and the astronomical pricing of the paid version make it impossible to recommend to new users. But if you have a decade's worth of notes living inside Evernote and rely on its unique features, quitting might not be your best option.

Why We Picked It

A lot of note-taking apps pile on features. Not Simplenote. This application is the embodiment of the "do one thing well" mantra. With Simplenote, you write text notes, sync them to other devices, and that's basically it. Simplenote is completely free, includes syncing, and has apps for every major platform.

Who It's For

SimpleNote is for anyone who doesn't need to attach files to their notes or use other advanced features. Because it's free, it's easy to recommend to anyone who needs a very simple tool for writing and storing text notes.

Why We Picked It

Picture Google Keep as a fridge covered in sticky notes. This note-taking app is for writing down ideas quickly and keeping them haphazardly assembled. There's nothing wrong with sticky notes, and Keep offers more than a few interesting tricks, though it has a subpar web clipper and lacks some basic features like offline desktop access and desktop apps.

Who It's For

Google Keep is for people who need a place to quickly write down an idea that they are likely to reference within a few days, and who plan to delete or hide those old notes soon after. This app doesn't have tools for organizing information in a way that makes it long-lasting.

Why We Picked It

Notion's roots are as a note-taking app, but it's designed to support team collaboration—especially if your team works in software development, because the app, its templates, and its help tools are loaded with Silicon Valley jargon. In any event, you can use Notion to not only manage just notes and information, but to also create databases from them.

Who It's For

If everything about Notion described so far sounds complicated, that's because for the majority of people, it is. However, if you need a collaborative tool to turn notes and thoughts into sharable information and database sets to use to run your software company, then Notion might be right for you and your team.