The 11 Best Note-Taking Apps in 2021 – Evernote, Notion ...

Overview: Evernote is a cross-platform note-taking app that's great for processing hand-written notes and clipping articles from the web. The ... SkiptocontentTakingnotesusedtobesosimple.You’dtakeoutasheetofparchment,dipyourquillinink,andgettowriting.Thenabunchofnerdsgottogetherandstarted inventingthings– andthat’swhennote-takinggotcomplicated.Suddenlywehadtochoosefromdifferentmodelsoftypewritersandcompetingkeyboardlayouts.Laterthecomputershowedup,andwithitwegotGUIsanddozensofdifferentwritingapplications.And,ofcourse,AlGorehadtogoandinventtheinternet–bringingcloudsyncingintothemix.In2022,we’refacedwithadizzyingarrayoftoolsandappsfortakingnotes.Howdoyouchoosewhichonetouse?Luckily,we’vedonetheresearch.Afterputtingdozensofappsthroughtheirpacesandtestingeveryfeature–fromthewritingexperiencetoshortcutstosharingcapabilities–we’veputtogetherthislistofthebestnote-takingappsthatarecurrentlyavailable.Readontofindoutwhichtoolistherightoneforyou,yourdevices,andyourpricerange!Lookingfortipsonhowtoactuallytakeyournotes?Onceyou’vechosenyourapp,checkoutourguideonthe6bestnote-takingmethods.TheTop11Note-TakingAppsof20221.NotionOverview: Offersapowerful,database-drivennote-takingexperiencethat’sunlikemostappsoutthere.Compatibility:Mac,iOS,Android,Windows,BrowserPros:Flexiblepages.Notionhasatemplateenginethatallowsyoutoturnprettymuchanythingintoaneasily-duplicatedtemplate,includingamulti-layeredcollectionofpages.Italsohasgreatmediaembeddingandpreviewingtools,includingagalleryviewforphotosandvideos.Powerfultables.TablesinNotionaren’tjustcharts;they’redatabases.ThinkofNotion’sdatabasesasGoogleDocs+GoogleSheets:EveryrowinatableisitsownNotionpagethatyoucangointoandupdate.Nestedhierarchicalorganization.You’reprobablytiredofthis.ButNotiondoesthis.Youcaneventurnasetoftextintoadropdownsoyoucanrollthemupwhenyouwantnon-immediateinformationoutoftheway.Hybrideditor.NotionletsyouwriteinMarkdownorusenormalkeyboardshortcutsandUIelementstoformatyourtext.Freepersonalaccounts. Notionusedtobefairlyexpensive,anditstillcanbeforteamplans.However,thePersonalplanrecentlybecamecompletelyfree.Cons:Quirksintheeditorduetotheblocksystem.Unfortunately,Notionfaltersheavilyintheformattingdepartment,andit’sallthankstotheirblocksystem.Everyparagraphisablock,andeachblockcanbemovedaround,changedintodifferentelements,labeled,andcolored.Unfortunately,onceyouselectbeyondoneblock,you’renowselectingblocks,nottext.Fornow,it’smerelyanamazingdatastorageapp,butit’sabelow-averagewritingapp.(Notionteam:Ifyou’rereadingthis,maybeyoucouldletustogglebetweenblockmodeandwritingmode,ormakethesemodesplaynicertogether,likeMedium?)Noofflinesupport.Currently,youneedtohaveaninternetconnectiontouseNotion.Theteamisworkingtochangethis,butit’sabiglimitationatthemoment.Ifyou’dliketo learnhowtouseNotion, checkoutourfounderThomasFrank’sfreeNotionFundamentalscourse.Init,you’llfindthoroughtutorialsonallofNotion’smainfeatures.Additionally–andperhapsmorerelevanttothisarticle–here’sanoverviewofThomas’customnote-takingtemplate(downloadithere)thatreplicatesmanyofthefunctionsfromEvernote:2.EvernoteOverview:Evernoteisacross-platformnote-takingappthat’sgreatforprocessinghand-writtennotesandclippingarticlesfromtheweb.Theprice,however,couldbeprohibitiveonastudentbudget.Compatibility:Browser,Windows,Mac,Android,iOSPros:Multiplefileformats.Ifyou’reonapaidplan,Evernotecanholdanythingyourprofessorthrowsatyou:PDF’s,PowerPoints,the3differentsheetsofrequirementsforoneproject.Onefunextra:IfyoupasteaGoogleDocslink,EvernotecreatesaGoogleDriveiconin-lineandchangestheURLtothenameofthedoc.Scannerformobile.YoucanuseEvernoteasascannertotakephotosofpagesofbooksthatwhenyoudon’twanttopayforphotocopying.ItalsohasopticalcharacterrecognitionsothecorrectJohnMayermemewillappearwhenyousearchfor“tremendouslyunintelligent”.Webclipperforbrowsers.GreatforsavingthoseNewYorkTimesarticlesthatarehiddenbehindapaywallsoyoucanusethemforyouressaylater.Youcanpickhowmuchofthepageyouwanttocapture:everything,justthearticletext,orahighlightedselectionoftext.Cons:Notalotoforganization.Imagineyourstudyarea’sdesk:Youhavenotebookslyingaroundthatcontainclassnotes,randomdoodles,andfrustratedjournalentries.Youcanpileupsemi-relatednotebooksintostacks.Youcanputstickynotesorflagsintopagesofthenotebookthatcontaincertaintopicsyouwanttoreferto.That’stheextentoforganizationwithEvernote:stacks,notebooks,notes,andtags.NoMarkdownsupport.Markdownisn’tjustfornote-taking;it’sforfasterwriting,too.IuseMarkdowntowriteanythingthatgoesontheweb.AndsometimesIuseittowriteessaysforschool,too.Sadly,whileEvernoteismyresearchrepository,it’snotatoolIusetodotheactualwriting.Pricey.IfyouuseEvernotetoscandocumentsandsaveresearchpaperslikeIdo,the60MBincludedinthefreeplanwon’tcutit.Andifyouwanttouseitwithmorethan2devicesoruseopticalcharacterrecognition,youhavetogoPremium.Atleaststudentsget50%offPremiumforayear.3.OneNoteOverview:Microsoft’sfreecross-platformnote-takingappgivesEvernotearunforitsmoney,thoughtheinterfaceleavessomethingtobedesired.Compatibility:Browser,Windows,Mac,Android,iOSProsTotally.Free.IthaseverythingEvernotecando,butthere’snopremiumtier.Soyougetthefullfeaturesetoutofthebox.Onbasicallyalltheplatforms(forfree).Justhadtoemphasizethis:WithOneNote,yougetunlimiteddevices—afeaturethatothernote-takingapps,likeEvernoteandBear,keepbehindapremiumsubscription.Freeform.UnlikeEvernote,youcanputtextboxeseverywhereonscreenforOneNote.Youcandraw.Youcaneven*gasp*changethebackgroundtolooklikearulednotebook!(Althoughforsomereason,Icannevermakethewordsalignperfectlytothelines.Thisbothersme).ConsEvenlessorganizationthanEvernote.Itlacksnotesortingoptions,suchassortingnotesbynewestcreatedornewestmodified.Messyinterface+Limitedtaggingcapabilities(althoughitletsyoudrilldownacouplelevelsdeeper).WithOneNote,youhavenotebooksanddividerswithinnotebooks.Thenyoucanalsoindentnoteswithinnotes.Butit’sallovertheuserinterface:notebooksontheleft,dividersuptop,thennotesontheright.I’mamessynote-takermyself,butc’mon.4.RoamResearchOverview:RoamResearchtakesadifferentapproachtoorganizationthanmostnote-takingtools.Youcaninstantlylinkonenotetoanothertocreateawebofinformation,doingawaywiththeneedfortagsandfolders.Compatibility:Browser-onlyPros:Delightfulwriting experience.RoamhasstrongsupportforMarkdown,andtheappissetupsothatyoucanimmediatelybeginwritingwhenyouopenit.Thesetupoftheappencouragesdailyjournaling.Thedefaultpagewhenyouopentheappisa“DailyNote”forthecurrentday.I’vefoundthisencouragesmetojournalinthecourseofusingtheapp,whichoftenleadstonewideas.Fluidnote-to-notelinking.OneofthecorefeaturesofRoamishoweasyitistolinknotes(whatRoamcalls“Pages”)toeachother.Afteryougetthehangofthesyntax,you’llfindyourselfautomaticallylinkingnotes(andideas)together.Easytovisualizetheconnectionbetweennotes.Roamfeaturesa“GraphOverview”thatshowstheconnectionsbetweenyournotesasaweb.It’saninterestingalternativetothehierarchicalviewthatmostnote-takingappsuse.Cons:Noofflinecapability. Roamcurrentlyworksonlyinthebrowser,anditrequiresaninternetconnectiontoaccessyournotes.However,thefounderclaimsanofflineversionofRoamisindevelopment.Learningcurve.Roamisverypowerfulonceyoulearnhowtouseit,butexpecttospendafewhourslearningthesyntaxandoverallphilosophyoftheapp.Expensive. Nowthatthepricingmodelhasbeenimplemented,accesstoRoamwillcostyou$15/month–morethananyothertoolonthislist.Roam’sfanspassionatelyarguethatthetool’sdesigninnovationsmorethanwarranttheprice.We’llleavethatuptoyoutodecide.Here’sanoverviewofRoamResearchfromourfounderThomasFrank:Andifyou’reseriousaboutusingRoamfortakingnotes,werecommendthecourseEffortlessOutputinRoam.CreatedbyRoampoweruserNatEliason,itexplainseveryfeatureofRoamindetail,plushowtouseRoamforcommontypesofwork.Learnmorebelow:Lookingforthebestnote-takingappsforiPad?We’vegotyoucovered.5.BearOverview:BearfeaturespowerfulMarkdowncapabilityandanexcellentwritingexperience.TheonlydownsideisitslackofWindowssupport.Compatibility:Mac,iOSProsHybridMarkdowneditor.Youdon’thavetoimaginewhatyourformattedMarkdownwilllooklikeafteryouwritebecauseBearformatstextasyoutype.SUCHahelpfulfeature.Simpleorganizationalsystem.Using“#”and“/”,Bearletsyoutageachnoteandnestthosetagswithineachother.#NestedHierarchyArchivefeature.Asmallbuttime-savingfeature.Archivinganotetakesitoutofsearchandorganizationwithoutdeletingit.Thisfeatureisforyouifyoucan’tletgoofthingsthatdon’tsparkjoy.Cleanwritingexperience.Bearlooksgoodoutofthebox—writingisreadable,simple,andclean.ThePremiumversiongetsyouahalfdozenfreethemesthatlookevenslicker.ConsJustMacandiPhone.IfyouhaveaWindowssetup…Sorry.LimitedorganizationAfterafewweeksofusingBear,Istartedbumpingupagainstthelimitationsofits#-and-/organizationsystem.Thispushedmetotryoutothernote-takingapps(Iultimatelylandedon#2onthislist).6.AppleNotesOverview:AppleNotesofferssolidorganizationandformattingfeatures,thoughitlacksMarkdownsupportandis(unsurprisingly)onlyforAppledevices.Compatibility:iOS,OSXProsTotally.Free.YAY!Good-enoughformattingtools.Yougettheusualbold,italics,andfonts.Allowscross-platformeditingviathebrowser.NoneedforGoogleDrive/Dropboxworkarounds.JustlogintoyouriCloudaccountfromabrowserandyoucanpullupyournotesonaPC.Cancreatenestedlistsofhierarchicalfolders.Thisissurprising,giventhatsomepaidappsdon’thavethisfeature.Wellplayed,Apple.ConsNohybridMarkdown.Youcan’thaveitallinafreetool,canyou?7.GoogleKeepOverview:GoogleKeepoffersabasic,cross-platformnote-takingappthatplayswellwithotherGoogletools.Theonlydownsideisitslackoforganizationfeatures.Compatibility:iOS,Android,BrowserPros:Totally.Free.YAY!Availableoneveryplatform.ThankstoyourGmailaccount,youcanaccessyourKeepnotesfromyouroldiPhone5SevenifyoudropyourcurrentAndroidinthetoilet.Simple.Imaginehowyouusestickynotes,andKeepwillmakesensetoyou—youwritethoughtsdown,stickitinaplaceyou’llremember,then(ideally)transferitsomewherepermanent.Keepevenlookslikeawallofstickies.Cons:Nohierarchicalorganization.There’sonlyoneleveloftags.Adesigntrade-offbytheKeepteamtostick(nopunintended)totheirvisionfortheapp,butatrade-offnonetheless.8.StandardNotesOverview:StandardNotestakessecurityseriouslyandhaspowerfulsearchfeatures.Theonlydownsideisitslackofin-appimagehosting.Compatibility:Browser,Mac,Windows,Linux(!!!),iOS,AndroidProsMost-security-focused.Everythingyouwriteisencryptedbydefaultandonlyyoucanaccessit.(Kinda)Free.Plaintexteditor,however,upgradingtotheextendedversiongivesyouaccesstoaMarkdowneditor,arichtexteditor,andacodeeditor.Editorchangespernote.YoucanchooseifyouwanttheMarkdown,richtext,orcodeeditoronanote-by-notebasis.Powerfulsearch.Customtagsareinfinitelynestable,likehowBearletsyoutagnoteswitha“#”andthenaddtagswithinthatparenttagwitha“/”.Youcanalsodefinecustomsearchesbasedondifferentsearchcriteriaandsavethemcustomsearches.Supportsalldevices.IncludingLinux.🙌ConsLimitedimagesupport.Itcan’thostin-app.Youhavetosaveyourimageselsewherebeforeyoucansaveitintheapp.Can’tdrag-and-dropnotesbetweenfoldersandtags.🙁9.SliteOverview:SliteoffersthebestMarkdowneditingexperiencewe’vefound,andthefreeversionoffersenoughstorageformoststudents.Theinterfacestillleavessomethingtobedesired,however.Compatibility:Browser,Mac,Windows,Android,iOSProsFree(formoststudents).Unlimitedprivatenotes,and50sharednotespermonthsonthefreeaccount.Thisisperfectlyusableformoststudents.BesthybridMarkdowntexteditorofanyapponthislist.AsidefromDropboxPaper,thatis.TheeditorformatsthetextassoonasyouapplytheMarkdownsyntax.Italsoletsyouembedimages,videos,andtables.TableofContentsview.Thisletsyoujumparoundandzoomintothedifferentheadingsofyourdocument.(Rareinanote-takingapp).ConsNestedhierarchy.Slitehas“channels”andhave“collections”withineachchannel(think:Evernotestacksandnotebooks).Youcannestcollectionsinfinitely,butyoucanonlysort-by-recencyonthechannellevel.Userexperience.Notasfastassomeotherplatforms,butit’sgettingbetter.InitialCIGtestsofSlitewerefrustrating.Althoughthefeatureswereamazing,theUIwaspainfullyslowandtheformattingdidn’tappearrightaway.Thedevshavedonealottoimprovethingssincethen,however,andit’snowsnappyenoughtomakethelist.10.UlyssesOverview:Ulyssesisgreatforbothnote-taking and writinglong-formessaysorarticles,thoughitlacksafreeversionandonlyworksonAppledevices.Compatibility:iOSandMacOSPros:Bestorganizationalapp.Ulysseshasthefablednested,multi-levelhierarchicalorganizationthatwewant.Itcanalsosortyournotesbydatecreatedormodified.Italsohasdifferentviews,likeanInboxthatholdsnew,yet-to-be-sortednotes.Youcanalsocreatecustomfiltersthatsortnoteswithineachfolder.Afully-featuredwritingapp.Ifyouwantanappthatyoucanusethroughoutyourentirewritingprocessfromresearchtowritingandprinting,thenUlyssesisyourpick.Focusmode.ManyauthorswritebooksinUlysses.Butunlikesomeotherheavy-dutywritingsapps,UlyssesgetsoutofyourwaywithitsFullScreenfocusmode.Customizable.Ulysseshasthemes,includingDarkMode.Youcanalsochoosefromseveraldifferentmarkupstylesandpublishingformats–it’sreallyquiteflexible.PublishingtoWordPress(includingimages!)Ulyssesistheonlyappthatcanhandlemyfullbloggingworkflow.Afterwriting,editing,andformattinganentireblogpostwithinUlysses,Idon’thavetologintomyWordPressdashboardtopublishitanymore.Ulyssesallowsmetoformatimages,tags,categories,andmeta-dataanduploadallofthemfromtheapp.Cons:Pricey.It’s$5/monthwithnofreeplan,butyoucanapplyforastudentdiscountfor6-12monthsandgetitdownto$1.83/month.MacandiOSonly.SameissueasBear,theUlyssesappisanAppleecosystem-exclusive.ButifyoujustwanttoedityourfilesonaWindowscomputer,youcansavefilesinasyncedGoogleDriveorDropboxfolderandthenedittherichtextfileitprovides.11.TyporaOverview:Typoraishighlycustomizableandworksonallmajoroperatingsystems,thoughitlacksonlineandmobileappsforworkingonthego.Compatibility:Windows,Mac,LinuxPros:Free(fornow).It’sinbetamoderightnowsoitmightcost$$inthefuture.HybridMarkdowneditor.Itformatstextasyoutypeandit’sfasterthanSlite.FocusMode.Itdimsthetextyou’renotcurrentlyworkingon.TableofContentsmode.LikeSlite,itallowsyoutozoomintoheadingsandoutlines.Themes.LOTSofthemesthatyoucancustomizewithCSS—alanguagethatletsyoudictateexactlyhowyouwantyourcontentpresented.ForWindows,Mac,andevenLinux!Allthedesktops!Cons:Noappstorage.Sinceit’sjustaMarkdowneditor,Typoradoesn’tstorenotesintheapp.Filesareactuallystoredinyourcomputer’sfilesystem,meaningyoucan’tmovenotesaroundintheapp.Desktop-onlywritingappTyporadoesn’thaveamobileapp,butyoucanalwayscomplementitwithaMarkdown-editormobileapp,likeiAWriter.TheBESTNote-TakingApp–CanYouPickJustOne?AppFreeVersion?(Yes/No)FullVersionPriceEvernoteYes$7.99/month($3.99/monthforstudents)OneNoteYesN/ABearYes$1.49/month(or$14.99/year)AppleNotesYesN/AGoogleKeepYesN/ANotionYesN/A(Proversion$5/monthor$48/year)StandardNotesYes$9.99/month(or$49.99/year)SliteYes$6.67/monthUlyssesNo$5/month($1.83/monthforstudents)TyporaYesN/ARoamResearchNo$15/month(or$165/year)Sowhat’sthebestnote-takingappoutthere?Well…Itdependsonwhatyourneedsare,sowebrokeupthewinnersinto3differentcategories:WritingExperienceOrganizationGeneralNote-TakingBestWritingExperienceTypora’scleanUI,hybridMarkdowneditor,andquick-looktablecontentviewgivesitthemostpleasurablewritingexperience,acrossallthedesktopplatforms.Runner-up:SlitehasagreathybridMarkdowneditor,too,andisarguablybetterthanTyporaatorganization.Butit’sstillabittooslowandbuggytotakethetopspot.BestOrganizationFortraditionalorganization,it’sUlysses.Wedon’tevenhavearunner-upforthiscategorybecausenothingcomesclose.Itsviews,customsearches,filters,andtagsarealldesignedtohelpyoukeepallyournotesandwritingorganized.However, RoamResearch alsodeservesamentioninthiscategoryduetoitsunique,associativelinkingstructure.Forsomepeople,it’llbefarsuperiortoatraditional,hierarchicalsystem.BestGeneralNote-TakingAppWhileseeingthegreenelephantlogonolongersparksjoyinme,Evernoteisstillthetoppickformostpeople.Itsvastfeaturesetensuresthatitdoeseverythingwellenoughandhasthefewestquirks(eventhoughitdoesn’thaveMarkdownsupport—aMAJORquirk).It’sagreattooltostoreyourresearchandschoolfiles(andmemes!).Plus,it’sfreeifyouuseonlytwodevices.Fulldisclosure:Iuseditforthemajorityofmypost-secondarystudentlifebutonlybecauseIdidn’thavethetimetoexploreabetteralternative.Acoupleofcross-platformrunners-upareStandardNotesandNotion.Notion,inparticular,camedangerouslyclosetotakingthetopspotbecauseofitsmorepowerfuldatabase,templatingfeatures,andfreepersonalaccounts,butthecurrentlackofofflinesupportkeepsitfromtakingourtopspot(eventhoughourfounderThomasusesitovereveryotherappforhisownwork).Again,Slitewouldalsobeinthislistifitwasfaster.ForMac+iOSusers,goforBearifyoudon’tusetablesalot,andAppleNotesifyoudo.WhileUlyssesisthetop-of-the-lineoptionandmy(Roxine’s)personalpick,it’sbuiltforseriouswritersandprobablynotworththe4xcostoverBearforwhatmostnote-takersneed.Ofcourse,thetrue“best”note-takingappistheonethatfitsyourworkstylebest.Additionally,itneedstoworkwellwithyourentireproductivitysystem–includingyourtaskmanager,calendar,andfilemanagementsystem.Ifyouwanttolearnhowtosetallthesetoolsuptoworkinharmony(andkeepthemorganizedlong-term),checkoutThomas’classonbuildingaproductivitysystem:ProductivityEssentials:CreateaSystemThatWorksWithaproperproductivitysystem,nothingeverslipsthroughthecracks.Injustonehour,you'lllearnhowtosetupyourto-dolist,calendar,note-takingsystem,filemanagement,andmore—thesmartway.BecomeMoreProductiveWeearnacommissionifyouclickthislinkandmakeapurchaseatnoadditionalcosttoyou.ChoosingaNote-TakingApp:OtherConsiderationsIfyou’recheckingoutanappthatisn’tonthislist,herearesomeofthecriteriayoushouldconsiderwhendecidingwhichapptouseasyoursecondbrain.HybridMarkdownSupportAsastudent,youneedtotakenotesfast.WhenIwasstillinschool,IlearnedMarkdown—asyntaxthatletmeformatmynotesasItyped.Becauseofthis,IrecommendprioritizingappswithhybridMarkdownsupport.Thisfeatureletsyouseewhatthetextlookslikeformattedasyou’retyping.Thiswayyoucantakedownbulletpoints,thoughts,lectures,andtalksquicklywithoutyourfingersleavingthekeyboard.Evenifyoudon’tknowhowtouseMarkdownyet,havinganappthatletsyouuseitifyouwanttowillencourageyoutolearnit.Andwhenyoudo,there’snolookingback.OrganizationwithNestedHierarchiesYouneedawaytoseparate,organize,refertoeachclass’sfilesasyouwrite.Becauseofthis,wedidn’tincludeappsthatdidn’thaveafile-browsingpanel.ThisiswhyGoogleDocs,DropboxPaper,andMicrosoftWorddon’tmakethelist—they’repurewordprocessing,notnote-takingapps.Morespecifically,youwantanappthatletsyoucreatenestedhierarchieswithinthatfilebrowser—folderswithinfolderswithinfolders.Likethis:Stats101Stats101—NotesCourseFilesCourseOutline/SyllabusReadingsTextbookNotesLectureNotesLecture#1Lecture#2Lecture#3Stats101—AssignmentsProject#1Project#3FinalProjectYoualsoneedawaytoquicklysearchthroughyournotes.Thisisforthosewritingsessionswhenyouneedtoquicklysearchupapapertoreferencebeforeyourtrainofthoughtends.Havingcustomsearchesbuiltintoanappmakessureyoucanaccessallyourfilesfordifferentpurposes,whetheryouneedtostudyforatestorfireoffaquicknoteforthecurrentclass.TakeNotesYourWayTherearealotofnote-takingappsoutthere.Andaswithmostrecommendations,youhavetofigureoutwhatworksforyou.Ihopethatthislistwillhelpyoudecideonyournote-takingapp,whetherit’sonthislistornot.Bonus:Ifyouwanttoensurethattherestofyourproductivitysystemisoptimizedaswell,youmightwanttocheckouttheseguides:TheBestTo-DoListAppin2022TheBestTimeTrackingAppsin2022:Toggl,Clockify,andMoreThe40+BestAppsforCollegeStudents15+WritingAppstoBrainstorm,Draft,Edit,andPublishYourWork