Best Apps for Note Taking in 2026: 10 Tools Compared

#1

Notion

Best for: structured notes and team workspaces

4.6/5 on G2 (13,834 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

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Notion works best when a note is not just a note. A meeting note can hold tasks, a linked project page, and a table of decisions in the same place, and that structure is why small teams adopt it as a shared workspace rather than a private notebook. Templates for meeting notes, reading lists, and project trackers shorten setup time, and sharing a page with a colleague takes a few clicks. The free plan covers unlimited pages and blocks for individuals, with a 5 MB file upload limit and 7 days of page history.

The trade-off is complexity. People who open Notion wanting a blank page can spend an afternoon building a system instead of writing. Large workspaces with many embedded databases can feel slower than a plain text editor, and offline access is not as dependable as a local-first app. If your work is mostly solo and unstructured, a simpler app will feel faster. If you run projects or keep a team wiki, Notion earns its price.

#2

Evernote

Best for: searchable document archives

4.3/5 on G2 (2,034 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

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Evernote built its reputation on capture. Clip a web article, photograph a receipt, or scan a handwritten page, and the text inside becomes searchable later, which matters when a notebook holds years of reference material. Notebooks and tags give a familiar filing system, and paid plans add offline notebooks, larger uploads, and calendar connections. For researchers, office workers, and anyone who treats notes as an archive, that search depth is still a real advantage.

The problem is value at the current price. The free plan allows only 50 notes and one notebook, so it works as a trial rather than a long-term home. Personal costs $14.99 a month, or $129.99 a year where that annual rate applies, and Professional adds more upload capacity and search options at $17.99 a month. Anyone starting fresh should compare that with Notion Plus and Obsidian Sync before committing, and should check whether the web clipper and document search justify the higher bill.

#3

Obsidian

Best for: private, linked notes in plain files

4.5/5 on G2 (13 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

Visit obsidian.md

Obsidian takes a different approach from most apps on this list. Notes live as Markdown files in a folder on your device, so they open in other editors, survive app changes, and stay readable decades from now. Links between notes build a personal knowledge graph, and community plugins add calendars, task queries, and database-style views. The core app is free for personal and commercial use, which makes it an unusually generous starting point.

Sync is the first paid decision. Obsidian Sync costs $4 per user per month billed annually, or $5 month to month, and adds end-to-end encrypted sync and version history. Publish, for turning notes into a website, costs $8 per site per month billed annually. Many users sync through iCloud, Dropbox, or Git instead and pay nothing. The honest catch is the learning curve, because plugins, themes, and linking take setup and occasional maintenance. If you enjoy shaping a tool to fit, Obsidian is hard to beat. If you want an app that works perfectly on first open, pick something simpler.

#4

Microsoft OneNote

Best for: freeform notebooks on any device

4.5/5 on G2 (1,872 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

Visit onenote.com

OneNote feels closest to paper. Pages accept typed text, ink, images, audio, and clipped web content anywhere on the canvas, and notebooks divide into sections and pages in a way students and meeting takers find natural. It is free with a Microsoft account on web, Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and extra OneDrive storage comes through Microsoft 365 plans. That combination makes it the strongest free option for mixed-device households and classrooms.

Freedom has a cost in tidiness. A OneNote notebook can grow into a sprawling pile of sections if no one prunes it, and search and formatting behave slightly differently on each platform. Collaboration works well through shared notebooks, but it lacks the database views that draw teams to Notion. For lecture notes, research notebooks, and shared family planning, OneNote gives a great deal for nothing. For structured project work, pair it with a task app rather than forcing it into that role.

#5

Apple Notes

Best for: Apple users who want a built-in app

Visit apple.com

Apple Notes is easy to overlook precisely because it arrives with the device. It now handles folders, smart folders, tags, tables, checklists, document scanning, and PDF annotation, and Apple Pencil handwriting works well on iPad. Notes sync through iCloud, starting with 5 GB free, and extra storage comes with iCloud+ plans from $0.99 a month for 50 GB. Locked notes add a layer of privacy for sensitive pages.

The limit is ecosystem. Windows and Android users can reach notes through iCloud on the web, but the experience is thinner than the native apps, and collaboration with non-Apple users is less smooth. Export options are also narrower than Markdown-first apps. If your household or team lives on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple Notes removes the need to pay for a note app at all. If devices are mixed, choose a cross-platform tool instead.

#6

Google Keep

Best for: quick notes and lists

Visit keep.google.com

Google Keep is built for speed. Open it, type a thought, set a reminder, and move on, with color coding and labels doing the light organizing work. It fits shopping lists, packing lists, phone numbers, and ideas captured on the walk to a meeting. Integration with Google Workspace helps, since a note can become a Google Doc and reminders surface in Calendar. It is free with a Google account and works on web, iOS, and Android.

Long-form writing exposes its limits. There are no folders, no nested pages, and only basic formatting, so essays, research notes, and project plans belong elsewhere. Keep also lacks the linking and database features of heavier apps. Treat it as a capture inbox: quick notes live here, and anything that grows into a document moves to Docs, Notion, or Obsidian. Used that way, it is one of the most useful free apps in this guide.

#7

Bear

Best for: clean Markdown writing on Apple devices

4.5/5 on G2 (45 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

Visit bear.app

Bear appeals to writers who want Markdown without staring at syntax. The editor hides formatting marks, the typography is calm, and hashtags create nested organization in the sidebar without folders to manage. Notes link to each other, tasks use checkboxes, and sketches can sit beside text on iPad and iPhone. The free tier covers local notes on a device, while Bear Pro adds iCloud sync, encryption for individual notes, advanced export to PDF, Word, and HTML, and extra themes.

Pro costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a trial period on signup. That price is modest, but the Apple-only limit is decisive. There is no native Windows or Android app, though a web companion exists for browsing and editing. Writers inside the Apple ecosystem who value focus and clean export will like Bear a great deal. Everyone else should look at Obsidian or Joplin for a similar Markdown feel across platforms.

#8

GoodNotes

Best for: handwritten notes on iPad

Visit goodnotes.com

GoodNotes turns an iPad into a paper notebook that can be searched. Handwriting recognition indexes ink so a word written months ago can be found by typing it, and PDF annotation suits students marking up lecture slides and professionals reviewing contracts. Notebooks, folders, and templates cover planners, Cornell notes, and flashcards, and audio recording can sit beside handwritten pages. The free plan allows up to three files, which is enough to judge the writing feel.

Paid plans changed in recent years, so check the current page before buying. Essential costs $11.99 a year and adds unlimited files and basic AI features, while Pro costs $35.99 a year and adds cross-platform sync, private link sharing, and fuller AI tools. A one-time Special Edition purchase is also offered on Apple devices. GoodNotes is not the pick for database-driven work, but for handwriting, it remains the benchmark other apps are measured against.

#9

Joplin

Best for: open source notes with encryption

4.8/5 on G2 (5 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

Visit joplinapp.org

Joplin is the practical open source answer to Evernote. It stores notes in Markdown, supports notebooks, tags, to-dos, web clipping, and attachments, and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. Sync can use Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or a local folder, and end-to-end encryption protects synced notes. The app itself costs nothing and imposes no note limit, which makes it attractive for privacy-minded users and for teams that already run their own storage.

Polish is where Joplin shows its roots. The interface is functional rather than beautiful, and first setup asks more questions than a consumer app. Joplin Cloud, the official hosted sync service, starts at around 2.99 euros a month for Basic, with annual billing lowering the monthly equivalent, and adds sharing and publishing features. If you want full control of your data and do not mind a plain interface, Joplin delivers remarkable value. If design and guided onboarding matter most, Bear or Notion will feel easier.

#10

Craft

Best for: polished documents on Apple devices

4.6/5 on G2 (22 reviews, checked Oct 2026)

Visit craft.do

Craft sits between a note app and a document editor. Pages look polished with little effort, links connect notes into a small wiki, and daily notes suit journaling and task review. It runs best on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with a web version for other devices, and it syncs through its own service. People who found Notion heavy but Apple Notes too plain often land here, because Craft keeps structure light while still looking considered.

The catch is platform reach and pricing clarity. Craft has adjusted its plans over time, so confirm the current free limits and paid price on its pricing page before committing a large library. Collaboration exists but is less central than in Notion, and heavy database work belongs elsewhere. As a personal knowledge base on Apple devices, Craft is a strong final option.