In today‘s fast-paced, information-overloaded world, having a reliable and feature-rich note taking app is essential for staying organized, productive, and on top of your game. Whether you‘re a student, professional, creative, or simply someone who loves to learn, the right note taking app can be a game-changer for how you capture, organize, and leverage your knowledge.
But with so many note taking apps out there, each with their own unique features and interfaces, how do you choose the best one for your needs? In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive deep into the 10 best note taking apps available today, comparing their key features, strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases.
By the end, you‘ll have a clear sense of which app is the perfect fit for you, along with expert tips on note taking and knowledge management to help you get the most out of your new app. Let‘s get started!
Why You Need a Powerful Note Taking App
Before we jump into our top picks, let‘s take a moment to consider why having a great note taking app is so important in the first place. After all, can‘t you just jot things down in a basic text editor or word processor? While you certainly could, dedicated note taking apps offer several key advantages:
Organization and Structure: Note taking apps give you powerful tools for organizing your notes into notebooks, folders, tags, and more, making it easy to keep your knowledge base tidy and structured as it grows over time. Many also offer advanced features like backlinks, databases, and relational wikis for next-level knowledge management.
Quick Capture: When inspiration strikes or you need to jot something down fast, speed is essential. Note taking apps typically offer global shortcuts, browser extensions, mobile apps, and other tools to help you capture ideas, clips, images and more as quickly as possible, from anywhere.
Robust Search: As your knowledge base grows, being able to find what you need fast becomes increasingly important. Note taking apps usually offer advanced search features like optical character recognition (OCR) in images, PDF search, tags, metadata filters, and more to retrieve notes in seconds.
Rich Media Support: In addition to text, many note taking apps allow you to create and embed images, audio, video, PDFs, web clippings, sketches, and other types of media right alongside your notes for a richer, more dynamic knowledge base.
Collaboration and Sharing: Some note taking apps also double as powerful collaboration tools, allowing you to co-edit notes in real-time with others, share notebooks with granular permissions, publish notes to the web, and more. Great for teamwork and knowledge sharing.
Access Everywhere: Finally, the best note taking apps automatically sync your notes across all your devices—desktop, laptop, tablet, phone—so you always have access to your second brain wherever you are. Some even offer offline access for those times when you don‘t have an internet connection.
With these key benefits in mind, let‘s now compare the top note taking apps and how they stack up.
The 10 Best Note Taking Apps Compared
Here are our top picks for the best note taking apps available today, based on our evaluation of their features, interface, ecosystem, and ideal use cases:
1. Notion
Our top pick for the best overall note taking app is Notion. Think of Notion as a powerful, all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, databases, and more. It offers an incredibly flexible interface that lets you structure your notes however you like, using blocks for text, media, embeds, databases, kanban boards, calendars, and more.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop editor with support for diverse content blocks
- Relational databases with views like table, list, gallery, calendar, and more
- Nested pages for hierarchical organization
- Linked databases for dynamic aggregation of information
- Real-time collaboration with granular page permissions
- Publish pages to the web for public sharing
- APIs and 500+ integrations for extending functionality
Pros:
- Extremely flexible interface can handle almost any use case
- Powerful database features for structured information
- Great for collaboration and knowledge sharing
- Large ecosystem of templates and integrations
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve than some other apps
- Can be overkill for simple note taking
- Limited offline access on mobile
Pricing: Free plan for individuals. Team plans start at $8/user/month.
Best for: Power users, teams, and anyone who wants a highly customizable, all-in-one workspace.
2. Evernote
Evernote is one of the most popular note taking apps and a pioneer in the space. It offers a robust set of tools for capturing, organizing and retrieving your notes and media.
Key Features:
- Web clipper for saving articles, PDFs, images and more
- Document scanning and OCR
- Integrations with Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, and more
- Spaces for collaborative note taking and knowledge sharing
- Advanced search and tagging
- Offline access on desktop and mobile
Pros:
- Excellent web clipper and article saving
- Powerful search features like OCR and PDF search
- Good for collaboration with Spaces
- Large ecosystem of integrations and add-ons
Cons:
- Can feel bloated and complex for simple notes
- Free plan is limited, most features require paid plan
- Frequent interface changes can be disruptive
Pricing: Free plan with restrictions. Paid plans start at $7.99/month.
Best for: Web research, archiving documents/articles, and teamwork.
3. Microsoft OneNote
OneNote is Microsoft‘s free, cross-platform note taking app. It offers many of Evernote‘s capturing and organizing features in an intuitive interface optimized for pen and touch input.
Key Features:
- Free-form canvas for mixing text, images, lists, sketches, and more
- Divide notes into color-coded sections and pages
- Web clipper for saving articles and screenshots
- Sticky Notes for quick note taking in Windows
- Integration with Microsoft Office ecosystem
- Real-time collaboration within notebooks
Pros:
- Completely free with no feature restrictions
- Excellent inking and stylus support on tablets
- Familiar interface for Microsoft Office users
- Good for mixing typed and handwritten notes
Cons:
- Notebook organization can get unwieldy over time
- Lacks some features of Evernote like PDF annotation and OCR
- Separate desktop and UWP apps in Windows is confusing
Pricing: Free
Best for: Microsoft users, tablet note takers, and anyone wanting a robust free option.
4. Apple Notes
Apple Notes is the default note taking app on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It covers all the basics with a clean, intuitive interface.
Key Features:
- Folders, subfolders and tags for organization
- Attachments like photos, videos, scans, web links and more
- Shared folders for collaborating on notes
- Quick Notes on Mac for fast note capture
- Integration with Apple Pencil and Scribble
- Lock notes with password or Face ID/Touch ID
Pros:
- Clean, intuitive interface
- Deep integration with Apple ecosystem
- Good for handwritten notes and sketches
- Completely free with ample storage
Cons:
- No Windows or Android apps, limited web access
- No web clipper or browser extensions
- Can‘t collapse or hide subfolders
Pricing: Free
Best for: Apple users who want a simple, built-in option that covers the basics well.
5. Google Keep
Google Keep is a lightweight, web-focused note taking app tightly integrated with Google Workspace.
Key Features:
- Color-coded sticky notes for quick notes and lists
- OCR and search in images
- Voice memos with automatic transcription
- Collaborative notes with comments and assign to-dos
- Chrome extension and Gmail integration
- Location and time based reminders
Pros:
- Simple, web-centric design accessible anywhere
- Smooth integration with Google ecosystem
- Good for quick capture of text, lists, images, audio
- Completely free with ample storage
Cons:
- Lacks organizational features like notebooks and subfolders
- No native app for Windows or Mac
- No rich text formatting, highlighting, or inking
- Minimal options for exporting notes
Pricing: Free
Best for: Lightweight note taking centered around Google Workspace.
6. Simplenote
Simplenote is a bare-bones, plain text note taking app for minimalists who want a frictionless experience without sacrificing core features.
Key Features:
- Plain text notes synced across devices
- Instant search and tag filtering
- Version history for all notes
- Collaborative editing and publishing notes
- Markdown support for basic formatting
Pros:
- Simple, frills-free interface for distraction-free note taking
- Available on every platform with full feature parity
- Good for capturing quick thoughts and ideas
- Completely free with no restrictions
Cons:
- No support for rich text, images, attachments, etc.
- Lack of organizational tools beyond tags
- No web clipper or mobile scanning
Pricing: Free
Best for: Text purists who want a quick, lightweight option for general note taking.
The Best Note Taking App for HP Laptops
If you‘re specifically looking for the best note taking app to use on an HP laptop, our top two recommendations would be Notion and OneNote.
As our best overall pick, Notion works great on HP laptops running Windows. Its flexible drag-and-drop interface feels natural with a keyboard and trackpad, and it offers native Windows and web apps that run smoothly. You get all of Notion‘s powerful database, wiki, and collaboration features in an attractive, customizable workspace.
If you‘re looking for a 100% free option, OneNote is an excellent choice for HP laptop users. As a Microsoft product, OneNote is optimized for Windows and offers an intuitive interface for mixing typed and handwritten notes. It really shines if you have an HP laptop with a touch screen and stylus, as OneNote has best-in-class inking and "ink to text" recognition. The fact that it‘s completely free with no feature restrictions is icing on the cake.
While you can‘t go wrong with either Notion or OneNote on an HP laptop, if we had to choose one, we‘d give a slight edge to Notion for its greater flexibility and more robust feature set (if you don‘t need stylus support). But if you frequently take notes with a stylus and/or rely heavily on the Microsoft Office suite, OneNote may be the better fit.
Tips for Getting Started with Your New Note Taking App
Once you‘ve chosen the best note taking app for your needs, here are a few tips for getting up and running quickly:
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Create a basic organizational structure with notebooks/folders for your main categories of notes (e.g. Work, Personal, Hobbies, etc.). Don‘t go overboard with hierarchy at first – you can always refine later as you see how you actually use the app.
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Customize the app‘s interface and settings to your liking (e.g. light vs. dark mode, default zoom level, hotkeys, etc.). A personalized workspace will make using the app more enjoyable.
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Install the Web Clipper extension if available and test saving some content from the web. Capturing articles, PDFs, images and screenshots is a big part of many people‘s note taking workflow.
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Download the mobile apps and set up syncing between your devices. Having quick access to your notes on the go makes it easy to capture ideas whenever they strike.
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Explore the app‘s advanced features like database views (Notion), stylus support (OneNote), OCR (Evernote), Markdown support (Simplenote), etc. Knowing the full range of your app‘s capabilities will help you leverage it effectively.
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Check out the app‘s template gallery and/or community forums for inspiration and ideas. Seeing how others use the app can help spark ideas for your own workflow.
Note Taking and Knowledge Management Best Practices
Beyond the specific app you use, developing effective note taking and knowledge management practices is key to getting the most out of your digital brain. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Capture Quickly: Don‘t let friction slow you down in the moment. Use quick capture tools like the web clipper, mobile widgets, Siri/Alexa integrations, and email forwarding to save content into your notes with minimal interruption.
Organize as You Go: Avoid a backlog of unsorted notes by taking a few seconds to file each note in the appropriate notebook/folder and add any relevant tags as you capture. Future you will thank you.
Standardize Your System: Create a consistent structure, naming convention, and tagging taxonomy for your notes so you always know where to put and find things. The more standardized your system, the easier it is to maintain.
Regularly Review and Synthesize: Don‘t just capture and forget – set aside regular time to review your notes, synthesize key ideas, and connect new information to your existing knowledge. Progressive summarization and concept mapping are great techniques for this.
Create a Trusted Retrieval System: A note taking app is only useful if you can find what you‘ve saved. Leverage your app‘s search features, tags, notebooks, and shortcuts to create a system you trust to quickly retrieve relevant information when you need it.
Protect Your Data: Your note taking app houses a wealth of valuable information, so take steps to protect it. Use a strong password, enable two-factor authentication, and regularly back up your data to avoid losing everything in case of a breach or bug.
Iterate and Evolve Your System: No knowledge management system is perfect from day one. Pay attention to what is and isn‘t working for you, and don‘t be afraid to tweak your structure, workflow, and tools as your needs evolve. Continuous improvement is key to building a system that stands the test of time.
Conclusion
We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this guide to the best note taking apps of 2023. To recap, our top picks are:
- Notion for its powerful, customizable all-in-one workspace
- Evernote for its excellent web clipping and document search
- OneNote for its inking support and Microsoft integration
- Apple Notes for its simplicity and native Apple experience
- Google Keep for lightweight note taking centered around Google Workspace
- Simplenote for frills-free, plain text note taking
For HP laptop users, we recommend Notion or OneNote depending on your needs and preferences.
Remember, the "perfect" note taking app is the one that you enjoy using and that supports your unique workflow. Don‘t be afraid to try a few options to see what clicks for you. And no matter which app you choose, you‘ll get the most out of it by developing smart note taking and knowledge management practices like capturing quickly, organizing as you go, regularly reviewing and synthesizing, and continuously iterating.
Here‘s to many more years of learning, growing, and leveraging the power of your "second brain"!
