7 note-taking apps for group

Be aware-taking is one thing all of us do in some capability. Irrespective of if it’s essential to write lists, copy down a cellphone quantity, or take detailed notes on a dialogue or class, there is a note-taking app on the market that is for you. The right note-taking app should simplify your workflow, and provide help to preserve issues organized. There’s a variety of choices now for a note-taking app; some are perfect for desktops, whereas others are designed for use with phones and tablets. There are even some new apps that I’ve included which were featured by Apple and have simply been launched to the general public.

The precise note-taking app will help you seamlessly jot down or dictate your notes throughout a number of platforms and have them synchronized and able to go from wherever. A good higher hub of ideas must also have group techniques that make it straightforward to seek for and discover your notes so that you could shortly reference info everytime you want it.

1 Microsoft OneNote

My favourite note-taking app

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

My prime general note-taking app

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote manages to suit the majority of Microsoft Phrase’s text-formatting and enhancing talents into a light-weight note-taking app that handles every little thing from textual content, to audio, to handwriting and drawing.

Execs

• Free to make use of
• Helps handwriting enter from tablets
• Cross platform help on iOS, Android, and Mac

Cons

• Works greatest inside Microsoft’s app ecosystem

Microsoft’s OneNote is my favourite, hands-down, and it is the note-taking app that I’ve used essentially the most. OneNote is my day by day driver for each my skilled writing, nevertheless it’s additionally what I exploit to draft quick tales and jot down day by day reminders. It isn’t the snazziest note-taking app obtainable, however for those who’ve used Microsoft Phrase, then OneNote’s interface, which options the identical “ribbon” bar, ought to really feel comfy to you. Better of all, you need to use OneNote with a free Microsoft Account.

The free model of OneNote will give you all of the options you may want, together with the flexibility to cross-sync your notes throughout Home windows, Android, macOS, iOS, and even iPadOS. You’ll need to pay further if you need greater than the 5GB of allotted space for storing or if you wish to export your OneNote recordsdata to Workplace Phrase or Excel. If any of those apply to you, you have to to pay for a Microsoft 365 account, which begins at $7 monthly, however you do obtain the remainder of Microsoft’s 365 productiveness suite.

Associated

Apple, Amazon, and Google are ignoring the smart home, and that’s a mistake

The potential for good house tech remains to be large — and slowly being realized.

2 Apple Notes

The default and fully-free notes app for macOS and iOS

My favourite iOS note-taking app

Apple Notes

Apple’s Notes app comes pre-installed on all Macs and iOS units, and it is our favourite iOS note-taking app. Whereas there are different note-taking apps on the market for iOS, Notes has seen some nice enhancements over the previous few years that make it our favourite for the iOS platform.

Execs

• Latest updates have improved the app
• May even be accessed from a bowser

Cons

• Expertise is not very intuitive

You probably have an iPhone or Mac laptop, there is a fairly good likelihood you’ve got interacted with Apple’s free Notes app. That is most likely my second most-used notes app, and I prefer it as a result of it’s straightforward to make use of, has constant helpful characteristic updates, and is totally built-in together with your different Apple units by your iCloud account.

Notes has improved vastly since its authentic launch again with the unique iPhone. The newest iOS replace lets you have hidden conversations with the Notes app, in addition to create straightforward group notes for issues like celebration planning or a category task. If you’re utilizing the Notes app on an iPad, the app is Pen suitable, and you’ll hand-write notes. Be warned, nonetheless, it is not essentially the most intuitive expertise, as you must insert a handwriting part into your notice, as an alternative of drawing immediately on the notice.

Apple Notes may be accessed from practically wherever, together with your browser. You may entry all your Apple notes by your iCloud account, and that is true even if you’re utilizing a Chromebook or Home windows PC. When you can view and edit your Apple Notes recordsdata by an internet browser, I do not advocate utilizing the Home windows model of the Notes app, because it interacts fairly poorly with the Home windows 10 and 11.

Associated

What is Instagram Threads and how does it work?

Meta is profiting from the controversy round Elon Musk’s X.

3 Bear

The very best different to Apple Notes for iOS units

Bear / Pocket-lint

Nice different to Apple Notes

Bear

Bear is for iOS customers who desire a clear design and feature-rich alternative for Apple’s Notes app. Bear contains a tagging system together with Markdown help for simple organizing of your notes.

Execs

• Markdown textual content enhancing help
• Apple Pencil help
• Intuitive tagging system for group

Cons

• Solely suitable with Apple merchandise

Bear is a superb choice for anybody who needs a extra feature-rich note-taking app for iOS units and Macs. The killer characteristic of Bear is that it lets you write in Markdown (a formatting instrument that lets you format textual content in real-time) and tag every notice to maintain your ideas neatly organized. You do not have to make use of the Markdown characteristic, although. Bear is simple to make use of, and it is easy to prepare your notes your individual means. There’s additionally pen help, so you need to use the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.

I actually respect how straightforward utilizing the Apple Pencil is with Bear when in comparison with Apple’s personal Notes app. You do not have to create any further fields to attract with the pen, and the app’s response to the pen is nice. Bear can be utilized without cost, however the free model limits your exports to only .TXT, Markdown, and Textbundle recordsdata. The cost tiers for Bear are a bit complicated, however for $3 a month or $30 a 12 months, you’ll be able to export your notes to just about any format, together with ePUB and OCR. The paid model additionally contains iCloud syncing, so your notes can go wherever with you.

Associated

8 Samsung Galaxy phone apps you should uninstall to boost performance

Cluttered house display? You must take away these pointless Samsung Galaxy apps to liberate house and manage your cellphone.

4 Google Preserve

The very best easy and totally free note-taking app

My prime light-weight note-taking app

Google Preserve

Google Preserve is free to make use of and obtainable on all platforms, nevertheless it lacks group options in comparison with the opposite choices on this checklist. Nonetheless, it’s a nice note-keeping app for anybody searching for a light-weight note-taking app.

Execs

• Simple to make use of
• Completely free
• Cross-platform

Cons

• Lack of group options
• Google Docs has higher integration

If you’re searching for a easy and light-weight note-taking app or one that does not have a steep studying curve with a ton of options, take into account Google Preserve. Google Preserve may be accessed from any gadget and is an excellent note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating day by day to-do lists. You may enter pictures into Preserve notes and hyperlinks with ease, and Preserve is built-in with the remainder of Google’s ecosystem.

Preserve is accessible immediately from Gmail, making it straightforward to jot down fast bits of data from emails. You may as well draft writings in Preserve and export them on to Google Docs, saving time within the writing course of. That is how I exploit Preserve, and whereas it is not my day by day driver in the way in which OneNote is, it is nonetheless in my rotation of apps. It is good having the ability to copy down vital dates, cellphone numbers, or names from Gmail with out having to open a separate window. There isn’t any price for utilizing Preserve, however do remember that your Preserve notes will affect your general Google account storage, so you probably have loads of already-existing Sheets and Docs, it’s possible you’ll have to pay for extra Google storage.

Associated

6 free productivity apps to turbocharge your workflow

Work smarter, not more durable with apps that may provide help to get extra performed.

5 Notion

The very best premium note-taking app

My favorite feature-rich premium note-taking app

Notion

Notion is a well-liked note-taking app typically utilized by software program builders, nevertheless it’s nice for anybody because of its big selection of customized templates and options.

Execs

• Huge ranging use instances
• Totally different templates for various makes use of
• AI integration

In the event you’ve labored for a startup or have labored on a technical crew, there is a good likelihood you may have interacted with Notion. I’ve used Notion each in a job setting, however I’ve additionally used it as a digital journaling instrument. It is some of the versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and for those who’re prepared to spend time on studying all of the ins-and-outs, Notion can do practically something you need it to as a note-taking app.

Notion / Pocket-lint

Notion is constructed with blocks of your notes. It is simple to create your individual Wiki, to-do lists, or day by day or weekly planner with Notion because of the block system of the UI. Notion runs in your browser, so it is usable from wherever, and you’ll share something you create with some other Notion customers. It is free to make use of, however if you wish to convey in additional than 10 individuals to your Notion, or create personal pages, you’ll be able to pay for Notion beginning at $8 a month.

Associated

10 must-have apps I install first on any new iPhone

From AllTrails and Netflix to Spotify and Photoroom, the iPhone has some true app gems obtainable.

6 Obsidian

Probably the most expansive note-taking app, for these with endurance

My favourite feature-rich note-taking app

Obsidian

Obsidian is a superb, feature-rich note-taking app, nevertheless it contains a steep studying curve. It is free to make use of for people, however companies might want to pay for a industrial license from Obsidian.

Execs

• Free to make use of for people
• Graph notes
• Wide selection of free plug-ins

Obsidian is essentially the most feature-rich note-taking app on this checklist, nevertheless it’s additionally essentially the most troublesome to be taught. It shines by domestically saving your notes, eliminating the requirement for an web connection that a lot of the different apps on this checklist have. It additionally retains your notice safe, however safety at all times comes at a value, and that primarily interprets to how troublesome Obsidian is to be taught.

There is a ton you are able to do with Obsidian. You can also make a nesting doll of your notes, graph them, and manage connections inside an internet design. You may as well reap the benefits of the a whole lot of free plug-ins which are obtainable for Obsidian. Obsidian’s greatest characteristic is its customizable options. You can also make issues look nonetheless you would like, so long as you might be prepared to learn to grasp the app.

I’ve spent loads of time with Obsidian, and whereas I have not mastered the app by any means, I’ve gotten a style of simply how helpful and deep Obsidian options go. I’ve used Obsidian to draft tales, however the place I’ve actually seen it shine personally is with long-form writing. Obsidian is a superb instrument for storyboarding because of its graphing characteristic, and it is my most well-liked technique of utilizing the app.

7 Craft

As featured by Apple at WWDC

Craft

Craft is a feature-rich note-taking app that rivals Notion in each design and options. It is simple to make use of, though there’s a steep studying curve if you wish to grow to be an skilled with the app. You may strive it without cost, however plans begin at $8 for limitless entry.

Execs

• Accessible interface
• Function-rich design
• Totally different note-taking choices

Cons

• Steep studying curve
• Month-to-month subscription

Craft is a brand new note-taking app that has discovered some buzz on-line after Apple featured the app at WWDC. Craft does an excellent job at balancing being a feature-rich app with accessibility. Just like Notion, you’ll be able to create backlinks in any doc in Craft with a view to hyperlink to different notes. I used backlinks to simply hyperlink again whereas planning the analysis for future articles, and I discovered it to be an intuitive characteristic, however it’s practically similar to how Notion operates on this regard.

The place Craft stands aside from Notion is in how briskly the app is. Craft responds instantly, even with massive recordsdata, whereas Notion generally is a bit sluggish the larger your Notion will get. Whereas the training curve at instances can really feel steep with Craft, the Craft crew has an enormous repository of free movies that may educate you easy methods to do something you need obtainable on their YouTube. You may really go far with Craft, in the identical means you’ll be able to with Obsidian and Notion to create your individual good note-taking app inside the app itself.

Craft is free to make use of for the primary 1500 blocks, which the common person will probably refill in about two weeks. I hit the restrict a bit extra shortly, inside a week-and-a-half, however I used to be testing the app completely and used extra options than I’d if I used to be utilizing it for myself. After the free trial with Craft ends, you may have to pay for one of many plans, with essentially the most fundamental plan beginning at $8 month-to-month. For $8 month-to-month, you’ll be able to create as many paperwork in Craft as you would like, however you may want a marketing strategy if you wish to add others to your Craft.

Associated

9 essential PC gaming apps I install on every new rig

Whether or not your gaming PC is a desktop or laptop computer, benefit from it with these important gaming apps.

FAQ

Q: How did you resolve on these picks?

As a author overlaying shopper tech and way of life, I’ve examined many various note-taking apps over time. I constructed this checklist by prioritizing ease of use and value whereas contemplating options. The highest picks are what I’ve present in my very own testing to be the easiest-to-use apps, whereas the extra feature-rich apps are additional alongside within the checklist.

Q: Is it price paying for a note-taking app?

This finally relies upon by yourself particular person wants. If there’s a particular characteristic that it’s essential to pay for for a note-taking app, and also you suppose it should simplify your workflow, I’d say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps prior to now due to sure options I needed to make use of, however I do not at present pay for any note-taking apps. As a author, nonetheless, I’ve no downside with paying for a note-taking app if I do know that it’ll make my life simpler.