Note-Taking Apps Tier List: 19 Apps Ranked
Nineteen apps, one impossible question: which one actually deserves your notes? We looked at everything from the scrappy open-source darlings to the glossy productivity giants, weighing what forums argue about constantly (sync reliability, pricing changes, who owns your data) against what reviewers praise on release day.
This list covers all-in-one workspaces, handwriting apps, plain-text diehards, and the quick-capture tools you forget you installed. Some picks will annoy people, that's fine, disagree with us in the comments. Rank it yourself if you think we got it wrong.
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SS Tier: The ones people build workflows around
Notion
The app that turned note-taking into a personality trait. Databases, wikis, project trackers and actual notes all live in one place, and the template economy around it is enormous. The tradeoff is speed: open Notion on a bad wifi day and you'll remember why plain text exists.
About Notion
An all-in-one workspace combining notes, databases, wikis and project management. Used widely by individuals, startups and teams for everything from journaling to company wikis.
- Platform
- Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
- Known for
- Databases and templates
Obsidian
Local markdown files plus a graph view turned a note app into a cult. Power users love the plugin ecosystem enough to build entire 'second brains' in it, and the fact that your notes are just.md files on your disk means you're never locked in. The flip side is a real setup tax before it feels magical.
About Obsidian
A local-first, markdown-based note app built around linking notes together and a visual graph view. Extensible with a large community plugin library.
- Storage
- Local markdown files
- Known for
- Backlinks and graph view
Goodnotes
The handwriting app that made iPad note-taking feel legitimate for students and sketchnoters alike. Handwriting-to-text search and the paper-like feel of writing with an Apple Pencil are why it keeps winning app store awards. Notability fans will argue, but Goodnotes' templates and organization win more converts.
About Goodnotes
A digital handwriting and note-taking app popular on iPad with Apple Pencil, known for realistic paper textures and handwriting search.
- Known for
- Handwriting and PDF annotation
AA Tier: Excellent, with a caveat or two
Apple Notes
Free, built in, and quietly got very good: tables, scanning, collaborative notes, and a search that actually finds things. It's the default for a reason, even if power users eventually outgrow its flatter organization system.
About Apple Notes
Apple's built-in notes app across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Supports checklists, scanning, sketching and collaborative notes.
- Developer
- Apple
- Platform
- iOS, iPadOS, macOS, web via iCloud
Microsoft OneNote
The free-form notebook-and-section metaphor still makes sense to people who grew up on binders. It's been a staple for students and corporate note-takers for years, and the ability to write anywhere on an infinite canvas is still underrated. It just feels a little less loved by Microsoft than it used to.
About Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's free-form digital notebook app, part of the Office/Microsoft 365 family. Organizes notes into notebooks, sections and pages.
- Developer
- Microsoft
- Platform
- Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web
Bear
Markdown notes with a design sense most apps never bother with. Tag-based organization instead of folders works better than it sounds, and the typography alone makes writing in it pleasant. Mac and iOS only is the catch, so Windows and Android users never get invited.
About Bear
A markdown note app for Apple devices known for its clean design and tag-based organization instead of folders.
- Platform
- iOS, Mac
- Known for
- Design and markdown writing
Craft
Probably the best-looking document-style note app out there, with block-based editing that feels closer to writing in a real design tool. Great for people who want Notion's flexibility without Notion's visual clutter, though its Windows and web experience still trails Apple-platform polish.
About Craft
A document-style note app with block-based editing and a strong focus on visual design, popular on Apple devices.
- Platform
- iOS, Mac, Windows, web
Notability
Audio recording synced to your handwritten notes is the killer feature lecture-hall students swear by. It moved to a subscription model a while back and caught real backlash for it, which cost it some goodwill against Goodnotes, but the core writing experience is still excellent.
About Notability
A note-taking app focused on combining handwriting, typed text and audio recording, popular among students for lecture notes.
- Platform
- iOS, iPadOS, Mac
- Known for
- Audio-synced notes
BB Tier: Solid, dependable, a bit unglamorous
Logseq
Open-source, local-first, outline-based: basically Roam's ideas without the price tag or the server dependency. The daily-notes-and-backlinks workflow has a devoted following, but the interface still asks a lot of new users before it clicks.
About Logseq
An open-source, outliner-based note app with backlinks and local-first storage, often compared to Roam Research.
- License
- Open source
- Storage
- Local markdown/org files
Google Keep
Sticky notes that sync, nothing more, nothing less. It's the app people use for grocery lists and quick reminders, not for anything resembling a knowledge base, and that honesty about its own scope is actually its strength.
About Google Keep
Google's lightweight note and list app, built for quick capture rather than long-form writing. Integrates with other Google Workspace apps.
- Developer
- Known for
- Sticky-note style quick notes
Evernote
The app that basically invented this category for a whole generation, now coasting on reputation. Strong search and web clipping still work, but years of price hikes and a stingy free tier pushed a lot of longtime users toward Notion and Obsidian.
About Evernote
One of the earliest major note-taking apps, known for web clipping, document scanning and powerful search. Long used for personal archiving and research.
- Platform
- Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web
Simplenote
Does exactly one thing: plain text notes that sync fast and free, across every platform. No formatting, no clutter, no upsell. If you want speed over features, this is basically unbeatable, it's just not trying to be your second brain.
About Simplenote
A minimalist, free note-taking app focused purely on fast plain-text notes with sync across devices.
- Developer
- Automattic
- Known for
- Simplicity and speed
Standard Notes
Built around end-to-end encryption first and features second, which is exactly what privacy-focused users want from a notes app. Extensions add formatting and editors on top, but the base experience is deliberately minimal.
About Standard Notes
A privacy-focused note app built around end-to-end encryption, with optional extensions for extra formatting and editors.
- Known for
- End-to-end encryption
Joplin
Open-source, markdown-based, and syncs through your own cloud storage if you want it to. It's the choice for people who trust Dropbox more than they trust a company's servers, though the interface has a distinct 'built by developers, for developers' feel.
About Joplin
An open-source markdown note app that lets users sync through their own cloud storage provider of choice.
- License
- Open source
- Known for
- Self-hosted sync options
CC Tier: Fine, but something's holding it back
Microsoft Loop
Collaborative, component-based pages that move between Teams, Outlook and Office docs are a clever idea on paper. In practice it still feels like a feature bolted onto Microsoft 365 rather than a note app you'd choose on its own.
About Microsoft Loop
A collaborative workspace app from Microsoft built around portable components that sync across Teams, Outlook and Office apps.
- Developer
- Microsoft
- Known for
- Collaborative components
Roam Research
The app that kicked off the whole networked-notes, bidirectional-linking movement and got an entire community obsessed with 'tools for thought.' It's still beloved by a loyal base, but its price point and the rise of free alternatives like Logseq pulled a lot of the hype away.
About Roam Research
A networked note-taking app that popularized bidirectional linking and the daily-notes workflow among researchers and writers.
- Known for
- Bidirectional linking
Capacities
An object-based approach to notes (people, projects, books all as distinct types) is genuinely interesting and different from the usual folder-or-outline choice. It's younger and smaller than most apps here, so the ecosystem and stability still have room to grow.
About Capacities
A note app organized around 'objects' (like people, projects or books) rather than plain folders or pages.
- Known for
- Object-based note-taking
Tana
Supercharged outliner with a powerful tagging and query system that early adopters describe as addictive once it clicks. The learning curve is steep enough that plenty of people bounce off before they get there.
About Tana
A powerful outliner-style note app with a supertag and query system for organizing information dynamically.
- Known for
- Supertags and queries
DD Tier: Niche or showing its age
Mem
Pitched itself as an AI-powered second brain that organizes notes for you automatically.
About Mem
An AI-assisted note app that aimed to automatically organize notes for users without manual folders or tags.
- Known for
- AI-driven organization
How we ranked them
We weighed long-term reputation over launch-week hype: does the app still get recommended a year or two later? We looked at sync reliability, pricing fairness, how steep the learning curve is, and whether the app actually does the thing it promises (quick capture, deep linking notes, handwriting accuracy). Community sentiment from forums and reviews mattered as much as feature lists, and we broke ties with our own hands-on take.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best note-taking app overall?
Notion and Obsidian are the two most recommended by fans and critics for general note-taking and knowledge management, while Goodnotes leads for handwriting on tablets.
What's the best free note-taking app?
Obsidian and Logseq are both free for personal use and are frequently recommended over paid alternatives. Apple Notes and Google Keep are also free and come preinstalled on their respective platforms.
What's the best note app for handwriting on an iPad?
Goodnotes and Notability are the two most recommended, with Goodnotes generally winning for organization and Notability known for its audio-sync feature for lectures.
Is Evernote still worth using?
Evernote still works well for search and web clipping, but repeated price increases and a shrinking free tier have pushed many longtime users toward Notion, Obsidian or Apple Notes.
What's the most private or encrypted note app?
Standard Notes is built specifically around end-to-end encryption, and Joplin offers strong privacy since you control where your notes are stored.
What's the difference between Notion and Obsidian?
Notion is cloud-based and great for databases, project tracking and team collaboration. Obsidian stores notes as local markdown files and is favored by people who want full ownership of their data and a plugin-driven setup.
More rankings
Image credits
- NotionLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- ObsidianLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- GoodnotesLogo: goodnotes.com, © Goodnotes Limited · Source
- Apple NotesLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Microsoft OneNoteLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- BearLogo: bear.app, © Shiny Frog · Source
- CraftLogo: craft.do, © Craft Docs · Source
- NotabilityLogo: notability.com, © Ginger Labs · Source
- LogseqLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Google KeepLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- EvernoteLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- SimplenoteLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Standard NotesLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- JoplinLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Microsoft LoopLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Roam ResearchLogo: roamresearch.com, © Roam Research · Source
- CapacitiesLogo: capacities.io, © Capacities GmbH · Source
- TanaLogo: tana.inc, © Tana Inc. · Source
- MemLogo: get.mem.ai, © Mem Labs · Source