7 note-taking apps for group

Be aware-taking is one thing all of us do in some capability. Regardless of if that you must write lists, copy down a telephone 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 enable you 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 have been featured by Apple and have simply been launched to the general public.

The best 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 programs that make it straightforward to seek for and discover your notes as a way to rapidly reference info everytime you want it.

1 Microsoft OneNote

My favourite note-taking app

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

My high general note-taking app

Microsoft OneNote

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

Professionals

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

Cons

• Works finest inside Microsoft’s app ecosystem

Microsoft’s OneNote is my favourite, hands-down, and it is the note-taking app that I’ve used probably the most. OneNote is my each day driver for each my skilled writing, nevertheless it’s additionally what I take advantage of to draft brief tales and jot down each day reminders. It is not the snazziest note-taking app accessible, however if you happen to’ve used Microsoft Phrase, then OneNote’s interface, which options the identical “ribbon” bar, ought to really feel snug to you. Better of all, you need to use OneNote with a free Microsoft Account.

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

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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.

Professionals

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

Cons

• Expertise is not very intuitive

When you have an iPhone or Mac pc, 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 function updates, and is absolutely built-in together with your different Apple units by your iCloud account.

Notes has improved significantly 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 isn’t probably the most intuitive expertise, as you must insert a handwriting part into your observe, as an alternative of drawing immediately on the observe.

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

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3 Bear

The perfect various to Apple Notes for iOS units

Bear / Pocket-lint

Nice various to Apple Notes

Bear

Bear is for iOS customers who need a clear design and feature-rich substitute for Apple’s Notes app. Bear includes a tagging system together with Markdown assist for straightforward organizing of your notes.

Professionals

• Markdown textual content modifying assist
• Apple Pencil assist
• Intuitive tagging system for group

Cons

• Solely suitable with Apple merchandise

Bear is a good possibility for anybody who needs a extra feature-rich note-taking app for iOS units and Macs. The killer function 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 observe to maintain your ideas neatly organized. You do not have to make use of the Markdown function, although. Bear is straightforward to make use of, and it is easy to arrange your notes your personal approach. There’s additionally pen assist, so you need to use the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.

I actually admire 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 spending a dime, however the free model limits your exports to simply .TXT, Markdown, and Textbundle recordsdata. The fee tiers for Bear are a bit complicated, however for $3 a month or $30 a 12 months, you may export your notes to almost any format, together with ePUB and OCR. The paid model additionally contains iCloud syncing, so your notes can go wherever with you.

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4 Google Hold

The perfect easy and absolutely free note-taking app

My high light-weight note-taking app

Google Hold

Google Hold is free to make use of and accessible 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 in search of a light-weight note-taking app.

Professionals

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

Cons

• Lack of group options
• Google Docs has higher integration

If you’re in search of a easy and light-weight note-taking app or one that does not have a steep studying curve with a ton of options, think about Google Hold. Google Hold might be accessed from any machine and is a superb note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating each day to-do lists. You possibly can enter photographs into Hold notes and hyperlinks with ease, and Hold is built-in with the remainder of Google’s ecosystem.

Hold is accessible immediately from Gmail, making it straightforward to jot down fast bits of data from emails. You can even draft writings in Hold and export them on to Google Docs, saving time within the writing course of. That is how I take advantage of Hold, and whereas it isn’t my each day driver in the best way OneNote is, it is nonetheless in my rotation of apps. It is good having the ability to copy down vital dates, telephone numbers, or names from Gmail with out having to open a separate window. There isn’t any payment for utilizing Hold, however do understand that your Hold notes will affect your general Google account storage, so in case you have lots of already-existing Sheets and Docs, you could must pay for extra Google storage.

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5 Notion

The perfect premium note-taking app

My favorite feature-rich premium note-taking app

Notion

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

Professionals

• Extensive ranging use circumstances
• Completely different templates for various makes use of
• AI integration

If you happen to’ve labored for a startup or have labored on a technical staff, 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 one of the vital versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and if you happen to’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 easy to create your personal Wiki, to-do lists, or each day or weekly planner with Notion due to 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 another 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 may pay for Notion beginning at $8 a month.

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6 Obsidian

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

My favourite feature-rich note-taking app

Obsidian

Obsidian is a good, feature-rich note-taking app, nevertheless it includes 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.

Professionals

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

Obsidian is probably the most feature-rich note-taking app on this checklist, nevertheless it’s additionally probably the most tough to be taught. It shines by regionally 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 observe safe, however safety at all times comes at a price, and that primarily interprets to how tough 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 online design. You can even reap the benefits of the a whole lot of free plug-ins which can be accessible for Obsidian. Obsidian’s finest function is its customizable options. You can also make issues look nonetheless you want, so long as you might be prepared to learn to grasp the app.

I’ve spent lots of time with Obsidian, and whereas I have never 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 good instrument for storyboarding due to its graphing function, and it is my most well-liked methodology 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 easy to make use of, though there’s a steep studying curve if you wish to develop into an professional with the app. You possibly can strive it without spending a dime, however plans begin at $8 for limitless entry.

Professionals

• Accessible interface
• Function-rich design
• Completely 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 a terrific job at balancing being a feature-rich app with accessibility. Much like Notion, you may create backlinks in any doc in Craft with a purpose 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 function, however it’s practically an identical 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 giant recordsdata, whereas Notion generally is a bit gradual the larger your Notion will get. Whereas the training curve at occasions can really feel steep with Craft, the Craft staff has an enormous repository of free movies that may train you how you can do something you need accessible on their YouTube. You possibly can really go far with Craft, in the identical approach you may with Obsidian and Notion to create your personal excellent note-taking app throughout the app itself.

Craft is free to make use of for the primary 1500 blocks, which the typical consumer will probably replenish in about two weeks. I hit the restrict a bit extra rapidly, 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 will must pay for one of many plans, with probably the most primary plan beginning at $8 month-to-month. For $8 month-to-month, you may create as many paperwork in Craft as you want, however you will want a marketing strategy if you wish to add others to your Craft.

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FAQ

Q: How did you resolve on these picks?

As a author masking client tech and life-style, I’ve examined many various note-taking apps through the years. I constructed this checklist by prioritizing ease of use and price 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 function that that you must pay for for a note-taking app, and also you assume it’ll simplify your workflow, I’d say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps up to now due to sure options I wished to make use of, however I do not at the moment pay for any note-taking apps. As a author, nonetheless, I’ve no drawback with paying for a note-taking app if I do know that it’ll make my life simpler.