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The system of note-taking is different from person to person. Some love to take detailed, colorful notes while some prefer to have low-key short notes. And on the other hand, some like to have their notes handwritten than typed. No matter what kind of note-taker you are, you all will agree on the fact that the simple method of note-taking, which is pen and paper is going away now. The traditional way of note-taking is taken over by countless apps, most of which are absolutely amazing for note-taking. There are several benefits as well as disadvantages when going in the way of e-ink, but you had better join with the trend sooner rather than later.

The best thing about these apps is that you necessarily don't need a laptop or tablet to write. Even an entry-level smartphone can be used for these and the ability to take notes on your mobile device regardless of where you are can be a real benefit to most of us. While there are basic software apps for taking notes, sometimes bundled for free with mobile devices, these can be quite limited to simply allowing typed-in text to be used. These days much more feature-packed note-taking apps are available.

Considering a note-takin app, they should have at least good writing experience, good interface, and organization. We went through all this and more to find the best apps available at the moment. So in this list, we are going to look for apps that are specially designed for note-taking and compatible with any operating system you use. There are some great note-taking apps that are exclusive to iOS, Windows, etc, but we will keep them away just for now so you can go through this list and can start using it right away.

Notion

Compatibility: Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Browser

Some Notion users might find it an insult to call Notion a 'note-taking' application because Notion is so much more. Notion is a great place to plan your all things and you can use a sea of templates provided by Notion to get started. Notion templates are made to meet the needs of...well, whoever you are. You really have to see it to believe. And if the templates are not in your taste, you can create your own using all the tools given in Notion. And the tables in Notion are super powerful and they act as databases. You won't find this type of table integration to any other note-taking app and they are kind of equivalent to Google Docs + Google Sheets.

Notion is super-easy to get started and now offers Personal plans for free with unlimited blocks which is pretty much what you will need if you use this only for personal use. If you want more features, the paid plans start from $4/month.

But unfortunately, Notion is not all good. There is no offline mode and the importance of having an offline mode was shown by the few outings that occurred in the last 2 months. Also Notion apps, regardless of the operating system, take some time to load. This can be a bit frustrating especially in Android and Windows apps. But they have improved it so much over the last year, we can be hopeful that things will be good in the near future.

And one final thing about the block system used in Notion; Every paragraph is a block, and each block can be moved around, changed into different elements, labeled, and colored. Unfortunately, once you select beyond one block, you’re now selecting blocks, not text. This becomes a headache sometimes when you want to select text from 2 different blocks.

But overall, Notion is one hell of a note-taking app that anyone can use for free. And hey, did I say students can get a free Personal Pro plan if they have an email provided by a verified educational institute.

Evernote

Compatibility: Browser, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Evernote is one of the most popular note-taking apps and it is evident why that is if you have at least used Evernote for few days. This app can process most of the file types we usually use during our work. Be it PDFs, PowerPoints, Evernote can handle them. And there is a built-in scanner for the app to take photos of the handwritten notes. Neat, right? That's not all, this app also has a great web clipper that allows you to pick how much of the page you want to capture: everything, just the article text, or a highlighted selection of text.

Evernote is a cross-platform note-taking app, so no issues regarding what's your preferred OS, but Evernote can feel expensive, especially for students.

If you use Evernote to scan documents and save research papers like I do, the 60 MB included in the free plan won’t cut it. And if you want to use it with more than 2 devices or use optical character recognition, you have to go Premium. At least, students get 50% off Premium for a year. It would be nice if they can offer a free version just like Notion does for students, but at least some discount is better than nothing.

Microsoft 365

Compatibility: Browser, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

This is free, this is cross-platform and Microsoft 365 gives Evernote a run for its money not only as a note-taking app but also as a complete office software platform. Let me phrase it again, this software is totally free so you get the full features right out of the box. Most of us think about the OneNote or Sticky notes whenever we think about Microsoft 365, but you can use Word, PowerPoint, Notepad also can be used as note-takers. This is a powerful tool you can even use on a mobile device, not necessarily on a laptop or a desktop.

And just like Notion, you can use it with unlimited devices, which is paid option in Evernote. But the interface of Microsoft 365 apps leaves something to be desired compared to the other note-taking apps we use. Its'messy interface with limited tagging capabilities might turn off some people but this platform is something that goes beyond as a note-taking system and will be ideal for someone who used to the Office system.

Roam Research

Compatibility: Browser-only

Roam research takes a different approach to note-taking. With this, you can instantly link one note to another to create a web of notes. And then Roam features a “Graph Overview” that shows the connections between your notes as a web. It’s an interesting alternative to the hierarchical view that most note-taking apps use. This program offers you a very good writing experience and when you first open the Roam it is all set up and you can start writing right away.

And just like with Notion, there is no offline capability with Roam. This currently a browser only and requires you to have an internet connection to work with it. However, an offline mode is in the works and we will receive it hopefully in near future. And also to get the best out of Roam's features you will need to learn about the app a bit more because if you don't use what Roam is capable of, it is a shame. And finally, this is more expensive than any other on this list, with a cost of $15/month.

Google Keep

Compatibility: iOS, Android, Browser

Google Keep makes the list for the people who need a simple note-taker with basic features. This is a completely free, cross-platform app which is pretty simple to get used to and work with. This might not be the ideal setup to take your class notes compared to other options, but if you are familiar with other Google productivity tools then using this program id s breeze. Although it is simple, this app comes with a robust set of tools for taking and sharing notes. Like Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets, Keep notes can easily be shared with other users via email. And top of all, this is almost free. Free users get 15GB of free storage, and this is significantly higher than similar platforms like OneDrive and iCloud, which offer just 5 GB each, and that would fulfill the needs of the most. But if you really need it, additional storage is available through the Google Workspace subscription, along with a wide range of other perks.

But don't expect organizations like in Notion from this app and it doesn't want to be like that to serve the purpose it's here. Even though Google Keep isn’t the most fully-featured note-taking program currently available, but it’s still incredibly easy to use and convenient for anyone who uses other Google platforms.

Standard Notes

Compatibility: Browser, Mac, Windows, Linux (!!!), iOS, Android

This is one of the most security-focused apps and everything you write here is encrypted by default and only you will be able to access them. Its' free version is more than enough to use as a note-taker but also offers a paid version with a better text editor, code editor, and Markdown editor. And top of all that, this program can run even in Linux-based machines.

There are a sea of note-taking apps to choose from and if you are a beginner, it could be overwhelming at the start. Since nothing is perfect, you have to make compromises in some departments to find the best note-taking app for you. Here, we have given you the choices we believe to be the best and this list will get updated whenever a new product or existing product comes to the threshold of our testing. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments and if you got something out of it, please consider subscribing to our blog and you will be the first to know about articles like this.