University of Kwazulu-Natal

Best Note Taking Apps Tom S Guide

Bonisiwe Shabane
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best note taking apps tom s guide

Capture all your ideas with the best note taking apps for your smartphone When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Having one of the best note-taking apps at your disposal is a no-brainer. Inspiration can strike at any time, and when it does you'll naturally turn to a device that's close at hand. Be it a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Sure almost all of your devices will have their own default note-taking app. Those are fantastic, and can be incredibly useful, but third party offerings have features and capabilities that will be a major boon to your productivity. Things like handwriting support for phones with styluses, AI tools that can neatly arrange or summarize your thoughts, and more. Whether you're taking shorthand, whipping a to-do list or just jotting down a reminder, there's an app out there that can meet your note-taking criteria. These are the best apps for note-taking that we've found for mobile devices. Everyone needs to write things down from time to time.

Note-taking apps let you do just that, and they seamlessly sync your memos across all your other devices. However, their real advantage lies in how they help you organize and find information. The best apps offer multiple structuring options, including folders or notebooks, as well as effective tagging and search features. In short, a good note-taking app is like having a personal internet where you can easily look up anything about your life. We've been testing note-taking apps for more than a decade, and our top picks include the extremely capable Microsoft OneNote and the open-source Joplin. But these aren't the only apps worth checking out, so read on for more of our top picks.

With a fine-grained organizational structure, a generous free version, and an abundance of features, OneNote is a superbly versatile and complete note-taking app. Joplin is the ideal note-taking app for users who value simplicity, local storage capabilities, and dedicated apps on every major platform. Evernote is a powerful note-taking app with advanced AI features, best-in-class tools for jotting down your thoughts, and an exceptionally clear design, though it comes at a premium price. Obsidian is a highly adaptable and free note-taking app for power users who don't need collaboration features. Evernote truly is awesome, but it’s web clipper has had repeated issues over the years, as well as image display in notes (pics come out strange in the desktop versions sometimes). Most annoying: the note-size limit is extremely bad.

As a “premium” subscriber, I expect larger note-size limits. The greatest thing I love about Evernote is the ease of which I can scrawl a note on regular paper, take a pic, and (if I wrote legibly) be able to search that text. Mind blowingly cool. Very very useful for songwriting or creative writing. Whilst Google Keep doesn’t have a Windows desktop client you can create a shortcut to the Chrome App version that runs within Chrome if you have it installed. Create a desktop shortcut with this command line

“C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe” –new-window –app=https://keep.google.com/ Digital alternatives that will help you stay organized across devices Taking notes with pen and paper works just fine for some, but if you have a smartphone or tablet, using an app designed for note-taking can truly change the way you get things done. Here are 10 of the best to consider, whether you're using a Windows or Mac computer, an Android device, iOS, Chrome OS, or another operating system. Works with most popular platforms and devices. Text notes only; no images or other media.

Finding the right note-taking app can make a big difference in how you organize your life, whether you’re in school, at work, or just keeping track of personal ideas. Some people may need a simple way to jot down their thoughts, while others may want only the best note taking app that can be used across all their devices. This guide highlights 10 of the best note-taking apps for students, professionals, iPad owners, iOS and Android users. We tested 21 different apps, including every major windows app and mobile option, and narrowed them to the ones that performed best for speed, layout, and reliability. Each note taking application here gives you the tools you need to help you organize projects, class notes, and work tasks. Many support cloud storage, allow you to handwrite or doodle, and include stuff like rich text editing, AI features, and integration with Microsoft Teams or Google Drive for action items, collaboration, and project management.

Microsoft OneNote is a flexible note-taking app and one of the best app choices for students and professionals. A favorite app of many a diligent note-taker, it combines typed notes, images, and sketches, making it a great way to take notes and keep them organized. Note taking is one of those universal but intensely personal things. Everyone has a .css-19a5n3-Link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentColor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-brand-almost-white, #fffdf9);}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-19a5n3-Link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;}note-taking method of some kind, whether it's as simple... For some people, notes are just text, maybe with a few headings and bullets; for others, they're essentially scrapbooks with elaborate doodles and images. But however you take notes, there's an app out there that can handle all your weird quirks, obscure preferences, and note-taking needs.

You just might need to look for it. But first, the big caveat. You can write notes anywhere: on the back of a napkin, envelope, important bill, or even in a notebook. It's kind of similar with apps: you can stick notes into pretty much any old app, even if it's not really designed for them. Example: Google Docs isn't a great notes app, but I have notes about this article you're reading now in the Google Doc I'm working from. So for this list, I didn't look at every app that could be used to take notes, every app I've personally used to take notes, or even every business collaboration tool that claimed it...

I also only really considered general-purpose personal note-taking apps. Even with all these criteria in place, I still tested over 50 different note apps for taking notes online. Here are the best note-taking apps I could find. We earn commission when you buy through affiliate links. This does not influence our reviews or recommendations. Learn more.

A note-taking application is software used for digital note management. Users can create, edit, and organize their digital notes through a note-taking app. It works as a digital replacement for the pen and paper that people use to create to-do lists, journals, set reminders, and more. These apps often have a multi-platform presence and functionality that extends beyond generic note-taking to cover real-time co-editing, task assigning, or project management, making them a worthy utility for individuals and businesses alike. Our in-depth research and experience with these apps helped us narrow down the best note-taking apps based on their applicability, user interface, device compatibility, and a few more features, as indicated below. Notion’s features make it one of the most diverse apps on this list.

It can help you take notes, clip webpages, publish websites, manage projects, and optimize schedules, among other tasks. However, Notion’s core offering is note-taking. In today’s digital world, taking notes efficiently is essential for students, professionals, and creatives. With so many note-taking apps available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Whether you need a simple note-taking app for quick memos or an advanced tool for organizing projects, we’ve got you covered! ✅ The best note-taking apps for students, professionals & teams✅ Top features & benefits of each app✅ Pros & cons comparison✅ Which app is best for you?

Best for: Organizing projects, databases & structured notes✅ Pros:✔️ Fully customizable with templates✔️ Great for personal & team collaboration✔️ Works as a planner, task manager & note-taker Best for: Business professionals & long-term note organization✅ Pros:✔️ Tagging & folder system for easy organization✔️ AI-powered search (OCR for handwritten notes & PDFs)✔️ Syncs across multiple devices Looking for the best note-taking apps in 2026? Notion is the best overall for flexibility and organization. PlanWiz offers the most powerful free features with template-based planning, while GoodNotes and Notability deliver the best handwriting experience on iPad. Whether you’re a student managing lectures, a professional managing complex projects, or someone who just wants to capture ideas quickly, the right note-taking app transforms how you work.

This comprehensive guide compares 15 apps with real testing data, detailed feature breakdowns, and honest recommendations to help you choose the perfect tool, free or paid, for your specific needs. To ensure accurate, reliable, and unbiased recommendations, I conducted extensive and systematic testing across a wide range of criteria, including functionality, performance, usability, cross-device compatibility, collaboration features, offline access, and real-world workflows, covering both... All apps were tested under real-world conditions to see how they perform in daily workflows. We focused on both speed and reliability, tracking how well each app handled notes, media, and syncing across devices. This approach ensured that our recommendations reflect practical usage, not just feature lists.

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