7 note-taking apps for group

Observe-taking is one thing all of us do in some capability. Regardless of if it is advisable 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 assist you to maintain 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 suitable note-taking app will will let you seamlessly jot down or dictate your notes throughout a number of platforms and have them synchronized and able to go from anyplace. A good higher hub of ideas must also have group methods that make it straightforward to seek for and discover your notes so that you could rapidly reference data everytime you want it.

1 Microsoft OneNote

My favourite note-taking app

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

My high total 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 thing from textual content, to audio, to handwriting and drawing.

Professionals

• 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 probably the most. OneNote is my every day driver for each my skilled writing, nevertheless it’s additionally what I exploit to draft quick tales and jot down every day reminders. It is not the snazziest note-taking app accessible, however in the event you’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 should utilize OneNote with a free Microsoft Account.

The free model of OneNote will offer 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 have to 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’ll need to pay for a Microsoft 365 account, which begins at $7 monthly, 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 couple of 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’ve got an iPhone or Mac pc, there is a fairly good probability you have 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 absolutely built-in along with your different Apple units by way of your iCloud account.

Notes has improved drastically since its authentic launch again with the unique iPhone. The most recent iOS replace permits you to have hidden conversations with the Notes app, in addition to create straightforward group notes for issues like occasion planning or a category task. In case you are utilizing the Notes app on an iPad, the app is Pen appropriate, and you’ll hand-write notes. Be warned, nevertheless, it is not 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 will be accessed from almost anyplace, together with your browser. You possibly can entry your whole Apple notes by way of 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 way of an internet 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 different to Apple Notes for iOS units

Bear / Pocket-lint

Nice different to Apple Notes

Bear

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

Professionals

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

Cons

• Solely appropriate with Apple merchandise

Bear is a good 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 permits you to write in Markdown (a formatting software that permits you to 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 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 should utilize the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.

I actually recognize 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 free of charge, 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 yr, you’ll be able to export your notes to just about any format, together with ePUB and OCR. The paid model additionally consists of iCloud syncing, so your notes can go anyplace 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 listing. Nonetheless, it’s a nice note-keeping app for anybody on the lookout for 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

In case you are on the lookout for 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 will be accessed from any machine and is a superb note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating every day to-do lists. You possibly can enter photos 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 knowledge from emails. You may as well draft writings in Hold and export them on to Google Docs, saving time within the writing course of. That is how I exploit Hold, and whereas it is not my every 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 is no charge for utilizing Hold, however do understand that your Hold notes will impression your total Google account storage, so if in case you have a number of already-existing Sheets and Docs, chances are you’ll have to 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 big selection of customized templates and options.

Professionals

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

In the event you’ve labored for a startup or have labored on a technical workforce, there is a good probability you could have interacted with Notion. I’ve used Notion each in a job setting, however I’ve additionally used it as a digital journaling software. It is one of the crucial versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and in the event you’re keen to spend time on studying all of the ins-and-outs, Notion can do almost 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 every day or weekly planner with Notion due to the block system of the UI. Notion runs in your browser, so it is usable from anyplace, and you’ll share something you create with another Notion customers. It is free to make use of, however if you wish to deliver in additional than 10 folks to your Notion, or create personal pages, you’ll be able to pay for Notion beginning at $8 a month.

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6 Obsidian

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

My favourite feature-rich note-taking app

Obsidian

Obsidian is a good, feature-rich note-taking app, nevertheless it encompasses 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
• Wide selection of free plug-ins

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

There is a ton you are able to do with Obsidian. You may 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 tons of of free plug-ins which are accessible for Obsidian. Obsidian’s greatest characteristic is its customizable options. You may make issues look nevertheless you would like, so long as you’re keen to discover ways to grasp the app.

I’ve spent a number 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 software for storyboarding due to its graphing characteristic, and it is my most popular 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 turn out to be an knowledgeable with the app. You possibly can strive it free of charge, however plans begin at $8 for limitless entry.

Professionals

• Accessible interface
• Characteristic-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 an amazing 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 so as 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 almost similar to how Notion operates on this regard.

The place Craft stands other than Notion is in how briskly the app is. Craft responds instantly, even with massive recordsdata, whereas Notion is usually a bit gradual the larger your Notion will get. Whereas the training curve at instances can really feel steep with Craft, the Craft workforce has an enormous repository of free movies that may train you the best way to do something you need accessible on their YouTube. You possibly can really go far with Craft, in the identical means you’ll be able to with Obsidian and Notion to create your individual excellent note-taking app throughout the app itself.

Craft is free to make use of for the primary 1500 blocks, which the typical person will possible refill 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 might 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 probably the most primary 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.

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FAQ

Q: How did you determine on these picks?

As a author masking shopper tech and life-style, I’ve examined many various note-taking apps over time. I constructed this listing 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 listing.

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 is advisable pay for for a note-taking app, and also you suppose it’ll simplify your workflow, I might say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps prior 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, nevertheless, I’ve no downside with paying for a note-taking app if I do know that it’s going to make my life simpler.