Note taking apps are helpful for easy and convenient storing all your information in one place. It allows you to take notes wherever you are so that you do not forget the important points. Moreover, some apps allow adding images, audio and even video to your notes.
Top 11 Note Taking Apps for iOS and Android
- Notion iOS | Android – Easy template engine
- Evernote iOS | Android – Scanner for mobile
- OneNote iOS | Android – Paper imitation
- Bear iOS – Encrypt individual notes
- Apple Notes iOS – Integration with Siri
- Google Keep iOS | Android – Work with Google tools
- Standard Notes iOS | Android – Powerful search feature
- Boost Note iOS | Android – Write math equations
- Milanote iOS | Android – Convenient visual boards
- Ulysses iOS – Publishing to WordPress
- Slite iOS | Android – For teamwork
Most apps that are included to our overview store your notes in the cloud and sync them on multiple devices, such as a smartphone, tablet for school use, tablet for business and PC. The best note taking app also has a text search feature, so you can find any note you need in seconds.
1. Notion — Our Choice
- Pages are easy to edit
- Convenient databases
- Tools for embedding the text
- Text structuring
- None
Verdict: This note taking app offers a powerful, database-driven experience that isn’t provided by many other similar apps.
This application has a special engine that allows you to turn almost everything into an easily duplicated template, including a multi-layer collection of pages. It also has a variety of great tools for embedding and preview, as well as for viewing photos and videos in a gallery.
A table created in this app is not a simple diagram but a real database. Each row in the table is a Notion page itself, which can be opened and updated. By using this software, you can turn a text into a drop-down list that can be collapsed when you do not need it.
2. Evernote
- Supports many file formats
- Copies webpages, images and PDF files
- Text search in images
- Works in offline notebooks on a PC
- Synchronization between devices is a paid feature
- Limited functionality in a free version
Verdict: This is the best note taking app that allows you to work with a wide range of note types like text, pictures, audio notes, drafts, checklists, scanned documents and screenshots. This software has a set of great instruments for organizing and searching the necessary note. For example, with this app, you can decipher text in images.
By upgrading to a Premium or Business account, you can find a particular phrase in PDF files or office documents. Unfortunately, a free version doesn’t allow you to synchronize more than two devices.
Evernote is also one of the best mobile scanner apps and a web clipper for your browser. You can choose which part of the page you want to capture, the whole text or a selected fragment.
3. OneNote
- Handwriting recognition
- You can set a “paper” background
- Allows sorting the content by notepads, sections or pages
- Tags for highlighting text
- The interface is not user-friendly
Verdict: This note-taking app can imitate a “paper” background. While creating a new note, click on any part of the page and add some text to it as if you worked with a real paper. You can choose the background for your notes that will be identical to textured or lined paper.
By using OneNote, you can perform various actions, such as typing the text, moving images and file attachments to the notes, drawing sketches, creating checklists, recording audio files, etc. For instance, you can move items across the page to create an audio note next to a selected block of text.
4. Bear
- You can format text while typing
- Convenient export
- Notes are hidden in the Focus mode
- Hashtags for organizing notes and quick searching
- Doesn’t support Windows
- Limited features for organizing
Verdict: The Bear note taking app takes a different approach to organizing your notes than other similar tools. While working in this app, you can easily link one note to another creating a network of information, eliminating the need for tags and folders. But if you need it, you can add some tags for better organization.
By upgrading to the Bear Pro account, you get an opportunity to encrypt individual notes and keep them safe. Set a unique password and use the Face / Touch ID feature to access your notes.
Bear has an archive feature that can save you some time. By archiving a note, the app removes it from the search without deleting it. Bear also has several export options, including HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and others.
5. Apple Notes
- Quick and user-friendly
- Simple and powerful depth-of-field editing
- Blur level adjustment
- Quick focus
- Only for macOS
- Few functions
Verdict: By using Apple Notes, you can draw images, sign scanned documents, create checklists, etc. This note-taking app allows you to add the attachments of any type, such as photos, videos or web links. Make a new note directly in the app or ask Siri to create one for you.
This tool may seem to lack advanced features, but it still allows creating folders or subfolders. The search function is used for searching images, parts of a text, specific attachments, drawings, text in a scanned document or some other inscriptions. Siri can also assist you in finding the notes using voice commands.
Apple Notes enables you to format text by adding tables, titles or bullet lists. In this best note taking app for Mac, you can also use bold italics, underlined or cross-out text.
6. Google Keep
- Synchronization between devices
- Visual classification
- Ability to convert speech into text
- Fast-moving notes
- Lack of hierarchical organization
Verdict: This best note taking app allows you to choose from 12 vibrant colors for each note. This feature will help you visually categorize your notes by topic. It’s easy to create a note. You can type, draw or add an image.
If you use a mobile, you can even add your voice message. Those who have the Google Keep Chrome extension can keep URLs, text and images while browsing the web. Everything you save with note-taking app syncs across all platforms you use.
While working on a document or presentation, you can drag the Google Keep note from the sidebar directly into the document or slide. As a result, the content of this note will be added automatically. Notes with an execution date or reminder are also automatically displayed on Google Calendar.
7. Standard Notes
- Simple to use
- You can choose a suitable theme
- Encrypted notes
- Supports all devices
- Limited image support
- You can’t drag notes between folders and tags
Verdict: Standard Notes is a free and open-source application and a safe place for your notes. All your data is encrypted and secured so that only you can decrypt it. No one but you can read your notes.
This iOS note-taking app is very easy to use. You will spend less time on distractions and more on writing. You can also choose an inspirational theme that helps you focus.
Standard Notes has powerful extensions. You can create anything from a text to Markdown and code. You can also choose whether you want to use Markdown, rich text or a code editor for each note.
8. Boost Note
- 100 MB cloud storage
- 100+ programming languages
- Synchronizing multiple devices
- Custom themes
- For developers only
Verdict: BoostNote is a free open source note-taking app for developers. When you create a new note, choose a Markdown note (it is used to create any type of word document) or a snippet note (it provides you with a text code editor).
This note taking app Android and iOS versions can highlight over 100 programming languages. Boost Note also supports math blocks. They allow you to write math equations with the LaTeX syntax.
With BoostNote, you can also work with text fragments. Customizable hotkeys, the ability to change the font and dozens of light and dark visual themes for the interface are other great features.
9. Milanote
- Flexible interface
- For visual notes design
- Web page clipping tool
- Supports all file types
- Limited free version
Verdict: Milanote is an easy-to-use tool for organizing your ideas and projects into visual boards. It allows you to insert arrows, text boxes, checklists and photos by selecting the highest quality image format. Milanote is also considered to be a good app for fashion designers.
Milanote has a web page clipping tool. You can easily take snapshots online and add them to your visual notes. This note taking app is also used for synchronization, storage and backup.
If you are using the free version, you have some limitations.
10. Ulysses
- Full-featured writing app
- Focus mode
- Convenient organization and configuration
- Unified library
- Compatible only with Mac and iOS
- Price
Verdict: Ulysses is great for both note-taking and long essays or articles because it has everything you need to write without distractions.
Ulysses has a convenient multi-level hierarchical organization. Its unified library contains everything you will ever write and includes necessary tools to manage projects writing of all sizes and purposes.
This note-taking app for students and writers can turn your texts into beautiful PDFs, Word documents and eBooks that are properly formatted and stylized. It also allows you to export your texts to HTML.
11. Slite
- Plenty of storage space
- Best text editor
- Tables and videos are available
- Convenient contents and template library
- Nested hierarchy is complex
Verdict: Slite is a great service to keep your team organized and aligned.
It is the best note taking app in terms of editing capabilities. The best hybrid Markdown text editor formats your notes as soon as you apply the Markdown syntax. It also allows you to insert images, videos and tables.
Slite offers unlimited personal notes and 50 shared notes per month on a free account. This amount is quite enough for work. Plus, you can save time by using templates. Create your own or choose from a library.
