7 note-taking apps for group

Observe-taking is one thing all of us do in some capability. Regardless of if it’s essential 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 aid you 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 were featured by Apple and have simply been launched to the general public.

The proper note-taking app will assist you to seamlessly jot down or dictate your notes throughout a number of platforms and have them synchronized and able to go from wherever. An excellent higher hub of ideas also needs to have group methods that make it straightforward to seek for and discover your notes as a way to shortly reference info everytime you want it.

1 Microsoft OneNote

My favourite note-taking app

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

My prime general 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 little 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 essentially the most. OneNote is my day by day driver for each my skilled writing, nevertheless it’s additionally what I take advantage of to draft brief tales and jot down day by day reminders. It isn’t the snazziest note-taking app obtainable, however in case you’ve used Microsoft Phrase, then OneNote’s interface, which options the identical “ribbon” bar, ought to really feel comfy 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 will want to pay further if you need greater than the 5GB of allotted space for storing or if you wish to export your OneNote information to Workplace Phrase or Excel. If any of those apply to you, you have to 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 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 have an iPhone or Mac laptop, there is a fairly good likelihood 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 function updates, and is totally built-in along with your different Apple units by means of your iCloud account.

Notes has improved tremendously since its unique launch again with the unique iPhone. The newest iOS replace permits you to have hidden conversations with the Notes app, in addition to create straightforward group notes for issues like get together planning or a category task. If you’re utilizing the Notes app on an iPad, the app is Pen suitable, and you may hand-write notes. Be warned, nonetheless, it is not essentially the most intuitive expertise, as it’s a must to 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 may entry all your Apple notes by means of your iCloud account, and that is true even in case you are utilizing a Chromebook or Home windows PC. Whilst you can view and edit your Apple Notes information by means of 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 most effective 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 contains 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 suitable with Apple merchandise

Bear is a superb possibility for anybody who desires a extra feature-rich note-taking app for iOS units and Macs. The killer function of Bear is that it permits you to write in Markdown (a formatting instrument 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 function, although. Bear is straightforward to make use of, and it is easy to prepare your notes your personal means. There’s additionally pen help, so you need to use the Apple Pencil natively in Bear.

I actually respect 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 simply .TXT, Markdown, and Textbundle information. The fee 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 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 most effective easy and totally free note-taking app

My prime light-weight note-taking app

Google Hold

Google Hold is free to make use of and obtainable 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 searching 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

If you’re searching for a easy and light-weight note-taking app or one that does not have a steep studying curve with a ton of options, take into account Google Hold. Google Hold might be accessed from any machine and is an excellent note-taking app for jotting down fast notes or for creating day by day to-do lists. You may 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 also 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 is not my day by day driver in the way in which OneNote is, it is nonetheless in my rotation of apps. It is good with the ability to copy down essential dates, telephone numbers, or names from Gmail with out having to open a separate window. There is not any charge for utilizing Hold, however do remember the fact that your Hold notes will influence your general Google account storage, so if 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 most effective 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 circumstances
• Completely different templates for various makes use of
• AI integration

In case you’ve labored for a startup or have labored on a technical group, there is a good likelihood you’ve 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 some of the versatile note-taking apps that I’ve examined, and in case you’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 simple to create your personal Wiki, to-do lists, or day by 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 may share something you create with every other Notion customers. It is free to make use of, however if you wish to convey 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

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

My favourite feature-rich note-taking app

Obsidian

Obsidian is a superb, feature-rich note-taking app, nevertheless it contains a steep studying curve. It is free to make use of for people, however companies might want to pay for a business license from Obsidian.

Professionals

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

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

There is a ton you are able to do with Obsidian. You may make a nesting doll of your notes, graph them, and set up connections inside an online design. You may also reap the benefits of the a whole bunch of free plug-ins which might be obtainable for Obsidian. Obsidian’s greatest function is its customizable options. You may make issues look nonetheless you would like, so long as you might be prepared to discover ways to grasp the app.

I’ve spent lots of time with Obsidian, and whereas I have not 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 superb instrument for storyboarding due to its graphing function, and it is my most popular 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 simple to make use of, though there’s a steep studying curve if you wish to grow to be an professional with the app. You may strive it free of charge, 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 an important job at balancing being a feature-rich app with accessibility. Much like Notion, you’ll be able to 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 equivalent 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 information, whereas Notion could be a bit sluggish the larger your Notion will get. Whereas the training curve at occasions can really feel steep with Craft, the Craft group has an enormous repository of free movies that may educate you the way to do something you need obtainable on their YouTube. You may really go far with Craft, in the identical means you’ll be able to with Obsidian and Notion to create your personal good note-taking app inside the app itself.

Craft is free to make use of for the primary 1500 blocks, which the common consumer will probably refill in about two weeks. I hit the restrict a bit extra shortly, 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 essentially 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 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 alternative note-taking apps through the years. I constructed this checklist 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 checklist.

Q: Is it value paying for a note-taking app?

This finally relies upon by yourself particular person wants. If there’s a particular function that it’s essential pay for for a note-taking app, and also you suppose it’s going to simplify your workflow, I’d say go for it. I’ve paid for note-taking apps previously due to sure options I needed to make use of, however I do not presently pay for any note-taking apps. As a author, nonetheless, I’ve no downside with paying for a note-taking app if I do know that it’s going to make my life simpler.