Note Taking Software For Mac Free

Posted on 05-10-2021 by admin

While Apple Notes checks off most of the boxes, it may not fit into everyone’s needs. This is where the best Notes app alternatives for Mac come into play. Aside from making the task of note-taking pretty straightforward, these third-party apps also double up as a super handy annotation and writing tool. Free hand writing and drawing using S Pen or Finger, with various pre-defined pens and styles. Insert sketches, pictures, voice notes and set custom background in notes. Supports up to 500 pages in a single note. Supports searching of text (handwritten and keypad input) with different filters. Categorization of notes.

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If you are working in a multinational firm, you, no doubt, know the problem of sharing documents and images of new projects with the staff of the other branches of your company. Working with notepad is not feasible as you cannot include pictures with the text, and you also have no control over the formatting. It is the same with word processing documents as well.

If the recipient has an older version of Microsoft Word, they will not be able to open documents created on the latest version. The problem increases when other staff members use computers running on different operating systems such as Windows and Macintosh.

In such a scenario, your best option is to opt for a note-taking application, such as portable document files (PDF), which works fine on both platforms.

What Makes for A Good PDF Note-Taking Application?

A good PDF note-taking application should support both Desktop and Mobile devices (iOS and Android-based operating systems) so that you can also open and edit the files while on the move. However, some other PDF note-takers do well on whatever platform(s) they support (only Desktops, only Windows or only Macs) as the case may be.

The choice to make also depends on what you need. For instance, you may want to have a PDF note-taking software just for your Windows Desktop alone or one that can function on both Mac & Windows operating systems.

In addition to the above, a good PDF note-taking application should have the following qualities:

It should be able to work on documents of various types (invoices, books, magazines, recipes, contracts, business cards and more)
It should be compatible with various scanners (HP, Canon, and others)
It should be able to modify and convert documents to other types of file formats
It should be equipped with all the necessary PDF tools to split, delete, re-arrange, combine, merge, compress, correct texts, extract images and texts, bookmark, sign and secure any PDF document
It should have easy and fast file retrieval process
It should support many languages
You should be able to share and access your documents from SharePoint, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more
Of course, you should be able to read all your PDFs, books, and magazines with their in-built e-readers.

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About This PDF Annotator Review

In this review, I shall be discussing some of the best PDF note-taking apps. It will help you figure out which is the best PDF annotation app for Android, iPad, Mac, and Windows. You require an annotator to be able to comment or to add text or diagrams to an existing document.

I shall review certain note-taking software as well as document markup software using parameters like their ability to join two PDFs, duplicate PDF files, export, and import PDF files, delete notes, study notes, edit and manipulate PDFs, and much more.

You will learn more about great Mac PDF Annotators, including those that allow you to annotate PDF on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, etc.

Although you can easily find many PDF readers and writers available online, not all of them have robust functionalities. I shall only include the best notes apps and the leading toolkits to annotate images and texts.

After going through this review, you will also be able to easily determine which of the following is suitable for mobile users. For instance, the app that allows you to perform iPad PDF annotations quickly and efficiently. During the review, I shall point out which tool you should opt for when you are searching for the best PDF notes app for iPad.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Android

PDFelement

(Android, iPhone, Mac & Windows)

If you are searching for a professional-level Windows 10 PDF editor, check this application from Wondershare. While you can find other feature-rich Windows PDF editors, most of them are complicated to use. On the contrary, PDFelement is the easiest program to edit PDF.

Converts PDFs to Word (And Vice Versa)

The editor converts PDFs to text, RTF, HTML pages, PPT, EPUB, Word, and Excel formats as well as creates them from text files, HTML, and image formats.

Extract Data from PDFs And Others

It also supports permission-based restrictions, password encryption, data extraction, form creation, text editing, and annotation.

You will be pleasantly surprised by its uncluttered and easy to navigate interface. It allows you to gain control of your PDF files like never before.

Easily Create, Analyze & Distribute PDF Forms

I loved its ability to create and distribute PDF forms reliably. Use it to create and distribute forms easily, combine the collected forms for analysis, and then export the collected data in a spreadsheet.

Support for All Devices

You can use this software to edit PDF on Windows as well as on Apple-based operating systems. It is, in fact, the best PDF annotator for Android too. You can depend on this app to combine, make notes on PDF, and much more.

The vendor offers a trial version, which allows you to download, install, and evaluate the software before purchasing it. I have tried several other PDF applications and have concluded that PDFelement is among the best PDF editing software you'll ever come across.

Plans

The company has different plans on offer for both home users and businesses. They've got cheap plans on the standard and pro versions for both the Windows and Mac. The vendor offers special discounts ever so often on their home page. I recommend the pro version as it has many additional features such as:

• Add Bates numbering
• Extract data from PDF forms
• Create and edit form fields
• Optimize and compress documents
• Convert scanned paper into editable PDFs
• Optical character recognition
• Add digital signature
• Archive with PDF/A format
• Redact sensitive information
• Batch process documents

These are in addition to other features available on the standard version such as:

• Convert PDF files
• Secure and sign PDF files
• Fill out PDF forms
• Create PDF files
• Edit text and images in PDF files
• Export PDFs to PowerPoint, Excel, or Word
• Annotate and comment on PDF files

The vendor also offers a “Team” plan, which gives you the flexibility to provision, track, as well as manage licensing across groups and teams.

Students and faculty can take advantage of the “Education” plan, which provides a discount of 50% on the “Standard” and “Pro” version.

Remember, the prices include the leasing of the software. Opt for the “Perpetual” license if you want to own this amazing app to write on PDF, which is also the best PDF annotation app for Android.

Best PDF Note Taking Software for iPad

PDF Expert

(Mac, iPad & iPhone)

If you are the owner of a Mac and are wondering how to annotate a PDF, try PDF Expert today. This application is also available for the iPad and the iPhone and is the best PDF app for iPad.

PDF Expert's main focus on only Apple devices is, basically, what differentiates it from PDFelement (which also extends its support to Android & Windows devices)

Developed by Readdle, this software was first debuted on the iPad in 2010. It is, without any doubt, the best PDF annotation app for iPad, which allows you to mark up PDF files professionally.

Great for All Apple Devices

The best part is that the latest version (7) is available free of cost for the iPhone and the iPad. You can use it as a PDF annotator on the Mac operating system as well as annotate PDF on iOS.

The vendor offers a trial version, but you cannot use it to extract, delete or add pages, merge documents, password protect your PDF documents, or be able to sign them. You will need the paid version to be able to do all these. The vendor charges $79.99 for the pro version of PDF Expert, which gives you one license for three Macs. You can avail of a special offer if you are a student or a professor.

As there is a free download of this software, you can put it to the test by trying this iPad textbook app for taking notes and making iOS PDF annotations

Convert Texts And Image Documents to PDF

I was delighted by the capability of the program to annotate PDF on the iPad. Version 7 allows you to convert PowerPoint, Excel, and Word (or Apple Slides, Sheets, and Pages) documents to PDF format.

You can also use this software to convert images into PDF documents, be they imported from local storage, Photos library, or even connected cloud service. This feature is quite handy when you take a screenshot and want to insert them into a document.

The “reduce file size” feature allows you to shrink large PDF documents into lossless, high, medium, or low quality before sharing them.

Select Your Frequently Used Tools And Make Them Readily Available

When you purchase the Pro subscription, you get the option to customize which group of tools will show up across the top of the screen on the toolbar.

As this application is only available for the Mac and iOS platforms, you need another document annotation software if your computer has the Windows operating system installed. However, if you are looking for an excellent PDF annotator for iPad, go for PDF Expert.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Mac

Movavi PDF Editor

(Mac & Windows)

If you are still using the free version of Adobe PDF reader, you might be well aware of its limitations. The PDF editor from Movavi is a worthwhile option if you are searching for a note-taking app for the Mac platform. It offers you all the features needed for managing and processing PDF documents.

You can use it to create PDF documents from scratch. It is one of the few PDF viewer and editor that offers three different PDF editing modes (object editing, text editing, as well as 4-in-1 page arrangement).

E-Signature Solutions

It comes with electronic signature solutions and ready to use legal-size form templates. It boasts of a single click file export as well as print output. You can depend on this easy-to-use application to create individual elements for presenting finished materials.

You need not worry about security as this software keeps the personal information of the user safe at all times.

Extract And Rearrange PDF Pages

Its powerful editing mode permits you to rotate, remove, and rearrange individual pages within a PDF file. Use this application to extract individual pages from PDF documents or to convert images to PDF files.

The cheap subscription charges for a yearly or lifetime license makes it one of the most affordable note-taking apps for the Macintosh platform. The vendor also offers a Windows version of this software.

It is so easy to use that you can master it in a couple of hours.

Convert ‘from PDF' And ‘to PDF'

The latest version of this application can convert a PDF file into HTML, PNG/JPEG image, TXT, and EPUB eBook format, as well as into a DOC file. It can also convert Microsoft Office files (PPTX, XSLX, and DOCX) and bitmap images into PDF format.

Free to Try

Why don't you download the trial version and install it to check its awesome features? I am sure you will go for the paid application after having played with the trial version. This PDF annotator for Mac and Windows allows you to annotate PDF files quickly and effortlessly.

The app costs $29.95 per year for a one-year subscription for a single PC, $39.95 for a lifetime license for a single PC, and $99.95 for a lifetime license for three PCs. The price is the same for both Mac and Windows-based PCs.

Consider this software if you are looking for the best PDF annotator for Mac or Windows. Once you try Movavi, you will agree that it is best for taking notes in PDF on both Mac and Windows devices. You will never have to purchase another software to share notes. You can use this app to markup PDF as well.

Cisdem PDF Manager Ultimate

(Mac)

It is the ultimate tool for those searching for a comprehensive PDF solution. It allows users to view/organize PDF files, annotate and edit them, split, merge, extract and compress images and text.

Draw, Comment, Underline, Highlight, And More

Any PDF annotator review would be incomplete without mentioning this Mac note taker. This app allows you to add signatures, add notes, comments, text, as well as shapes. Underline, cross-out, or highlight text as well as draw a line or an arrow for more effective collaboration.

Convert And Extract Images from PDFs

Use this tool to batch convert PDF files to formats such as HTML, eBook, EPUB, Pages, text, Microsoft PPT, Excel, and Word. You can use it for the extraction of images too. The OCR technology of this app permits you to convert scanned images and PDFs to the formats mentioned above, as well as to Keynote and PPT.

Language Text Detection

The OCR engine recognizes text documents in 49 different languages, which include English, Italian, German, and French.

Protect PDF Documents with Password

Password protect your PDF files to prevent others from opening the file. Use the “owner password” option to prevent copying, editing, and printing of generated PDF files.

You can also use this tool to merge, split, compress, as well as extract PDF files. Use this awesome program to write on PDF files.

Priced at $69.99 per piece, you can also download a trial version of this PDF writing software from the website of the vendor.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Windows

Perfect PDF

(Windows)

Offered by Soft Xpansions, this tool allows you to edit, create, as well as manage portable document files and other electronic documents. It is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses as well as for use at home.

Use this document markup software to edit your PDF documents professionally as well as annotate PDF files.

The main features of this software include signing PDFs, creating complex forms, as well as designing documents.

Easily Create And Edit the Contents of PDF Pages

Perfect PDF is a powerful yet, easy-to-use page editor, which allows you to edit all the contents of a page, not just the images and text. Apart from this, you can also create completely new documents.

Use its powerful features to create PDF files, PDF documents, make a detailed comparison between two pages, and convert your PDF files to PDF/A-1, A-2, and A-3.

Add Free-Hand Drawings And Annotations to PDFs

It boasts of batch processing, allows you to add comments on your documents, including text marking, free-handed drawing, stamp, annotations, appendixes, and bookmarks. The PC note-taking tool also can split PDF files and create interactive form fields.

There are 4 packages to choose from:

• Customized pack (single-user license)
• Family pack (three user licenses)
• Office pack (ten user licenses)
• Company pack starts from 10 users, and the prices are quoted on request

It is the ideal software for taking PDF notes and annotating PDFs. Go through the instructions to understand how to take notes on a PDF and how to study notes. This tool is in my list of the best PDF markup apps.

Epubor WordMate

(Windows)

I have already discussed applications that you can use to create and edit eBooks. Most of them support editing and converting PDF files too. However, WordMate is a standalone eBook writer and editor.

Take PDF Notes in MS Word

As all of you know, creating and formatting an eBook is a laborious and time-consuming task. However, you can easily create professional eBooks with the help of this application if you know how to use Microsoft Word.

This tool is an add-on for MS Word, which allows you to create professional eBooks from within Word. You can convert a Word data file into eBook templates in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB formats and then post them on Google Play, Kobo, Nook, Apple iBooks, and Amazon Kindle.

Great for Creating And Editing eBooks

Additionally, this eBook editor and writer allows you to create new eBooks as well as modify them from other file formats. There is a wide range of supported files, either created or imported.

You can also use this add-on for reading eBooks. As an eBook reader, this nifty tool reads many formats such as HTML, TXT, PRC, MOBI, EPUB, AWZ3, and AZW.

This software incorporates enhancing and editing eBooks, publishing them, developing, and reading eBooks. Unfortunately, it is only available for the Windows operating system.

Using Epubor is Simple

Using this plug-in is quite simple. Compose and format your document in MS Word and then add eBook metadata such as ISBN, cover, author, and title with WordMate and then click “Publish,” “Build PDF,” or “Build Mobi” to get a professional AZW, PDF, or MOBI format eBook.

The output quality is awesome without any loss in formatting and retains images and fonts you had edited through Word. It is very easy to use, and anybody who has working knowledge about Microsoft Word can quickly create a stunning and professional eBook with WordMate.

You can rest assured that you will find a suitable Windows PDF writer on the list. You can either download and evaluate a trial version or make a purchase. Get hold of this studying tool today, which is better than the online quick notes for books.

Readiris

(Windows & Mac)

Why waste time searching for PDF notes editor for the PC when you can depend on Readiris? It provides you with one of the best ways to edit PDF and allows you to sign, protect, annotate, split, highlight PDF, as well as aggregate your PDFs.

Transform Physical Documents to Electronic

It also allows you to edit, convert, merge PDF, and transform your physical documents into a wide variety of digital formats.

It is available for Mac and Windows operating systems.

You can download the trial version from the vendor's website or buy this PDF software for PC. It is among the best PDF note-takers and document mark-up software. You can use it to annotate PDFs too.

The price of this program is:

• $49 for Rediris PDF 17
• $99 for Rediris Pro 17
• $199 for Rediris Corporate 17

All of the above programs come with comprehensive tutorials that teach you (depending on their supported operating system):

• How to write on PDFs
• How to draw on PDF files
• How to add notes and markup a PDF
• And More

Conclusion

You can also draw on PDF online. However, the quality of the resultant file is nowhere near the quality of the files the abovementioned programs generate.

Now that you have read this PDF reader and writer review, you can easily determine which is the appropriate PDF program to manage and manipulate PDF files, based on your needs.

Remember, writing on PDF is simple when done with the perfect PDF editor app. Read the above review to find out the best PDF markup tool for note-taking. Most of them work on the tablet too. Start taking notes with your PDF software of choice.

Note-taking is personal. It has as much to do with how your mind works as it does with what you’re taking notes about and why you’re taking them in the first place.

Still, search for the best note-taking app and you’ll invariably find Evernote at the top of most lists.

Some notes are for sharing. Some are a reminder. Some are taken and never looked at again.

Sometimes a note is a quick thought, jotted down on-the-go on a mobile device. Other times your notes are prepared at length at your computer over a large project, meeting, or study session.

Evernote is fine, generally-speaking — but you’re not just anyone, and your notes aren’t just any notes.

To find the best Evernote alternatives, we tested and used over 30 apps, reviewed top threads on Reddit, and consulted reviews on G2 to hear what the community had to say.

It’s not all just Evernote vs OneNote anymore. There are a slew of great note-taking apps, each with a key advantage over Evernote depending on what you are doing.

The best note-taking apps that aren’t Evernote:

Hugo - Best meeting notes app
CacoonWeaver - Best speech-to-text notes app
Milanote - Best whiteboard-style notes app for creatives
Bear - Speediest markdown notepad for iOS & Mac
Typora - Best distraction-free notes app
Workflowy - Infinite expandable bullet points
OneNote - Best free option (not just for Microsoft lovers)
Boost Note - Best note-taking app for developers
Google Keep - Best note-taking app for Google fanatics
Ulysses - Top-of-the line notes for serious writers
Notability - Best notes app for iPad with Apple Pencil
Nebo - Best note-taking app for Surface with Surface Pen

Why Evernote is no longer the gold-standard for notes

For many years, Evernote was on top of the note-taking game. With its sleek, comfortable interface, enjoyable mobile experience, and easy way of organizing with folders and stacks of folders, Evernote dominated the note-taking world after the iPhone’s original launch in 2007.

However, over the last 4+ years, Evernote has undergone a series of problematic changes, introducing bizarre new products in an attempt to expand its reach. They also changed the free plan in ways that have driven away users by crippling key features unless you pay.

Evernote remains a great product in many ways. It syncs across devices, offers a handy web clipper, and can even search handwriting.

But in trying to be all things to all people, the notes app market has opened up, offering a slew of note-taking apps that are going to appeal to more specific groups of people looking for more specific solutions.

What’s not on this list?

With note-taking apps, you need to be able to quickly take notes. Speed is of the essence. That means not having to waste time organizing and saving your files. You also need to be able to easily search your notes to find information.

Of course, you can take notes almost anywhere you can write.

Some people use the cells in a spreadsheet. Others use word processing apps like Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Authors may prefer to jot down notes inside the tools they are already working in, like Scrivener. You can also take notes in project management software like Asana, or collaborative docs like Dropbox Paper.

None of these, however, beat the speed and simplicity of a dedicated notes app.

So in this post, we’re only looking at tools that are primarily for notes. Full-on word processing tools aren’t in the running, nor are project management tools or CRMs that happen to have a notes function. (Ulysses might be a minor exception, as it can be both a notes tool and word processor depending on how you use it.)

With that, here are the best note-taking tools in 2020 that aren’t Evernote.

Hugo - Best meeting notes app

For iOS and in your web browser. (Android, iPadOS, and macOS are on the horizon)

Plenty of note-taking apps are good generally-speaking, but taking notes in meetings poses some unique challenges. Fortunately, Hugo is purpose-built for meeting notes at work.

First, staying organized. Hugo centralizes and organizes all of your meeting notes with the help of your calendar. Notes are associated with your actual meetings, so you basically don’t have to worry about categorizing anything. (You can always add tags if you want to.) This works with G Suite, Gmail, or Office 365 calendars.

Plus, Hugo also integrates with over 20 other apps used for work. It syncs notes to your CRM (e.g. Salesforce), pushes tasks to project management tools (e.g. Jira), and works seamlessly with video conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom).

The Chrome browser extension gives you access to your notes from any page in your browser, which means you don’t have to dedicate your screen to note-taking during a video call. Just open and close the Hugo drawer when you need to check your agenda or jot a note down.

Hugo isn’t designed to just help you (although it will). With accounts for teams, collaborative note-taking, and a library of 80+ meeting note templates, everyone in your organization can use Hugo to centralize your meeting notes together.

During the pandemic, Hugo is offering free accounts to teams of up to 40 users. If you sign up during this period, you’ll get to keep that pricing even after the pandemic is over.

Hugo Pricing:

Free plan: Yes
Paid plan: $6/user/month for teams 11+

ALSO: Take a look at this guide to taking amazing meeting notes.

CacoonWeaver - Best speech-to-text notes app

Compatibility: iOS (iPhone/iPad)

CacoonWeaver is the best way to collect audio notes for iOS. Pop open the app and transcribe your ideas, thoughts, memories, and dreams. To organize your notes with voice commands, just say something like, “Cacoon Shopping” and the app will automatically put your notes in the Shopping category.

Unlike other note-taking apps where you need to enable dictation to record an audio note, and then carefully watch to make sure your text is going in correctly, CacoonWeaver records your audio and transcribes at the same time.

You can play back your notes, or read them back, which gives you the peace of mind to know that no matter what, your information won’t be lost, and there are no limitations on the max length of an audio recording.

CacoonWeaver also keeps track of where you had ideas, showing you blips on a map.

The UI is clean and minimalistic for distraction-free recording and offers custom push notifications and nudges to help you be your best self.

Because it is still in its debut phase, CacoonWeaver is currently free and keeps your data private and secure. The app claims to be in beta but it is fully functional and in better shape bugs-wise than a lot of other apps you’ll find on the AppStore.

CacconWeaver Pricing:

Free app: Yes
Paid plan: N/A

Milanote - Best whiteboard-style notes app for creatives

Compatibility: Desktop apps for Mac and Windows, plus mobile apps for iOS and Android

The Next Web calls Milanote “the Evernote for Creatives” and it’s easy to see why creative directors, filmmakers, photographers, marketers, and designers of all kinds enjoy using it.

Unlike most note-taking apps, Milanote takes a highly-visual approach, allowing you to organize your ideas and projects in visual boards. Collect images, videos, text, and tasks all together on your screen.

If your creative process includes activities like mood boarding, brainstorming, storyboarding, or mind-mapping, the visual canvas offers a flexible and delightful experience.

Milanote works for teams and clients too, with build-tin commenting, sharing, and notifications. Plus, you can download a high-quality, printable PDF of any board.

You can try Milanote free with no time limit, although it is limited to 100 notes, images, or links (and only 10 file uploads). After that, it’s $9.99 for unlimited storage

Milanote Pricing:

Free plan: Yes
Paid plan: $12.50/month when billed monthly, $9.99/month when billed annually.

Bear - Fastest markdown notepad for iOS & Mac

Compatibility: iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Mac

For Apple fans looking to upgrade beyond Apple Notes, Bear offers a good balance of features, design, convenience, and software speed. If you’re coming from Evernote, for example, it’s so fast, you’ll notice the difference immediately.

From your very first note, Bear’s design shines, treating you with elegant typography and theme options which include multiple dark modes.

Bear's speed isn't just for writing notes, either. Searching in the app also runs fast, with minimal delays when searching notes.

With many advanced markdown options (or is it markup?), Bear works great if you like to format as you type. Hybrid markdown support means you can see the formatted text as you’re typing, although if you’re not a regular user of markdown, you might not enjoy the experience at first. You can easily export these nicely-formatted notes to HTML, PDF, and TXT.

It also has quick shortcuts, such as for finding today’s date, and supports checkboxes to help with to-dos. Built-in tagging is powerful and allows you to create tags anywhere in a document that are automatically captured in the sidebar.

Bear uses iCloud to speedily sync notes between iOS and Mac with a Pro membership. Still, some users complain that this should be a free feature like it is with most other note-taking apps.

Bear is rated 4.5 out of 5 on G2 Crowd with positive reviews from many note-taking app power users, such as consultants, software developers, and UI/UX designers. The biggest complaint about Bear is a lack of helpful or effective support.

Bear pricing:

Free app: Yes
Paid Plan: Bear Pro is $1.49/monthly, $14.99 annually with a free trial

‍Typora - Best distraction-free notes app

Compatibility: For desktop/laptop computers only (Mac, Windows, and Linux)

Typora is a slick alternative to Bear that is even more minimalist and distraction-free. The app is simple, with very little UI getting in the way. It’s also beautifully designed, with clear, aesthetically-pleasing text.

Mac Note Software

Typora has a night mode and also supports custom themes so that you can create the perfect writing experience.

It also has two cool modes. One is a unique Focus Mode that highlights the paragraph you’re currently working on, while graying out everything else. Typewriter Mode similarly highlights the center of your screen.

Many of the same advanced markdown features are in Typora, meaning that you can type up nicely-formatted notes without ever having to shift your hand to your mouse. Even so, if you want to get a little bit fancy, Typora supports tables, diagrams, mathematical formats, footnotes, code fences, and task lists.

Typora Pricing: El capitan iso file.

Free app: Yes, during beta
Paid Plan: Not yet announced

‍Workflowy - Infinite expandable bullet points

Compatibility: Desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux, plus iOS, Android, and in your browser

Do you love taking notes with bullet points?

Do you wish everything in life could be bullets — Infinite, ever-expanding bullet points, as far as the sky can reach?

Does your whole world spin around lists and bullet points? If not, would you like it to?

If the answer the above is a resounding Yes!, you’ll be in heaven with Workflowy.

The concept is simple. Workflowy lets you create infinite piles of bullet points which are also each their own document. Expand, collapse, move documents, drill in and out — it’s intuitive and natural bullet points at a scale that you may have never dreamed of.

The product works well for outlining and project organization just naturally. It’s novel, intuitive, and requires very little learning to figure out.

The only downside to Workflowy is in organizing more matrixed information. This might be more challenging, because every bit of information may not have a clear place in your stack of bullet points for where it should belong. (Contrast this with Hugo, which organizes meeting notes based on your calendar, so notes don’t live in just one particular place — they’re associated with names, companies, dates, meeting titles, etc..)

Still, for your next novel or work project, especially for people whose minds work in a certain bullet-driven way, give Workflowy a try.

Workflowly Pricing:

Free plan: Yes
Paid plan: $5/month

OneNote - Best free option (not just for Microsoft lovers)

For iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and in the browser

Simple, practical, and ubiquitous for Windows and Office users, OneNote is a free note-taking app that seems to be everywhere.

It’s a great basic option, with a familiar UI to anyone who has ever used Microsoft products like Word, and while it does most of the things Evernote does, it stands out because of one big four-letter word that starts with an F.

Free.

You get more advanced functionality here without having to pay.

In OneNote, you can add multimedia elements to your notes, such as audio, video, images, and even websites using the Webclipper browser extension. Task lists are an option, although robust task management in OneNote can be challenging because you can’t put due dates on anything.

OneNote has a large folder organization system, letting you create notebooks and sections, and nest them inside each other. The way that sections get dragged around can be frustrating — trying to move one section below another and can have it end up inside on accident — but again, for a free option, for many, this may be a minor inconvenience. Cross-notebook search is available, although there is a learning curve to finding your information.

OneNote uses OneDrive to sync across all of your Microsoft apps. If you don’t have an Office 365 subscription, you can upgrade your OneDrive to a paid plan for an increase in storage space.

OneNote Pricing:

Free app: Yes
Paid plan: Upgrade OneDrive for more storage space, starting at $1.99/month for 100 GB

‍Boost Note - Best note-taking app for developers

Compatibility: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and in your browser

Stylish, markdown-enabled, and fully open-source, Boost Note is a developer’s dream. The interface resembles Sublime, the popular text editor, with a slight skew toward taking quick and easy notes.

Boost Note highlights syntax for you and recognizes over 100 programming languages. It also supports math blocks where you can write math equations using LaTeX syntax. Themes are fully customizable.

Notes are stored safely in the cloud, with more file system-based storage coming soon.

Boost Note Pricing:

Free app: Yes (100 MB cloud storage)
Paid plan: 2GB cloud storage at $3/month. Boost Note for Teams launches in June 2020.

Google Keep - Best note-taking app for Google fanatics

Compatibility: Android, iOS, and in your web browser

Google Keep is a straightforward notes app that comes as part of your G Suite or Gmail account. It offers a clean, nicely-organized UI that has most of the standard features you’re looking for in a note-taking app, without too many bells and whistles.

If the rest of your life already revolves around Google products, Google Keep may be the right pick for you.

As you create notes, they are organized on your screen visually in a corkboard style. You can change the background colors to give it a post-it notes effect. While if you take a ton of notes, this may feel haphazard, with moderate use it's colorful and fun.

You might be wondering, Why do I need Google Keep when I have Google Docs?

For some users, it may be redundant to have multiple types of Google Docs, but others may enjoy the simpler note-taking experience in Google Keep. And if your notes start to become something more than just a note, there’s always the Copy to Google Docs action to transfer it over.

Google Keep Pricing:

Free app: Yes
Paid plan: N/A

Ulysses - Top-of-the-line notes app for serious writers

Compatibility: Mac, iPad, iPhone

For writers and authors, Ulysses is a notes app that will replace your word processor 99% of the time. Fully-featured and elegant, it is a very power writing app.

Bookkeeping Software For Mac

Export in various file formats, including text, HTML, ePub, PDF, and DOCX, plus a number of export styles for professional-looking PDFs and manuscripts. You can also schedule or publish articles to Wordpress and Medium directly within the app.

Ulysses also excels at organizing, if you’re willing to set it up. With views, custom searches, filters, and tags, it’s the most organizable note-taking experience on this list (except for Hugo, which auto-organizes meeting notes based on your calendar.)

All of this functionality comes at a cost, however. Ulysses is free to try, but if you get hooked, there’s not paired down free version to stick with.

Ulysses

Free plan: Trial only
Paid plan: $4.99/month or $39.99 ($3.33/month) when paid annually

Notability - Best note-taking app for iPad with Apple Pencil

Compatibility: iOS (iPhone and iPad)

Combine handwriting, photos, and typing into a single note with Notability. The elegant interface is nicely-designed, letting you choose from a variety of typing and drawing instruments with ease.

Notability has a nice range of sketching tools that make it easy to recolor, scale, and adjust your ideas and sketches. You can also pick from different paper backgrounds, for example, to sketch your notes on graph paper, or more textured art paper.

Notability syncs with iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, AirDrop, and Email for easy sharing with colleagues and study partners.

It’s also great for annotating PDFs.

Notability Pricing:

Free trial: No
Paid app: $8.99

(Note: Nebo, discussed below, is another great option that works across all tablet platforms.)

‍Nebo - Best note-taking app for Surface with Surface Pen

Compatibility: iOS, Android, and Windows

Microsoft’s Surface Pen offers a delightful drawing experience on the Surface Book, Pro, and Studio, and there’s no reason you can’t use OneNote for this purpose. The anniversary update of Windows 10 also brought the Windows Ink Workspace, which gives you three cool apps: Sticky Notes, Sketchpad, and Screen sketch.

If you have an active pen like the Surface Pen, you might be asking, with all this greatness bundled for you in Windows, can note-taking get any better?

The answer is yes, and the other answer is Nebo.

Draw sketches and diagrams. Easily switch between your pen and keyboard.