Top 6 Best Note Taking Apps for 2024 | Integrately

How Does A Note-Taking App Work?

At their core, note-taking apps allow you to write things down and save them. You can then access your notes from the cloud, which means you can read them on different devices as long as you log in with the same account. Some note-taking apps also offer extra features like image-to-text conversion or stylus support, simulating handwritten notes.

What Makes A Great Note-Taking App

Note-taking apps may seem as simple as they come – they let you write things down, and that’s it. However, several factors make a note-taking app truly great:

• Good At What They Do: Not all note-taking apps need to support a stylus, convert images into text, or have a dozen extra features. Even a notes app that only lets you write things down can be a great note-taking app.
  However, a great note-taking app is great at all the features it does boast. For instance, a notes app promising stylus support should work seamlessly without any issues.
• Easy To Use: One of the best ways to measure a notes app’s ease of use is to compare it with a pen and paper. If the notes app is as convenient as making quick notes with your notebook and a pen, then it’s an easy-to-use app. On the other hand, if you find yourself more frustrated navigating the app’s user interface, then it might not be the right solution for you.
• Accessibility: Another key factor in determining a great notes app is accessibility. Your notes need to be accessible from multiple desktop and mobile devices. Moreover, your notes app also needs to have offline access and functionality – you can’t lose access to your notes just because your Wi-Fi is down.

Benefits Of Taking Notes In A Remote World 

Note-taking is an often-overlooked skill. Here are some reasons why you should improve on your note-taking skills, especially in a remote work or school environment:

• Keep Your Mind Active And Focused: In a remote environment, most meetings and classes are done from home. Note-taking helps you keep your mind focused on the meeting at hand instead of wandering or succumbing to drowsiness and distractions. 
• Improve Memory And Retention: Writing things down improves your ability to commit things to memory, especially when compared to simply listening. Moreover, even if you forget what you heard in an earlier meeting, you can always check your notes to see what was discussed.
• Organize Information Better: It’s unlikely that everything said in a meeting is essential. Taking notes allows you to categorize which  information is important and which information can safely be skipped. 
• Stay On The Same Page: Taking notes also helps your team – you can easily review what was said and provide points of discussion for upcoming meetings.

How Can A Note-Taking App Help You

While people are unlikely to leave pen-and-paper note-taking behind entirely, there are some unique benefits to digital note-taking apps:

• Keep Your Notes Safe And Accessible: Paper notebooks are prone to being lost or misplaced. In contrast, a digital notebook is much easier to keep safe. Since they’re saved onto cloud storage, your notes will still be there even if you lose your device. More than that, you’ll have quick access to them as long as you have your account details!
• Never Run Out Of Paper: Have you ever run out of paper when you need to take notes for an important meeting or class? That won’t happen with digital notes! With a note-taking app, you effectively have unlimited pages, so you can write things down to your heart’s content.
• Search For Information Easily: Even if you’re the type to bookmark everything, filing through your notebook for a specific piece of information isn’t easy. With a note-taking app’s search functionality, you can find what you need in the blink of an eye.

How Much Does A Note-Taking App Cost?

Note-taking apps vary wildly in terms of price. Some, like Microsoft OneNote and Apple Notes, are entirely free, while others like Evernote offer both a free and premium version. While most people will be fine with free notes apps, some power users might benefit from the advanced features offered by premium subscriptions.

How We Chose The Best Note-Taking Apps

Different people have different styles of taking notes, which makes it hard to put one notes app above the rest. That being said, we compiled our list based on these important elements you should look for in any app:

• Features: Not every note-taking app needs to have a dozen additional features. But a good rule of thumb is that if an app boasts fancy features like voice recordings or optical character recognition, it needs to do them well. If it can’t deliver on its most basic promises, you’re better off looking at alternatives.
• User experience: The general writing experience of a note-taking app needs to be enjoyable and hassle-free. This means writing on the app should be as natural and foolproof as writing on a sheet of paper.
• Organization: Some note apps simply dump every single note you make into one large folder. Others may offer better organization, allowing you to add tags for easy sorting or separate your notes and to-do lists into different folders.
• Value for money: While free apps have an advantage in this category, some apps offer great additional features in exchange for a reasonable subscription fee.

Notion

otion is a note app with collaborative features used by major companies like Pixar and Spotify. It lets you create checklists and share information with your teams in a flash, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Notion also offers over 200,000 integrations across thousands of apps through Integrately.

Other advanced features offered by Notion include:

• strong>Customizable dashboards: Create workflows and documents according to your team’s needs.
• strong>Community-made templates: Get inspiration from thousands of community resources and templates.

Plans & Pricing

Notion’s basic plan is free for individual users. Team subscription plans start at $8/month per user, billed annually.

Evernote

Evernote is a versatile note app with excellent note-taking and task scheduling features. This simple note-taking app lets you work anywhere, from any device, as long as you have access to your Evernote account. It also provides helpful features such as:

• Note customizations: Add images, audio notes, PDFs, and documents to flesh out your notes.
• Document scanning: Store important physical documents in the app by scanning them.

Plans & Pricing

Evernote has a basic free plan with limited features. Paid subscription plans start at $7.99/month.

OneNote

Microsoft’s OneNote is a cross-functional note-taking app with robust bookmarking features. Like a physical binder, you can color-code different sections of your notes and open them with a single click. OneNote’s suite of features also include:

• Multiple “writing instruments” and annotations: Treat your digital notes like a physical notebook – scribble extra notes and annotations down easily!
• Tagging system: Highlight especially important parts of your notes with tags.

Plans & Pricing

OneNote comes free for all Microsoft account owners. However, you can unlock more features with an Office 365 subscription starting at $6.99/month.

Roam Research

Roam is a notes app primarily used by researchers. However, its easy-to-use organizational tools make it a great choice for anyone who wants to keep their notes in order. This notes app’s suite of features include:

• Graph view: Connect all your notes with a pinboard and sticky notes-style relationship graph.
• Sidebar & daily notes: Write down any unrelated thoughts to your current task in a new side window you can pull up anytime.

Plans & Pricing

Roam’s subscription plan costs $15/month. It also comes with a one-month free trial.

Bear

Bear is an Apple-exclusive writing app that boasts Face ID-based security. You can put sensitive and confidential notes behind a Face ID so nobody but you can access it. Bear also complements its security feature with:

• Note linking: Build connections between notes to link them together – perfect for stories or flow-based processes.
• Document export options: Convert your notes into Word and PDF files within a few clicks.

Plans & Pricing

Bear’s basic version is free for all users. For more features, you can subscribe to Bear Pro at $1.49/month.

Standard Notes

Despite its name, Standard Notes is anything but standard. It provides end-to-end encryption that makes sure nobody but yourself can access your notes. Not only that, but this app also offers:

• Multiple note types: Break free from the confines of plain text – create notes in several formats including code snippets, spreadsheets, and to-do lists.
• Customizable workspace colors: Match your notes to your mood with numerous beautiful visual designs.

Plans & Pricing

Standard Notes comes with a basic free version. Subscription plans start at $4.99/month.