Note taking apps: what are you using?

[Alvinc]

Curious to see which note-taking apps people are using. There are more and more apps and they can evolve into task management, learning tools and more. On the other hand, you can just use text files to jot down your thoughts with words only: no images and other forms of attachments are needed.

I am using Apple Notes for recording ideas, manage tasks/rough planning what I want to do in the future, writing short journals and saving my blog articles.

Even though sometimes I am looking at Bear (which has better layout for readability and table of contents may be useful) and Evernote (better reliable searching results and I prefer the latest interface with typography), I still stay on Apple Notes on one hand allows me to write something while not having to deal with much format. Smart folders are useful for sorting out things I want automatically.

And Bear has some small but annoying bugs in my case, and Evernote seems like ignoring mobile especially iPad development: all the latest features are on desktop only.

Also tried to use text files on iA Writer. I found images and other attachments are necessary. I can’t just use text only because other apps are locked in. I don’t think I need all the notes in the long run but Apple Notes still has plenty of ways to export.

 

[sracer]

I had been using Joplin for my PKMS for about a year, but intensively over the last 6 months. I had been shadowing my system in UpNote for those last 6 months. Just recently I switched fully over to UpNote.

UpNote is performs well, clean-looking, and capable.

Some of the things that make UpNote my note app of choice...

• Cross-platform. I need access to my notes system on every device I own. There are versions of UpNote for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS/iPadOS. It is not only cross-platform, but there is a consistency in the user experience across those platorms.
• Perpetual License option. I refuse to use any software or service that requires a subscription. Although UpNote offers a subscription option, they also offer a one-time charge. A single, one-time cost of $30 USD gives me full access to all of the features on every platform.
• Easy linking of notes. Employing the Zettelkasten method of hyperlinking notes has been very helpful in making connections and associations between my notes. UpNote makes it super-simple to do that. (on par with apps like Obsidian and LogSeq).
• Inline tags. Rather than having tags segmented in a separate entry field of a note, UpNote automatically creates and references tags that are in a note.
• ToDo features. Any note can contain a "ToDo" element. The ToDo link in the sidebar will display every note in the database that contains ToDo elements. This allows me to have project-specific ToDos in their respective notebooks/notes and then view all of the ToDos in that custom filtered view.
• Export Capabilities. There are a decent amount of options for exporting notes. This is vital when I need to move on from UpNote. (I have no plans to do that, but the reality is things change... my notes span 40 years and have migrated from system to system over that time) The export capabilities have allowed me to import notes into Google's NotebookLM.
• Feature-rich without bloat. UpNote offers a surprising number of formatting features for notes in a way that doesn't overwhelm the UI. The result is a user experience with minimal friction.

Here's my "Dashboard" page that is my go-to for the day. (UpNote offers a dark mode that seems to be the "in thing" with the youngsters, but I prefer a light mode) UpNote provides "collapsible sections" which I've collapsed here for privacy.


Using Tiago Forte's PARA method of file organization, I've been able to clean things up and move notes along in a consistent way. As I work with my notes and add to the system, I'm finding new ways to structure and connect notes.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Apple Notes has always really worked well for me. It's on nearly every Apple device, it has all the features I want, AND it syncs to iCloud.

 

[svenmany]

I've been using Obsidian for a couple of months. I had many Markdown documents on disk before that and Obsidian works directly with them. All Obsidian notes just sit on your disk as Markdown documents.

All the documents are reachable with Spotlight and indexed in Devonthink. Sometimes I open them in Visual Code and export them as PDF's to share with others. If I feel like it, I add CSS at the bottom to tweak the look. There are so many things you can do, thanks to Obsidian just keeping the notes in a standard way on disk.

There are tons of plugins available, official and community.

 

[gilby101]

Notes for ephemerals - e.g. hardware store shopping list.

Typora for anything I expect to keep.

 

[Alvinc]

I had been using Joplin for my PKMS for about a year, but intensively over the last 6 months. I had been shadowing my system in UpNote for those last 6 months. Just recently I switched fully over to UpNote.

UpNote is performs well, clean-looking, and capable.

Some of the things that make UpNote my note app of choice...

• Cross-platform. I need access to my notes system on every device I own. There are versions of UpNote for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS/iPadOS. It is not only cross-platform, but there is a consistency in the user experience across those platorms.
• Perpetual License option. I refuse to use any software or service that requires a subscription. Although UpNote offers a subscription option, they also offer a one-time charge. A single, one-time cost of $30 USD gives me full access to all of the features on every platform.
• Easy linking of notes. Employing the Zettelkasten method of hyperlinking notes has been very helpful in making connections and associations between my notes. UpNote makes it super-simple to do that. (on par with apps like Obsidian and LogSeq).
• Inline tags. Rather than having tags segmented in a separate entry field of a note, UpNote automatically creates and references tags that are in a note.
• ToDo features. Any note can contain a "ToDo" element. The ToDo link in the sidebar will display every note in the database that contains ToDo elements. This allows me to have project-specific ToDos in their respective notebooks/notes and then view all of the ToDos in that custom filtered view.
• Export Capabilities. There are a decent amount of options for exporting notes. This is vital when I need to move on from UpNote. (I have no plans to do that, but the reality is things change... my notes span 40 years and have migrated from system to system over that time) The export capabilities have allowed me to import notes into Google's NotebookLM.
• Feature-rich without bloat. UpNote offers a surprising number of formatting features for notes in a way that doesn't overwhelm the UI. The result is a user experience with minimal friction.

Here's my "Dashboard" page that is my go-to for the day. (UpNote offers a dark mode that seems to be the "in thing" with the youngsters, but I prefer a light mode) UpNote provides "collapsible sections" which I've collapsed here for privacy.

View attachment 2371066
Using Tiago Forte's PARA method of file organization, I've been able to clean things up and move notes along in a consistent way. As I work with my notes and add to the system, I'm finding new ways to structure and connect notes.

After Evernote launches their new mobile home screen, I think the only option for me if considering cross platform is UpNote.

 

[AVBeatMan]

I use Apple Notes as it's nice and clean and simple. I also have Notion but find it ridiculously difficult to use.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I use Apple Notes as it has excellent syncing across my Apple devices and has the least amount of friction (for the features used) versus third party apps I have tried.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

DEVONThink. No subscription. Amazing at document collection and an unmatched web clipper.

DEVONtechnologies | DEVONthink

DEVONthink is a professional document and information management app for Mac and iOS.

www.devontechnologies.com

 

[kirbyrun]

I use Apple Notes for quick, personal lists and such or for bits that will be deleted soon-ish.

For longer-term, complicated, project-oriented notes, I've been using Notebooks, which syncs across all of my devices (iPad, iPhone, Mac).

 

[Alvinc]

I use Apple Notes as it's nice and clean and simple. I also have Notion but find it ridiculously difficult to use.

I almost forgot Notion just after Evernote released v10.0. I don't like setting up so many pages, no offline and images which are public if anyone gets the links.

 

[Alvinc]

I use Apple Notes as it has excellent syncing across my Apple devices and has the least amount of friction (for the features used) versus third party apps I have tried.

When I first tried Apple Notes probably around 2017-2019, they have ridiculously so many bugs like no content shown in widgets, being unable to sync to other devices... but it is getting better recently. Just hope Mac can get a better line spacing!

 

[Apple_Robert]

When I first tried Apple Notes probably around 2017-2019, they have ridiculously so many bugs like no content shown in widgets, being unable to sync to other devices... but it is getting better recently. Just hope Mac can get a better line spacing!

I agree. Apple Notes has come along way since 2017. I hope we see Apple Notes make its way to the Apple Watch this year.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I like Apple notes and find that it quite good. My main complaint is that there is, arguably, no easy way to export notes out of it.
I've been trying for the past few years Craft and have been enjoying it for the most part. Albeit, not really happy about the subscription fee.

 

[Ben J.]

Apple Notes.
Syncing across devices.
Just works.

Also, my favourite general utility app, PopClip (select text anywhere, in any app, and do things with the text in the context menu that shows up) lets me quickly create a note in Notes from anywhere.

 

[bob_zz123]

Surprised that OneNote isn't on the voting list, but I used OneNote for years, worked well, cross-platform, attachment support, reasonably intelligent search, included if you have an O365 plan so nothing extra to pay. However earlier this year made the switch to Apple Notes, mainly because OneNote desktop apps are soooooo slow. I'm really impressed with how many improvements have been made in Apple Notes, it has all the features (that I used) of OneNote and it's an awful lot faster at loading the app, syncing etc.

 

[Alvinc]

I like Apple notes and find that it quite good. My main complaint is that there is, arguably, no easy way to export notes out of it.
I've been trying for the past few years Craft and have been enjoying it for the most part. Albeit, not really happy about the subscription fee.

Almost forgot Craft. I would say it's another evil.

After importing they lost some of my images. Images are public like Notion. Now their subscription is $99/year from $47 at the beginning.

While I prefer export locally within the app, I found that it is not always really reliable as many people think. The best way is always to selectively copy/export to text files in some important cases like writing blogs or documents in work.

 

[Alvinc]

Surprised that OneNote isn't on the voting list, but I used OneNote for years, worked well, cross-platform, attachment support, reasonably intelligent search, included if you have an O365 plan so nothing extra to pay. However earlier this year made the switch to Apple Notes, mainly because OneNote desktop apps are soooooo slow. I'm really impressed with how many improvements have been made in Apple Notes, it has all the features (that I used) of OneNote and it's an awful lot faster at loading the app, syncing etc.

There are too many note taking apps in the market. I am sorry.

And most of the note taking apps are no longer note taking or writing mainly: they add too much for other purposes like task management (Evernote), knowledge management (Heptabase and Obsidian), life organisation (Notion and Craft). Too many features will end up less freedom or personal reflection.

While there are more features adding to Apple Notes, it is still a note taking app for me to capture and write something to allow free flow of ideas and thoughts). Carefully adding functions won't make Apple Notes become another kind of apps (e.g. word processors) but will be useful in more circumstances. This is why I love Apple Notes.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

Well coming from MSFT I am heavily in OneNote. But I've also started using Apple Notes as a supplement. Onenote is better for cross platform, obviously. But Apple Notes app is useful for quick jotting to quickly reference something I saved. OneNote I use more for more permanent info. Plus Onenote is just way more functional. But I get that's not really 1:1 comparison. But yeah. I like to use both.

 

[Repin]

When it comes to note-taking apps, I've found myself juggling between two main contenders: Noteshelf and Apple Notes. Each one brings its own strengths to the table, and I've grown quite fond of both for different reasons.

Let's start with Noteshelf. This app is like my digital canvas for capturing ideas, sketching out concepts, and just letting my creativity flow. The way it seamlessly blends handwriting and typing is simply amazing. I can jot down quick thoughts with my Apple Pencil or type out more detailed notes with ease. Plus, the ability to organize everything into separate notebooks and add tags? Chef's kiss! It's like having a well-organized, digital filing system at my fingertips.

But then there's Apple Notes, the trusty companion that's always there when I need it. Its simplicity is what draws me in. Sometimes, I just need to quickly capture a thought or make a quick list, and Apple Notes is perfect for that. It syncs seamlessly across all my devices, so whether I'm on my iPad, iPhone, or Mac, my notes are always accessible. And let's not forget about the handy scanning feature – a game-changer for digitizing physical documents and notes.

Truthfully, I find myself switching between the two apps depending on the task at hand. If I'm in a creative brainstorming session or need to sketch out diagrams, Noteshelf is my go-to. But if I'm just jotting down a quick grocery list or capturing a fleeting thought, Apple Notes is my trusty sidekick.

The beauty of having both apps at my disposal is that they complement each other perfectly. It's like having a dynamic duo in the note-taking world, each one bringing its unique strengths to the table. And who knows, maybe one day they'll join forces and create the ultimate note-taking experience! But until then, I'll keep bouncing between these two powerhouses, embracing the best of both worlds.

 

[ignatius345]

Surprised nobody has recommended Agenda. It's really great. It's integrated very well with your calendar events, and fills a certain niche very well. I use it at work a ton, where I'm doing meeting notes for various projects.

Also the pricing model is awesome: you can pay to subscribe to the pro features for a year -- and then at the end of that year you keep the features you paid for even if you stop paying. If/when new features you want come out, you can subscribe again to get those plus whatever others come out over the next year. Ethical and I think sustainable for the developer.

 

[sracer]

Surprised nobody has recommended Agenda. It's really great. It's integrated very well with your calendar events, and fills a certain niche very well. I use it at work a ton, where I'm doing meeting notes for various projects.

Also the pricing model is awesome: you can pay to subscribe to the pro features for a year -- and then at the end of that year you keep the features you paid for even if you stop paying. If/when new features you want come out, you can subscribe again to get those plus whatever others come out over the next year. Ethical and I think sustainable for the developer.

That is the classic perpetual license model but using different words. Kudos to the developer for creative wordsmithing.

Agenda looks like it could be very beneficial, but unfortunately for me, it is Apple OS-only.

 

[ignatius345]

That is the classic perpetual license model but using different words. Kudos to the developer for creative wordsmithing.

Haha, exactly. As long as I'm not left empty-handed when the payment period ends, I'm happy. This, to me is a true "subscription" as opposed to the "software rental" model so many apps are using.

 

[Squirrrrel]

Between Apple Notes and UpNote, I don't need anything else. The fact that UpNote is cross-platform and is extremely Apple-like, even on Windows, is a massive plus. I bought the lifetime license and I couldn't be happier. UpNote also gets constant, quality updates. It's the best note taking app I've ever used.

Surprised nobody has recommended Agenda. It's really great. It's integrated very well with your calendar events, and fills a certain niche very well. I use it at work a ton, where I'm doing meeting notes for various projects.

Also the pricing model is awesome: you can pay to subscribe to the pro features for a year -- and then at the end of that year you keep the features you paid for even if you stop paying. If/when new features you want come out, you can subscribe again to get those plus whatever others come out over the next year. Ethical and I think sustainable for the developer.

That looks pretty great. I may move over to something like that eventually because of the calendar integration. That looks to be a lot more project management-based, and I'm starting a new business soon. I'll give it a look. Thanks. I am definitely a fan of perpetual licenses. I also like when developers like this offer a donate button if you want to continue supporting them. Forced subscription models are horrible. I get people need to put food on the table, but some of these subs are getting ridiculous.

 

[bad_robot]

My go-to's are usually Apple Notes for quick stuff and Notion for more organized, project-based notes.