Ever have a brilliant idea pop into your head at 3 AM? Or maybe you just need a place to jot down all those to-do lists and grocery items. Whether you're a student, a creative type, or just someone who wants to stay organized, having a good note-taking app is a must. We've rounded up the best apps for capturing those fleeting thoughts and keeping your life on track.
You can't go wrong with the big names. Google Keep is simple and easy to use, perfect for quick notes and reminders. Microsoft OneNote lets you create notebooks with text, images, and even audio recordings. And if you're looking for a more powerful and feature-rich option, Evernote is a solid choice. These are just a few of the amazing apps we'll be exploring, so let's get started!
| App | Logo | Available On | Reviews | Downloads | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Google Keep |  | Android, iOS | 3.9/5 | 3B+ | Capture thoughts quickly, Share ideas easily, Organize notes effortlessly |
| 2. Microsoft OneNote |  | Android, iOS | 4.6/5 | 927M+ | Sync across devices, Capture pictures, Collaborate easily |
| 3. Evernote |  | Android, iOS | 4.4/5 | 368M+ | Syncs across devices, Customizable dashboard, Integrates with Google Calendar |
| 4. Notion |  | Android, iOS | 4.8/5 | 21M+ | All-in-one workspace, AI-powered search, Customizable templates |
| 5. Easy Notes |  | Android, iOS | 4.6/5 | 20M+ | Colorful backgrounds, Photo and audio notes, Checklist organization |
| 6. BlackNote Notepad Notes |  | Android, iOS | 4.8/5 | 8M+ | Black theme, Intuitive UI, Easy to use |
| 7. Concepts |  | Android, iOS | 4.7/5 | 5M+ | Infinite canvas, Vector-based, Nudge, Slice, Select |
1. Google Keep
Capture ideas quickly, Collaborate on notes, Reminders based on location
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 2.7 Billion Downloads |
| Features | Google Keep offers note taking, list making, voice memo recording, photo capturing, and sharing with collaboration features. |
| Who It’s For | Google Keep is an app for ideas and notes, perfect for individuals and teams who need a simple yet powerful tool to capture thoughts, organize tasks, and collaborate on projects. |
- Tags:
- Voice memos and transcription
- Quick capture with widgets
- Collaboration and sharing
Google Keep is a simple and quick app for ideas and notes that shines on mobile devices. It allows you to jot down thoughts, lists, and even voice memos with ease. While it lacks the depth and features of some other note-taking apps, it remains popular for its quick access and basic organization, thanks to features like labels that act as folders. However, users have expressed frustration with the app's limited search functionality, its clunky interface for lists, and its lack of customization options like color choices for text. While Google Keep remains a viable option for capturing quick notes, it's clear that users are looking for more features and a more robust experience when it comes to managing their ideas and notes.
Pros & Cons
- Easy to use and quick
- Integrates well with other Google apps
- Good for simple note-taking and lists
- Free and widely available
- Limited features for advanced note-taking
- Search functionality can be unreliable
- Lack of customization options
Why we chose it?
I absolutely love Google Keep! It's super simple to use and lets me jot down ideas, make lists, and even capture photos or voice memos in a snap. The best part? It integrates seamlessly with my other Google services, making it easy to find what I need, even when I'm on the go. Plus, it's completely free, making it a no-brainer for anyone looking for a great note-taking app!
✨ Read more: app convert handwriting to text
2. Microsoft OneNote
Sync across all devices, Capture ideas and notes, Organize and collaborate
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 927 million downloads |
| Features | Capture, organize, and share your ideas, notes, and to-do lists across all your devices with a robust set of features including handwriting, drawing, audio recording, and collaboration. |
| Who It’s For | Anyone who needs an app for ideas and notes, whether it's for work, school, or personal use. |
- Tags:
- Cross-platform syncing
- Easy Note-Taking
- Image and media support
Microsoft OneNote is a versatile app for ideas and notes that seamlessly integrates into your digital life. While some users have noted a learning curve and a few minor quirks, many appreciate its robust features and cross-platform syncing. The ability to capture thoughts, sketches, and lists across devices is a major draw, though occasional glitches and concerns about data integrity have left some users searching for more reliable alternatives.
Pros & Cons
- Great for capturing ideas
- Organizes notes effectively
- Integrates well with other MS apps
- Good for collaboration and sharing
- Desktop app lacks notebook organization
- Occasional glitches and bugs
- Unreliable note saving
Why we chose it?
OneNote is my go-to app for capturing ideas and notes! It's super versatile and lets me jot down thoughts, create to-do lists, and even sketch out ideas, all in one place. Plus, it seamlessly syncs across all my devices, so I can access my notes anywhere, anytime.
✨ Read more: app to take notes on ipad
3. Evernote
Capture ideas, organize notes, Sync across all devices, Collaborate with others
Cost:
Free (Free), Premium ($7.99/month)
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 367 million |
| Features | Capture ideas, organize notes, create to-do lists, sync across devices, clip web content, scan documents, record audio, collaborate with others, and more. |
| Who It’s For | Individuals and teams who need a reliable app to capture and organize ideas, notes, and tasks. |
- Tags:
- Syncs across devices
- Tasks and to-dos
- Google Calendar integration
Evernote, once a beloved app for ideas and notes, has taken a turn for the worse in the eyes of many users. The recent updates have introduced a clunky interface with unnecessary menus and reduced visibility of notes. While still functional, the free version is now plagued by persistent pop-ups and ads pushing users towards a paid subscription. This aggressive marketing strategy has overshadowed the app's core functionality, leading many to seek out alternative note-taking solutions. The constant barrage of notifications and the dwindling usability have dimmed the once-bright appeal of Evernote as a reliable tool for organizing thoughts and to-do lists.
Pros & Cons
- Organize thoughts and ideas
- Create to-do lists
- Sync notes across devices
- Capture notes in various formats
- Annoying pop-ups and ads
- Limited free version features
- Frequent UI changes
Why we chose it?
Evernote is my go-to app for capturing ideas and notes because it's incredibly versatile and reliable. I love that I can organize everything into notebooks, add tags for easy searching, and access my notes on all my devices. Plus, the ability to clip web pages, scan documents, and record audio makes it a powerful tool for capturing information in any format.
✨ Read more: app for errands
4. Notion
Organize ideas and notes, Collaborate on projects, Create custom workflows
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 20 million |
| Features | Notion is an all-in-one workspace that allows you to take notes, organize projects, manage tasks, and collaborate with others. |
| Who It’s For | Individuals and teams who need a comprehensive app for ideas and notes, project management, and knowledge organization. |
- Tags:
- AI-assisted productivity
- All-in-one workspace
- Customizable templates
Notion is an incredibly powerful app for ideas and notes, offering a truly expansive and customizable platform. While it shines on desktop and other platforms, its mobile experience, especially on Android, has fallen short of expectations. Users consistently praise its breadth of features and organization, but frustration mounts over bugs and missing functionalities, such as the inability to interact with databases in widgets or easily copy text within pages. Despite these shortcomings, Notion remains a beloved tool for many, showcasing its potential to become the ultimate app for capturing thoughts, organizing projects, and managing daily life.
Pros & Cons
- Versatile for note taking
- Excellent for organizing ideas
- Great for project management
- Powerful for building databases
- Android app lacks features
- Buggy and unreliable on Android
- Limited text copying functionality
Why we chose it?
I absolutely love Notion for capturing ideas and notes! It's incredibly versatile, allowing me to organize my thoughts in a way that works best for me, whether it's through lists, tables, or even mind maps. The ability to link different pages together and create a interconnected web of information is a game-changer, making it a truly powerful tool for capturing and developing ideas.
✨ Read more: app for electrical drawings
5. Easy Notes
Colorful backgrounds for notes, Organize notes with checklists
Cost:
Free (Free), Premium ($2.99/month)
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 20 million downloads |
| Features | Easy Notes is a free app for taking notes, making checklists, and organizing ideas with features like colorful backgrounds, photo and audio notes, and a sticky notes widget. |
| Who It’s For | Anyone looking for a simple and effective app for ideas and notes. |
- Tags:
- Free note-taking
- Colorful Backgrounds
- Photo and audio notes
Easy Notes is a mobile app designed for capturing ideas and organizing notes, offering a user-friendly platform with a warm, inviting aesthetic. While some users initially found the checklist functionality limited, the developers quickly addressed these concerns, demonstrating their responsiveness to user feedback. The app's robust features and smooth syncing across devices have impressed users, like one who praised its superiority over other note-taking apps after two years of consistent use. Despite occasional keyboard issues, Easy Notes continues to earn praise for its intuitive design and commitment to user satisfaction.
Pros & Cons
- Syncs across devices
- Intuitive user interface
- Great for note taking
- Supports checklists and notes
- Keyboard issues reported
- Checklists had issues
- No direct handwriting support
Why we chose it?
Easy Notes is a fantastic option for jotting down ideas and notes on the go! It's super simple to use, and I love how quickly I can add photos and audio to my notes. Plus, the colorful themes and customizable backgrounds really help me keep my ideas organized and visually appealing.
✨ Read more: app for bucket list
6. BlackNote Notepad Notes
Simple, clean, and distraction-free, Easy note creation and organization
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 8 Million |
| Features | BlackNote is a simple, easy-to-use notes app with a black theme that reduces eye strain, offering features like creating notes, lists, reminders, and organizing notes with folders and tags. |
| Who It’s For | This app is perfect for anyone who needs a simple and efficient way to capture ideas, notes, and lists, especially those who prefer a dark theme to reduce eye strain. |
- Tags:
- Black theme
- Simple interface
- Easy to use
BlackNote Notepad Notes is a simple yet powerful app for ideas and notes, designed for those who prefer a clean and uncluttered interface. This no-frills app lets you focus on your thoughts and jot down ideas without distractions. It's praised for its bare-bones design, which allows for a smooth and efficient note-taking experience. Users appreciate the app's ability to automatically save notes, ensuring your ideas are always safe. While BlackNote excels in its simplicity, some users have expressed a desire for additional features like font customization, including smaller font sizes and formatting options such as italics, bold, and underline. Despite these suggestions, the app remains a favorite for many seeking a straightforward and reliable note-taking solution.
Pros & Cons
- Simple, clean interface
- Saves notes automatically
- No unnecessary features
- Great for quick notes
- No sync across devices
- Lacks formatting options
- Limited font size options
Why we chose it?
BlackNote Notepad Notes is my go-to app for jotting down ideas and notes because it's simple, clean, and focused on the content. I love the dark theme which is easy on my eyes, and the app is super fast and responsive, so I can capture my thoughts quickly without any lag. If you're looking for a distraction-free app that gets the job done, BlackNote is the way to go!
7. Concepts
Infinite canvas, vector-based, Powerful tools, intuitive interface
Cost:
Free (Free), Concepts Pro ($9.99/month)
Download:
Application information
| Category | Art & Design |
| Downloads | Over 4.6 million downloads |
| Features | Concepts is a vector-based drawing app with an infinite canvas, offering tools for sketching, note-taking, mind mapping, and design exploration. |
| Who It’s For | Concepts is ideal for anyone who needs a powerful and versatile app for brainstorming, ideation, and note-taking. |
- Tags:
- Vector-based
- Infinite Canvas
- Nudge, Slice and Select tools
Concepts is a powerful mobile app for ideas and notes, lauded for its infinite canvas and versatile toolset. Users praise its ability to create concept maps, mind maps, and sketches with ease, thanks to its intuitive design and feature-rich interface. While some users initially faced a learning curve with settings, the app's customization options and practical tools quickly won them over. The ability to save presets for brushes and colors is highly requested, and while some users report occasional scrolling issues, Concepts remains a top choice for students, artists, and anyone seeking a comprehensive and engaging platform for capturing and organizing their thoughts.
Pros & Cons
- Versatile for note-taking
- Great for mind mapping
- Feature-rich with tools
- Intuitive and user-friendly
- Scrolling can be laggy
- Limited project management
- Preset brush and color limitations
Why we chose it?
Concepts is my go-to app for capturing ideas and notes because it's like having a limitless digital sketchbook. I love how fluid and responsive the drawing tools are, making it easy to sketch out concepts, brainstorm, and jot down notes. Plus, its vector-based design lets me edit and scale my work without losing quality, which is perfect for refining ideas and creating polished visuals.
8. Notewise
Natural Handwriting Experience, Seamless Collaboration Features
Cost:
Free (Free), Pro ($5/month)
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 1.6 million downloads |
| Features | Notewise offers a seamless handwritten note-taking experience, capturing ideas and sketches with ease, organizing notes efficiently, and facilitating collaboration through cloud sync. |
| Who It’s For | Notewise is ideal for individuals and teams who need a powerful and intuitive app for brainstorming, capturing ideas, organizing notes, and collaborating on projects. |
- Tags:
- Natural handwriting
- Seamless Collaboration
- Extensive Note Organization
Notewise is a brilliant app for capturing ideas and notes on your Android tablet. Users rave about its natural, paper-like writing experience, which feels so intuitive and fluid that it rivals even the best note-taking apps on other platforms. The app's ability to handle handwritten notes with ease, alongside its seamless image integration and folder organization, makes it a perfect choice for planning, journaling, and sketching out your thoughts. Notewise is constantly evolving, with each update bringing exciting new features that make it even more powerful and enjoyable to use.
Pros & Cons
- Great for note-taking
- Easy to organize ideas
- Saves paper and money
- Integrates pictures seamlessly
- Limited search function
- No infinite page feature
- No two-finger undo shortcut
Why we chose it?
I absolutely adore Notewise for capturing my ideas and notes! It's like having a digital notebook that feels as natural as writing on paper. I love how effortlessly I can jot down thoughts, sketches, and even record audio, all in one place. Plus, the seamless syncing across devices means I can access my notes anywhere, anytime, making it perfect for brainstorming on the go.
9. Wondr Note
Customizable themes and fonts, Categorization and easy search
Cost:
Free (Free), Wondr Note Pro ($4.99/month)
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 341,000 downloads |
| Features | Wondr Note offers note-taking, list making, account tracking, mood boards, and countdowns, all customizable with themes, fonts, colors, and backgrounds. |
| Who It’s For | Wondr Note is an app for ideas and notes, perfect for those who want a visually appealing and organized way to capture their thoughts, lists, and inspiration. |
- Tags:
- Creative note-taking
- Ultimate productivity
- Customization Galore
Wondr Note is a beautiful and customizable app for ideas and notes that allows users to express their creativity through a wide array of themes, fonts, and colors. While users rave about its stunning visuals and helpful features, some have expressed frustration with the intrusive ads that obscure the beautiful backgrounds. Others wish for the ability to set reminder notifications within the app and a dark mode option for nighttime use. Despite these minor drawbacks, Wondr Note offers a unique and engaging platform for capturing thoughts, organizing lists, and keeping track of important events, making it a valuable tool for those who value both style and functionality.
Pros & Cons
- Highly customizable and beautiful
- Great for note taking and ideas
- Allows for list and countdown creation
- Offers account syncing for accessibility
- Distracting ads in free version
- Lack of reminder notifications
- Calendar uses non-standard week format
Why we chose it?
Wondr Note is my go-to app for ideas and notes because it's super customizable, letting me express my creativity with gorgeous themes, fonts, and colors. I love how it keeps my thoughts organized with flexible note categories and easy search options so I can find anything in a flash. Plus, it's just plain fun to use!
10. Notes Launcher
One-swipe access to notes, Device and web search, Secure notes with locks
Download:
Application information
| Category | Productivity |
| Downloads | Over 181,000 downloads |
| Features | Notes Launcher lets you create, organize, and share notes, to-do lists, and more with easy one-swipe access and a seamless search experience. |
| Who It’s For | This app is perfect for anyone looking for a simple and efficient way to capture ideas, notes, and to-do lists on their Android device. |
- Tags:
- One-swipe access
- Seamless search
- Enhanced Home Screen
Notes Launcher is a handy app for ideas and notes, designed to make jotting down thoughts and to-do lists a breeze. While some users found the initial setup a bit jarring, changing the phone's interface without explicit warning, many others have embraced the convenience it offers. The app's simple design and intuitive interface make it easy to find and manage your notes, and the quick access via a swipe from the home screen makes it perfect for capturing fleeting thoughts. The "tap-tap" functionality for creating notes is especially praised by younger users, highlighting its accessibility and ease of use.
Pros & Cons
- Simple to use app
- Easy to find lists
- Convenient for note taking
- Great for to-do lists
- Changes phone format
- No warning before changes
- Unnecessary feature changes
Why we chose it?
I love Notes Launcher for its speed and convenience. It's a breeze to jot down thoughts or create to-do lists with just a swipe from my home screen, and I can easily find what I need thanks to the smart search function. It's the perfect app for capturing those fleeting ideas, and it's always there when I need it!