Best Note-Taking Apps Compared: Apple Notes, Keep, OneNote, Notion

Most people do not need the most powerful note-taking app. They need one that is always within reach, syncs reliably across their devices and makes it easy to find a note six months later. Pick for those three things first, and features second.

This guide compares the most widely used options in the US, explains the different styles of note-taking they support, and helps you choose one you will actually keep using.

The quick comparison

Pricing and plan limits change often, so check each company's current plans before you commit.

Start with your devices

The single biggest factor is which phone and computer you use.

• All Apple: Apple Notes is hard to beat. It is already installed, syncs through iCloud, and supports checklists, tables, document scanning, sketching and shared notes.
• Android plus a Windows PC: Google Keep and OneNote both cover this well. Keep is quicker for short notes; OneNote is better for longer, structured material.
• iPhone plus a Windows PC: Avoid Apple Notes unless you are happy using it through iCloud.com in a browser. OneNote, Notion, Evernote and Obsidian all have native apps on both.
• Work laptop and personal phone: Check what your employer allows. Many companies restrict which apps can store work information, and work notes in a personal account can create problems later.

Pick a note-taking style

Note apps fall into a few broad styles. Knowing which one suits you narrows the field quickly.

Quick capture. Short notes, lists and reminders you jot down on the go. Google Keep and Apple Notes excel here: open, type, done.

Notebook. Longer notes organized into notebooks, sections and pages, like a ring binder. OneNote is the classic example, and its free-form canvas lets you type, draw and drop in images anywhere on a page. Evernote uses notebooks and tags instead.

Workspace. Notes that double as databases, project trackers and shared documents. Notion is built for this. It is powerful but takes time to set up, and some people spend more time organizing than writing.

Linked thinking. Notes connected by links, so ideas build into a web over time. Obsidian is the best-known app in this style, and it stores everything as plain Markdown text files on your device.

Organization and search

Every app can store notes; the difference is how easily you can find them again.

• Folders vs tags. Apple Notes uses folders and also supports tags. Keep relies on labels and colors. Evernote and Obsidian lean on tags, while OneNote uses its notebook hierarchy.
• Search inside images and PDFs. Several apps can find text inside photos, scanned documents or handwriting. This is useful for receipts, whiteboards and handouts, though how well it works varies by app and plan.
• Links between notes. Notion, Obsidian and OneNote make it easy to link one note to another, which helps for research and long projects.

A practical rule: keep the structure shallow. A few top-level folders or notebooks and good search will serve most people better than an elaborate system.

Sync, offline access and reliability

Sync is the feature you only notice when it fails.

• Apple Notes, Keep and OneNote sync through their companies' cloud storage, so your storage plan matters if you add lots of images or scans.
• Notion is primarily cloud-based. Offline support has improved, but it works best with a connection.
• Obsidian works fully offline because your notes are files on your device. To sync between devices you can pay for Obsidian's own sync service or use another method, such as a cloud storage folder.

Whichever app you choose, open a note on your phone after editing it on your computer during the first week. If anything lags or conflicts, you want to find out before you depend on it.

Privacy and security

Notes often hold sensitive information: account details, medical notes, ideas for work. Consider:

• End-to-end encryption. Apple Notes gains end-to-end encryption when you enable Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Apps such as Standard Notes and the open-source Joplin are designed around it. Many other services encrypt your data but hold the keys themselves.
• Locked notes. Several apps let you lock individual notes with a password or biometrics.
• Account security. Turn on two-factor authentication for whichever account holds your notes.
• AI features. Many note apps now offer AI summaries and writing help. Check whether these features send your notes to outside services and whether you can switch them off.

Passwords themselves belong in a password manager, not a note.

Exporting and avoiding lock-in

Before you invest years of notes in an app, check how you would get them out.

• Obsidian stores notes as Markdown files, so there is nothing to export.
• Notion exports to Markdown, HTML, CSV and PDF.
• Evernote exports its own format, which many other apps can import.
• OneNote exports pages and sections, though moving a large notebook to another app can be clunky.
• Google Keep notes can be downloaded through Google Takeout.
• Apple Notes can export individual notes as PDFs, and some third-party tools handle bulk exports.

If long-term ownership matters to you, apps that store plain-text files are the safest bet. Our comparison of Microsoft 365, Google Docs and free office apps covers the related question of where your longer documents should live.

How to choose, in five minutes

1. Use what is built in if all your devices share one ecosystem and your needs are simple.
2. Choose OneNote if you want a free, cross-platform notebook, especially with a stylus or a Windows PC.
3. Choose Notion if you want to build trackers, wikis or shared team spaces, and you are willing to spend time setting them up.
4. Choose Obsidian if you care most about owning your files and linking ideas.
5. Choose Evernote if you rely on clipping web pages and want a mature, all-platform app, after checking that its current plans fit your budget.

If storage is the deciding factor, our guide to cloud storage services compares the plans behind several of these apps.

Then commit for a month. Move your most-used notes over, put the app on your home screen and in your dock, and use it every day. Consistency matters far more than features: the best note-taking app is the one that has your notes in it when you need them.