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One of the many great features of a smartphone is the ability to take notes. Your smartphone is almost always with you. This makes it a great place for moments of inspiration. Or a good place to keep a grocery shopping list. Either way, this is a great place to take notes on what we're talking about. Of course, you'll need the right app to do this, so let's take a look at the best note-taking apps for Android!
- BlackNote
- ColorNote
- Evernote
- FairNote
- FiiNote
- Google Keep Notes
- Lecture Notes
- Omni Notes
- Microsoft OneNote
- SomNote
- Simple Notes Pro
Evernote
Let's first select the most obvious and some of the best note-taking apps.
Evernote is a note-taking app that has been around for over a decade and will continue to do so for another.
The note-taking app is very powerful and offers many features including support for various note-taking formats including text, image, voice, PDF, URL, etc., document scanning, templates , web clipper, handwriting search and much more.
My favorite feature of Evernote is its organizational structure, which allows me to organize my notes using a robust system of folders, filters, and tags.
Evernote is also great for teams and is one of the best collaboration apps. You can share notes with your team members and even edit them in real time.
Evernote recently released a new "Spaces" feature that allows teams to create separate spaces for different projects for an even better organizational experience.
Other app features include cross-platform accessibility, document and PDF search, third-party integration, and more.
Note that it offers both a free and paid version.
The free version limits you to using the service on only two devices and offers some limited features.
You can compare the pricing plans of different versions here. If you're looking for a reliable note-taking app that not only serves as a repository for your ideas, but also documents, voice notes, and more, this is the app to get.
Supported platforms: Android, Windows, MacOS, iOS and Web
Pricing: Free, $7.99/month for Premium and $14.99/month/month for business users.
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Evernote - Note organization system
Developer: Evernote Corporation
Price: Free
Monospace
- Note types: text notes.
- Cataloging: folders and hashtags.
- Synchronization between devices: yes.
- Access via web or computer: no.
- Reminders: none.
A simple and elegant text editor with nothing superfluous. Monospace includes formatting tools, so the program is suitable for creating long posts with beautiful layout. For buyers of the paid version, the application will synchronize notes between devices.
appbox fallback https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.underwood.monospace&hl=ru&gl=ru
Notion
Notion is a fairly new note-taking app that has become popular over the past year.
Notion is a powerful note-taking app that lets you not only take simple notes, but also save documents and images, use tables, create a knowledge base, create your own wiki, and much more.
What I like about Notion is that it is quite versatile and allows users to use as many features as they want.
I also like Notion's extensive emoji support, as it allows you to create easily identifiable folders, note titles, and subtitles.
When you use Notion, you can create “workspaces,” which you can think of as notebooks or projects. Within these workspaces, you can create as many notes as you like.
In addition to simple text notes, Notion also supports checklists, list items, note history, team collaboration, and more.
Notion gives you a malleable note-taking experience that you can bend and twist to your liking, and I find this approach to be quite novel. Like Evernote, Notion offers a limited free version with upgraded paid plans.
The biggest obstacle to using the free version is the 5MB file upload limit. However, if you plan to use Notion only for text notes, the free version may serve you quite well. Either way, you should definitely check out this app.
Supported platforms: Android, Windows, MacOS, iOS and Web
Pricing: Free, $4/month, $8/user/month for teams
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Notion - notes, docs, tasks
Developer: Notion Labs, Inc.
Price: Free
Simplenote
Apps like Simplenote have always supported my faith in the free app ecosystem, as Simplenote is my favorite text-based note-taking app despite being completely free (no pro version and no ads).
By text-based note-taking app, I mean that you will not be able to import your documents or images inside the note-taking app.
However, for people who just need to jot down text notes, there's nothing better than Simplenote. What I mean is, first of all, the app is available for all major platforms, including Linux, and syncs all your notes across all devices.
There's no limit to the number of devices you can use or the number of notes you can sync.
Secondly, Simplenote is very easy to use. You simply open the app, tap the new note button, and start typing.
Instead of the usual folder hierarchy, Simplenote uses tags, which essentially act like folders.
I like this approach as it allows me to store the same note in multiple folders if I want.
Simplenote also offers reliable typing, which is what I use. In fact, if you don't know, all the articles you've read by me are written using markdown.
Finally, although the app is free, it allows you to share notes with other users. I mean, what else can you expect from a free notes app. There are many paid apps that are not as good as this one.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux
Prices: Free
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Simplenote
Developer: Automattic, Inc
Price: Free
Notebook
The basic version of the app is free and includes ads. To unlock backgrounds and disable advertising, the developers ask for 3 USD monthly or 1.6 USD per month when subscribing for a year, which, taking into account the promotion, will cost 19.2 USD. Notepad is installed on devices with firmware version 4.1 or higher. RAM consumption averages 80 MB, with frequent spikes up to 200 MB.
The application contains a work area with a button to create a note or list. At the top there is a search button and customizable shortcuts - folders, for quick navigation and easy sorting. On the left there is a hidden panel to go to the trash or settings.
When creating a note, you are asked to choose one of ten fills. You can also set up a reminder with date and time. The list features are similar, only there are half as many background fills.
Notepad application interface.
Among the useful settings, it is worth noting setting a password and creating a backup copy.
There are no settings.
Impression
Notepad doesn't do much to please the user. For the meager functionality, incorrect localization and lack of optimization of the application, which is why RAM consumption reaches up to 200 MB, Chinese developers ask for 3-19.2 USD. Moreover, a regular subscription only disables advertising and does not offer anything useful other than backgrounds. Therefore, using this application is not recommended.
Google Keep
No list of note-taking apps on Android would be complete without Google Keep, and there are several good reasons for this.
First of all, the application is very easy to use and has an intuitive interface.
I also like that it color codes my notes, making them much easier to find. Google recently redesigned the app and the entire interface looks even more beautiful with its modern design.
When it comes to notes, besides text notes, Keep also supports checklists, handwritten notes, images, and voice notes.
I personally use Keep to take quick notes and save shopping lists because it makes it super easy to rearrange and check off items on the list. since Google Keep also supports both time and location reminders.
This ensures that I am reminded of tasks not only at the right time, but also in the right place. This way, the next time you visit your local supermarket, Keep will automatically remind you of what you need to buy.
Other features of the app include shared notes, various viewing options, and more.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS and Web
Prices: Free
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Google Keep - Notes and Lists
Developer: Google LLC
Price: Free
SomNote
- Types of notes: text notes with attachments and sketches.
- Cataloging: folders.
- Synchronization between devices: yes.
- Access via web or computer: yes.
- Reminders: none.
This note-taker may appeal to fans of classic folders and files. Notes can be protected from strangers by setting a PIN code on the application. Among other things, SomNote allows you to attach pictures and sketches to your posts. With a paid subscription, you get rid of ads, get a variety of themes, 30 GB of cloud storage, and the ability to protect only selected folders.
SomNote - Beautiful note app
퀀텀비트
Price: Free
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Price: Free
iA Writer
iA Writer is a note-taking app that runs entirely on markdown.
If you love writing in markdown, you'll love iA Writer.
The application is designed not only for writing short notes, but also for long content.
In fact, I do most of my writing in iA Writer. I've set up this app so that I have different folders for notes and projects for long form writing.
This allows me to do research in the same place where I write. Because all your work is synced across devices, it's available to you anywhere.
Please note that if you have never used markdown before, you will have to spend some time learning it.
Even if you forget some elements, there is a handy reference guide that can tell you about all the commands.
One of my favorite features of iA Writer is the ability to highlight syntax that encodes verbs, nouns, adverbs, and more.
This can help you improve your writing in the long run. If you love markdown and prefer to take short and long notes, you can check it out.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS
Pricing: Free for Android (may have in-app purchases in the future)
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iA Writer: The Markdown Writing App
Developer: Information Architects GmbH
Price: Free
Any.do
If you don’t want to write draft blogs with sheets of text and attached pictures, but purposefully create lists – an endless number of lists, then we recommend creating a separate application, Any.do.
What I liked most about it were the options for breaking down notes - plans by deadlines and by topic of lists. This is much faster and more convenient than using tags, which can be written a little differently each time.
Any.do's widget is nice, the content scrolls, but it takes up almost the entire screen. Since you can’t put it on the main one anyway and you have to scroll through the screens, then there is no special point in this widget; it’s easier to go into the application itself. But I was pleased that the tasks for today are firmly hanging in the drop-down notification menu, and right next to it there is a button to add a new task.
Download: Android | iOS
Standard Notes
Standard Notes is an easy-to-use notes app that is very similar to Simplenote with one key difference.
This key difference is end-to-end encryption, which means your notes always remain private whether they're on your device or synced across devices using a cloud service.
In fact, even standard notes people can't read your notes. This is great for people who want to keep private notes on their phones or just want to increase the security of their everyday notes.
The app is also open source, so anyone can see the code. The app has been around for a few years now and no one is claiming anything against its privacy claims, which seems like a good thing.
Aside from privacy, the app's other features are very similar to other text-based note-taking apps.
You get cross-platform accessibility, support for markup and rich text entries, password locking with support for built-in biometric authentication, folder support, a simple user interface, and more.
If you want security and privacy, you should use standard notes.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux and web
Pricing: Free, $2.48/month
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Standard Notes
Developer: Standard Notes
Price: Free
GNotes
- Types of notes: text notes with attachments, sketches and checklists.
- Cataloging: notebooks (categories) and tags.
- Synchronization between devices: yes.
- Access via web or computer: yes.
- Reminders: yes.
You can attach photos, videos, contacts, your own drawings, audio recordings, and other files to your GNotes notes. Otherwise, this is a standard service for notes. Automatic synchronization between devices only works in the paid version of GNotes.
GNotes - Note, Notepad & Memo
Appest Inc.
Price: Free
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Price: Free
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote is a powerful note-taking application that is very similar to Evernote in terms of features.
This means you can use it not only as a note-taking app, but also as a storage place for all your documents.
There is a robust folder-based organizational system that makes organizing your notes easy.
While taking notes, you can either type it, use your voice, or directly draw. Tags, labels, and filters are supported, which you can use to easily tag your notes and find them later.
It also comes with a web clipper for saving web articles. One of my favorite features is OCR support, which extracts text from PDFs and images and makes them searchable.
This makes OneNote a great document storage app. Other features include theme support, shared notes and collaboration, online syncing, version history, and more.
The only problem I have with this app is that I don't have enough resources, so if you are using a budget Android phone, I would advise you to use the other options in the list. Also, note that you will need to create a Microsoft account to use this application.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and web
Prices: Free
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Microsoft OneNote: Organize your ideas and notes
Developer: Microsoft Corporation
Price: Free
WeNote
A program with a modern interface and a nice font. All created notes are placed on the appropriate tabs: family, work, leisure, etc. You can add your own tabs, change their color and pin particularly important notes to the top. On the Calendar tab, you can add reminders for a specific day and time. Below the calendar are all the notes that were attached to this section.
Thus, WeNote can replace a calendar and planner, and the ability to group notes into tabs distinguishes the program from its analogues.
