Ranked list · 2026

The 43 Best Note Taking in 2026

Ranked by a blend of community upvotes and verified user-review ratings — the top note taking our community recommends.

1
Notion
One workspace. Every team.
Freemium
Best for: Small teams seeking adaptable workflow tools
4.3 (4)View
2
Obsidian
A local-first, markdown-based knowledge base with powerful linking.
Freemium
Best for: Advanced note-takers and researchers
4.0 (2)View vs #1
3
Reflect
Networked note-taking app that connects your ideas automatically
Paid (Subscription)
Best for: Users who want an encrypted, backlink-driven second brain with built-in AI transcription and calendar sync.
View vs #1
4
Mem
AI-powered note-taking app that automatically organizes and resurfaces notes for you.
Freemium
Best for: People who want notes organized automatically by AI instead of manual folders and tags.
View vs #1
5
Craft
A polished workspace for notes, docs, tasks, and daily planning across all your devices.
Freemium
Best for: People who want a visually polished, all-in-one notes and docs app with daily planning built in.
View vs #1
6
Supernotes
Collaborative notecard-based note-taking app for capturing, linking, and organizing ideas.
Freemium
Best for: People who think in small, linked ideas and want a visual graph of how their notes connect.
View vs #1
7
MarginNote
Study app that turns PDF/EPUB annotations into mind maps and spaced-repetition flashcards.
Freemium
View vs #1
8
Pile
Digital journaling made easy
Free
Best for: Individuals seeking private digital journaling
View vs #1
9
note-gen
AI-powered note-taking assistant
Free
Best for: Students seeking effortless note organization
View vs #1
10
Notesnook
Private and secure note-taking app
Freemium
Best for: Security-conscious teams and individuals
View vs #1
11
Typora
A minimalist Markdown editor with live preview that blends writing and formatting into one seamless view.
Paid (One-time)
View vs #1
12
Goodnotes
Digital note-taking with handwriting, PDF annotation, and AI-powered organization.
Freemium
View vs #1
13
Storyflow
AI visual workspace that reads your whole project board, not just one chat thread
Freemium
Best for: Creative teams who want an AI that stays aware of an entire visual project board, not just one chat.
View vs #1
14
logseq
A knowledge management tool for personal knowledge base and note-taking
Free
Best for: Individuals seeking flexible knowledge management.
View vs #1
15
Evernote Business
Powerful note‑taking and collaboration for teams
Freemium
Best for: Teams needing searchable, AI‑enhanced collaborative notes
View vs #1
16
Evernote
Capture, organize, and find your notes anywhere, anytime.
Freemium
Best for: Individuals and small teams needing robust cross-device note sync
View vs #1
17
Roam Research
A networked note‑taking tool that lets you link thoughts instantly.
Freemium
Best for: Researchers and writers who need networked, collaborative note‑taking
View vs #1
18
Trilium
A hierarchical note taking application
Free
Best for: Researchers seeking customizable, hierarchical note organization
View vs #1
19
memos
A simple, open-source, self-hosted note-taking app
Free
Best for: Tech-savvy users
View vs #1
20
AppFlowy
Note-taking and database app
Free
Best for: Freelancers and small teams
View vs #1
21
Joplin
A free, open source note-taking and to-do application
Free
Best for: Students and solo researchers
View vs #1
22
Siyuan
A note-taking and knowledge management tool
Free
Best for: Researchers and students seeking advanced note organization
View vs #1
23
nb
A minimalistic, open-source note-taking app
Free
Best for: Writers seeking minimal distraction
View vs #1
24
Heptabase
A visual knowledge base that turns notes, PDFs, and whiteboards into connected thinking.
Freemium
Best for: Researchers and students who want to annotate PDFs and connect notes visually on whiteboards.
View vs #1
25
Standard Notes
A free, secure notes app with audited end-to-end encryption and cross-platform sync.
Freemium
Best for: Privacy-focused users who want an open-source, end-to-end encrypted alternative to Evernote or Notion
View vs #1
26
Anytype
A local-first, privacy-focused workspace for notes, docs, and databases you fully own.
Freemium
View vs #1
27
Laverna
A note-taking app with a focus on security and simplicity
Free
Best for: Solo freelancers with security concerns
View vs #1
28
Bear
Beautifully simple Markdown notes for Mac, iPhone, and iPad
Freemium
Best for: Apple users who want a beautiful, fast Markdown note app with tag-based organization.
View vs #1
29
fsnotes
Note-taking app with tagging and searching capabilities
Free
Best for: Individuals seeking simple note organization
View vs #1
30
VNote
A note-taking application that knows programmers and Markdown better
Free
Best for: Solo programmers and Markdown enthusiasts
View vs #1
31
Foam
A note-taking app for networked thought
Free
Best for: Individual researchers and writers
View vs #1
32
Granola
AI notepad that transcribes meetings in the background and turns them into clean notes.
Freemium
Best for: People who want accurate meeting notes without a visible recording bot joining calls
View vs #1
33
Notability
Notes that help you think
Freemium
View vs #1
34
Simplenote
Minimalist, completely free note-taking app that syncs plain-text and Markdown notes across all devices.
Free
View vs #1
35
Otter.ai
AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes conversations in real time
Freemium
Best for: Professionals and educators needing instant transcripts and summaries
View vs #1
36
Tana
Networked note‑taking with flexible supertags for structured knowledge
Freemium
Best for: Teams needing structured, searchable knowledge graphs
View vs #1
37
AFFiNE
All-in-one workspace for notes and knowledge management
Free
Best for: Teams needing adaptable workflows and strong security
View vs #1
38
Capacities
A note-taking app that organizes information as linked objects instead of files and folders.
Freemium
Best for: People who think in connected concepts and want structure without heavy manual linking.
View vs #1
39
Mirror
Reflect your thoughts and habits in a private digital journal
Freemium
Best for: Privacy‑focused self‑reflectors who want habit and mood analytics
View vs #1
40
SelfLoveLetter
Cultivate self-reflection and personal growth through guided digital journaling.
View vs #1
41
Amplenote
Note-taking app that turns notes into tasks and schedules them on a calendar
Freemium
Best for: People who want notes to turn directly into scheduled, prioritized tasks rather than staying static.
View vs #1
42
UpNote
A clean, cross-platform note-taking app for organizing ideas without the clutter.
Freemium
Best for: Individuals who want a fast, private, Markdown-friendly note app across every desktop and mobile platform.
View vs #1
43
open-notebook
A free, open-source note-taking app
Free
Best for: Students seeking distraction-free writing experience
View vs #1

How this ranking works

Each product is scored by combining community upvotes with its average user-review rating (weighted by the number of reviews), so both popularity and real satisfaction count. Rankings update automatically as the community votes and reviews. Explore all Note Taking or browse more ranked lists.

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Rankings shift as the community votes and reviews. We'll send the notable changes once a week.