Best Note Taking Apps Free

4.8😊(458K ratings)

FreeIn-App Purchases

#99in Productivity

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Capture, organize, and enhance your thoughts with a versatile digital notebook. Seamlessly blend handwriting, typing, and multimedia to annotate documents, record lectures, and generate summaries. Ideal for students and professionals seeking to boost productivity and learning.

What We Love

🚀 Great app for note-taking
👍 Smooth handwriting experience
📝 Excellent organization and file management
🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
🔍 Handwriting recognition and search
🌈 Customizable colors and themes

Room to Improve

🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
🔍 Limited search and organization options
🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
🔒 Concerns about subscription model
🔧 Buggy after recent updates

Otter Transcribe Voice Notes by Otter.ai, Inc.

AI Note Taking, Memo Recorder

Strong Contender

4.8😊(87K ratings)

FreeIn-App Purchases

#19in Productivity

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This app offers real-time voice transcription for meetings, lectures, and conversations. It acts as an AI assistant, capturing slides, generating summaries, and allowing for collaborative editing and sharing of notes. Available in multiple languages and on web.

What We Love

🚀 Excellent transcription accuracy
👍 Convenient features like speaker identification and timestamps
🚀 Fast and efficient transcription process
👍 Versatile for various use cases (meetings, interviews, lectures)
👍 Helpful for deaf/hard of hearing users
👍 Seamless integration between mobile and desktop

Room to Improve

🐛 Occasional transcription errors, especially with technical terms
💰 Concerns about increasing subscription costs and reduced free minutes
🐛 Buggy behavior and crashes reported by some users
🔒 Privacy concerns around data usage for model training

Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDF by Goodnotes Limited

Note taking, Planner & Journal

Worth Considering

4.7😊(465K ratings)

FreeIn-App Purchases

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Capture ideas, enhance productivity, and unlock insights with advanced AI features. This app offers tools for professionals, students, and creatives, including infinite whiteboards, AI-powered transcription and summarization, and customizable digital notebooks.

What We Love

🚀 Excellent note-taking experience
👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
🚀 Smooth writing with Apple Pencil
📁 Powerful organization with folders and notebooks
🖼️ Ability to annotate PDFs and documents
🌈 Customizable paper styles and covers

Room to Improve

🐛 Glitches and crashes
🔍 Syncing and iCloud issues
🔍 Lack of flexibility with text input
🔍 Limited eraser and highlighting options
🔍 Subpar performance on Mac app

More Note Taking Apps Free apps to explore

Summary - AI Note Taker

Transcribe audio to text

One-tap audio recordingAccurate transcription with speaker labelsAI-powered summaries and key points

This app records, transcribes, and summarizes audio conversations, making meetings and lectures more productive. It uses AI to generate accurate transcripts with speaker labels and provides instant answers to questions about the content. Users can easily export and share notes.

(56K)

Capture Notes, Ideas and Memos

Microsoft OneNote

Capture thoughts and ideasDigital sketchbookOrganize and search notes

Capture thoughts, ideas, and plans in a digital notepad. Organize, search, and secure your notes, memos, and sketches. Sync across devices for access anywhere, anytime. Collaborate with others on shared notepads.

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Freenotes®: AI Notes Taking

Docs PDF Memo Planner Pencil

AI Summaries and Chat with PDFsAI Homework and Study HelperHandwritten Note Organization

This AI-powered digital notepad transforms your device into an intelligent workspace. It offers handwriting recognition, PDF annotation, and AI assistance for summarizing documents, answering questions, and aiding in study. Organize notes, sketch ideas, and sync across devices for a seamless paperless experience.

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Notepad: Easy Notes & Memos

Simple Notebook & Writing Pad

Create to-do lists with checkboxesUnlimited text notesHandwritten notes with Apple Pencil

Capture thoughts, create to-do lists, and organize ideas with a versatile digital notebook. Supports handwriting, text notes, and secure cloud syncing. Personalize your experience with custom themes and icons.

(29K)

Notee: AI Note Taker

Transcribe audio to text

Smart voice dictationLive audio transcriptionAdvanced AI summarizer

This app transforms your phone into an intelligent AI note taker and voice recorder. It accurately transcribes meetings, lectures, and interviews into text, summaries, and actionable notes. Organize your digital notebook and access recordings anytime.

(5K)

Google Keep - Notes and lists

Notes and lists

Capture notes, lists, photos, and audioOrganize with labels and colorsSet time and location-based reminders

Capture, edit, and share notes and lists across all your devices. Organize with labels and colors, and set time or location-based reminders. Collaborate with others in real-time for shared tasks.

Your AI assistant from Google

Unlimited prompting with Gemini 3 FlashLive interaction via camera/screen sharingContent creation (mockups, posters, diagrams)

This AI assistant helps you brainstorm, create content, and simplify complex topics. It integrates with your Google apps to provide personalized assistance, plan trips, and study smarter. Upgrade for advanced features like video generation and deeper research capabilities.

(2.4M)

Noteful: Notes & PDF Markup

Highlight. Write. Learn.

Handwritten notes with Apple PencilPDF and document annotationOrganize notes with tags

This app revolutionizes paperless note-taking on iPad, allowing for handwritten notes, document annotation, and knowledge organization. It offers a fluid writing experience, PDF markup, powerful tagging, and audio recording synced with notes.

AI Note Taker - Talk To Text

(24K)

freemium

Transcribe Audio Speech Voice

Real-time speech transcriptionAudio file transcriptionSmart formatting with punctuation

Transform spoken words into structured notes instantly with AI-powered transcription. Features real-time and file transcription, smart formatting, speaker identification, and meeting summaries. Organize, edit, and share your notes easily.

Simple notes, todos and memos

Simple note-taking experienceCross-device syncingCollaboration and sharing

Capture ideas, create to-do lists, and jot down thoughts effortlessly. Organize your notes with tags and pins, and find them instantly with search. Your content syncs across all devices for free, ensuring it's always accessible.

Take note of almost anything

Add attachments (PDFs, images, links)Scan paper documentsCreate checklists

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and important information with a versatile note-taking app. Attach various file types, scan documents, create checklists, and even sketch directly within your notes. Organize with folders, tags, and smart searches, and collaborate with others on shared notes.

Plan, organize, track projects

(660K)

free

Notion: Notes, Tasks, AI

AI-powered note-taking and summarizationTask and project managementCollaborative workspace

This AI-powered workspace helps you write notes, manage tasks, organize projects, and collaborate with others. It offers features like AI meeting notes and interactive maps to streamline your workflow for personal, student, or professional use.

(90K)

Evernote: AI Notes & Notebook

Tasks, memo & lists organizer

Capture ideas as searchable notesCreate to-do lists with remindersOrganize with notebooks and tags

Capture ideas, organize notes, and manage tasks across all your devices. This app helps you tame distractions and accomplish more by bringing your to-dos, schedule, and important information together in one searchable place.

(78K)

EasyNotes: Notes, Memo & Lists

Sticky Notes, Color Notepad

Rich text notes with formattingCustomizable note backgroundsStylish sticky note widgets

Capture your thoughts and ideas with a versatile note-taking app. Create rich text notes, add photos, sketch, record audio, and organize with colorful backgrounds and widgets. Secure your notes with multiple lock options and sync across devices.

(4.1K)

CollaNote: Notes & PDF Markup

25+ Pens to Take Better Notes

25+ pens and brushesPDF, PPT, DOC markupFlashcard creation

This app offers a comprehensive note-taking experience with advanced tools for digital planning, PDF markup, and flashcard creation. It features a wide array of pens, handwriting stabilization, and AI-powered assistance for enhanced productivity and creativity. Organize, secure, and share your notes seamlessly across devices.

(15K)

Noteshelf: AI Notes & PDF

Handwriting, Planner & Journal

Handwritten note creationPDF annotation and markupAudio recording with notes

Create handwritten notes, annotate PDFs, and record audio with this app. It offers extensive customization for notebooks, a variety of writing tools, and AI-powered features for summarization and translation. Organize your thoughts and documents seamlessly.

(7.1K)

Noteorius Notes

by Kent Displays, Inc.

Digitize handwritten notes and drawingsCloud backup and syncingOrganize and search notes

This app digitizes handwritten notes and drawings from a smart notebook, allowing for easy organization, editing, and cloud syncing. It transforms your physical notes into searchable digital files, making them accessible and shareable.