Finding the best note-taking app is difficult. Different apps have different features. And only some are compatible with Apple pencil.
But don’t worry if you’re confused on which app to choose. In this article I will share my review on some of the best note-taking apps out there, and at the end give you my recommendation on which one to use.
OneNote:
 | Rating: 4.4/5 | Price: Free |
One of the best note-taking and organizational apps – completely free. I use OneNote myself for taking all notes.
Key Features:
- Completely free
- All note-taking features you could need
- Brilliant support for apple pencil
- Easily organise your notes using different file options
- Audio note-taking
- Collaboration tools
Also, you can easily access notes in OneNote on IPad and your laptop!
My favourite features:
I absolutely love the ink selector option. You can choose from a range of different colours, allowing you to make your notes cleaner and effective.
Another amazing feature is the ability to import slides onto the notes. So, if you have lecture slides from college, you can easily import them onto OneNote, and then annotate the slides.
Notability:
 | Rating: 4.7/5 | Price: LITE plan costs €14.99/year |
This app has one of the cleanest and most intuitive interface. Notability is one of the most used apps for note-taking, especially for users looking to take notes with an apple pencil.
Key Features:
- Clean interface
- Perfect for apple pencil
- Tons of organisational features
Another amazing feature of this app is that allows for customisation of pressure sensitivity when using apple pencil. You can choose what feels right!
My favourite feature:
The most amazing feature of this app is that it allows for customisation of pressure sensitivity when using apple pencil. You can choose what feels right!
Writing notes with apple pencil feels extremely smooth
Important:
- Limited notes with free plan
- Pricing: The LITE plan costs €14.99/year. This includes unlimited notes.
The PLUS plan costs €19.99/year, which includes unlimited notes, handwriting recognition, math conversion, and automatic audio transcription.
Goodnotes 6
 | Rating: 4.7/5 | Price: The premium plan is €9.99/year. |
Goodnotes and Notability are the two most used note-taking apps. Goodnotes, too, is brilliant, especially if you want to take effective and easy notes.
Key Features:
- Easy Notebook creation: You can create a virtual notebook for each subject easily.
- Interface: When you write notes, it feels like you are writing on an actual notebook.
- Easily import free templates: You can download book templates and take your notes on that.
Important:
- Free plan allows you to create 3 notebooks only.
- Pricing: The premium plan is €9.99/year. Another option is to make a one-time payment of €29.99. However, with this plan you won’t have access to the app on Windows or android devices.
Apple notes:
 | Rating: 4.8/5 | Price: Completely Free |
A simple and sweet option. It’s already on your iPad as well!
Key Features:
- Easy to use with apple pencil
- Organise notes using folders
- Unlimited notes
- Completely free
Important:
Now, I must say, I would not recommend using apple notes if you want to take hand-written notes.
There aren’t as many features for taking hand-written notes as some other apps offer.
However, I use apple notes to make my daily schedule, jot down some important stuff etc.
Evernote
 | Rating: 4.4/5 | Price: Completely Free |
Evernote has been a popular note-taking app for quite a while.
key features:
- Easy note-taking and support for apple pencil
- Audio Note-Taking
- Collaboration tools
- 10 GB monthly uploads with the personal plan
It certainly has good features. But that being said, most of the ‘good’ features are only available to premium users.
Pricing:
The personal plan €8.33/month or €99.99 Year. Evernote is certainly the costliest on this list.
However, the free plan is better than most of the other ones on the list. With the free plan, you can make up to 50 notes and 1 notebook.
Evernote is quite expensive. It has good features, but you can get similar features for a cheaper price. But still an option worth considering.
Of course, there are many more note-taking apps. However, the above 5 are the best out there. I don’t want to confuse you with too many unnecessary options.
What is the best note-taking app?
I personally recommend using OneNote. Writing with an apple pencil feels smooth. You can create folders to keep your notes organised. Additionally, OneNote’s toolbar is perfect for customising your notes the way you want.
And all of this is for free. It’s the perfect option in my opinion.
That being said if you want to customise your writing experience with the apple pencil – like change the pressure sensitivity, have a cleaner interface, and are willing to pay some money for it, I will recommend Notability.
The best productivity app
While the above were apps to allow you take handwritten notes, Notion is the best app to help you be more productive.
You can easily type notes on Notion and organise them effectively. Additionally, Notion allows you to use pre-made templates to help you stay on-top of assignments, collaborate on projects, and keep track of your goals.
Read our review on Notion to learn more about this game-changer!
Conclusion:
Hope you are a step closer to making effective notes. OneNote and Notability are my top-picks for handwritten notes, and if you also want a platform where you can keep track of everything else school/college related, I strongly recommend Notion.
