The 6 Best Note-Taking Apps in 2025

When inspiration strikes in the middle of work, the last thing you want is to scramble for sticky notes. Instead, consider using note-taking apps that are always within reach. These apps act as your second brain, transforming fleeting thoughts into actionable ideas. Besides just capturing notes, they offer organization through collaborative features and support for various content types.

Having decided to use a note-taking app, your next challenge is picking one that suits your personal and professional needs. No worries—we’ve done the legwork for you. Below is our curated list of the top 6 note-taking apps of 2025. Keep reading, choose your favorite, and stay organized!

The Best Six Note-Taking Apps in 2025

Explore the descriptions of the best note-taking apps to try in 2025:

Microsoft OneNote

OneNote is arguably the most popular and beloved app for note-taking. It’s free and packed with features that cater to every need. Each page is a blank canvas where you can jot down notes, insert images, add formulas and tables, and even doodle. Thanks to Microsoft’s integration with OpenAI, OneNote stands out with its AI capabilities. Its Copilot AI assistant simplifies creating, editing, or summarizing your notes. Ideal for students or anyone who enjoys taking comprehensive notes or doodling, OneNote offers a natural journaling and note-taking experience.

Notion

While most note-taking apps focus on personal use, Notion shines as a collaborative tool. It can still be used solo, offering features that extend beyond note-taking. Notion is a project and task manager, a robust note-taking app, and a reference Wiki. Popular among users who create wikis and databases, Notion calls each new note or document a “page.” Everything in Notion is a “block,” including text, headings, checklists, images, and more. You can use endless blocks per page and customize settings to keep notes private or share them with your team.

Apple Notes

If you are part of the Apple ecosystem, Apple Notes may be your go-to choice. Built into iOS and macOS (and accessible via browser), Apple Notes is free, user-friendly, and always just a click away. Once a basic app, Apple Notes now offers features like recording audio, attaching images, drawing, handwriting, scanning documents, and solving math problems. It can also manage attachments and organize notes into folders. While its AI features aren’t as robust as some competitors, Apple’s intelligence can generate images and rewrite text for you.

Google Keep

Google Keep is quite minimalist compared to other note-taking apps but offers practical iOS, Android, web versions, and a Chrome extension for quick notes and links. What makes it valuable is its seamless integration with Google’s other services. Google Keep captures various content types—notes, lists, photos, and audio—and organizes them on a digital bulletin board. You can send emails from your Google Keep notes by clicking the light bulb icon in Gmail’s sidebar, which also appears in Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Calendar.

Obsidian

Obsidian is not exactly a beginner-friendly note-taking app. It requires time and effort to master, but if you’re serious about note-taking, it’s worth exploring. With core features like note-taking and Canvas for notes, Obsidian stands out by allowing linking between notes through internal hyperlinks. This feature lets you link to and reference previously created notes, helping you create a web of interconnected ideas. You can also see all notes linked to your current note, reducing confusion.

Joplin

For those seeking an open-source note-taking app to articulate their thoughts, Joplin is ideal. It’s accessible on iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Besides taking notes, Joplin allows you to include PDFs, audio files, videos, and images. If your friends, family, or coworkers use the app, sharing notes is seamless. The collaborative feature also enables you to save notes online and share links with others, making it easy to share task lists, meeting notes, or company wikis with a wide audience. Joplin offers customization via custom themes, plugins, and text editors like Markdown.

Conclusion

Note-taking apps can make organizing your thoughts both fun and creative, especially when they offer diverse features to explore. The best app is one that’s available across platforms, easy to use, organized, and conducive to productivity. Whether you prefer free or paid options for personal or professional use, the note-taking apps we’ve discussed—like Microsoft OneNote, Notion, Apple Notes, and others—are excellent starting points. Choose the one that fits your lifestyle and needs, and elevate your organization skills in 2025.