Best free note-taking apps
Apps that are useful without a card on file, rather than a trial wearing a free tier as a hat.
Top pick: Apple Notes at 8.1 out of 10. For most iPhone owners this is the correct answer until they hit a specific wall. Just do not build a decade of work here if you might switch to Android. Compare it with Microsoft OneNote.
Apple Notes
Already on your phone, and better than it has any right to be.
Mac / iOS / Web
Best for: Anyone fully on Apple devices who wants zero setup and zero cost.
Free
Microsoft OneNote
An infinite paper notebook that has quietly been free for twenty years.
Win / Mac / iOS / Android / Web
Best for: Students and Windows users who want free handwriting plus typing on one page.
Free
Joplin
Open source, end-to-end encrypted, and it syncs wherever you tell it to.
Win / Mac / Linux / iOS / Android / Web · Open source
Best for: Privacy-minded people leaving Evernote who want to control the storage.
$3/mo
Logseq
A journal-first outliner with flashcards baked in, over local files.
Win / Mac / Linux / iOS / Android · Open source
Best for: Daily journalers and students who want linked notes plus revision.
Free
Notesnook
Zero-knowledge encryption without giving up a modern editor.
Web / Win / Mac / Linux / iOS / Android · Open source
Best for: People who want Evernote-style notes with Signal-style privacy.
$4.49/mo
Samsung Notes
The reason the S Pen is worth using, and it costs nothing.
Android / Win
Best for: Galaxy Tab owners who want free handwriting notes.
Free
Zoho Notebook
A free Evernote-shaped app from a company that sells other things.
Web / Win / Mac / iOS / Android
Best for: People who liked old Evernote and refuse to pay for it.
Free
Google Keep
Sticky notes that sync everywhere and never get in the way.
Android / iOS / Web
Best for: Quick capture, lists and reminders rather than a knowledge base.
Free
Simplenote
Plain text, everywhere, free, and it has never once changed its mind.
Web / Win / Mac / Linux / iOS / Android · Open source
Best for: Writers who want a synced text file and nothing more.
Free
Standard Notes
Encrypted first, everything else second. Now part of Proton.
Web / Win / Mac / Linux / iOS / Android · Open source
Best for: Anyone whose first requirement is that nobody else can read their notes.
$8/mo