Start with the free app already on your devices: Apple Notes on iPhone, iPad and Mac, which syncs through iCloud's free 5 GB; Google Keep on Android, inside your Google account; and Microsoft OneNote on Windows, free for up to 5 GB of notes. For handwriting with a stylus, Goodnotes is free for 3 files and $11.99 a year for Essential, and Notability Lite is $11.99 a year with audio recording. When notes grow into a body of knowledge you link and search, Obsidian is free and keeps Markdown files on your own device, while Notion is free for one person and adds databases you can share. If your notes come from meetings, Granola writes them from your device's audio with no bot joining the call, free with limited history or $14 a user a month. Rule: use the one already on your phone, and switch only when search or sharing fails you.
10 resources, 10 link-checked.
Apple's own guide to Notes, the free app built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac, covering quick notes, checklists, tags, folders and syncing through iCloud.
From support.apple.com by Apple Help guide
A tested comparison updated December 2025 of OneNote, Apple Notes, Google Keep, Notion, Obsidian, Joplin and Evernote, with each one's free plan: OneNote free up to 5 GB, Apple Notes inside iCloud's 5 GB.
From zapier.com by Harry Guinness 19 min read
An August 2026 test of notes apps built around AI (Mem, Evernote, Reflect and others) for people who want their notes summarised, searched and turned into drafts.
From zapier.com by Miguel Rebelo 11 min read
Google's free notes and checklists app, built into Android and connected to Gmail, Docs and Calendar, with work accounts through Google Workspace.
From workspace.google.com by Google Product page
Microsoft's free notebook app for Windows, Mac, phones and the web, where you can click anywhere on a page to type, draw or paste.
From onenote.cloud.microsoft by Microsoft Product page
The handwriting notes app for iPad and Apple Pencil, also on Android and Windows. Free for 3 files; Essential is $11.99 a year and Pro $35.99 a year with AI features.
From goodnotes.com by Goodnotes Pricing page
A handwriting and audio-recording notes app for iPad. Starter is free for 5 notes; Lite is $11.99 a year and Plus $15.99 a year with AI help.
From notability.com by Ginger Labs Pricing page
Obsidian is a notes app that stores Markdown files on your own device and links them. The app is free without limits and with no sign-up; Sync is $4 a user a month billed yearly and Publish $8 a site a month, both optional, and the commercial licence is optional too.
From obsidian.md by Obsidian Pricing page
Notion's plans: databases inside the same pages as your docs and wiki, for a small team whose records sit next to written process. Free for individuals, Plus $10 a seat a month, Business $20.
From notion.com by Notion Pricing page
An AI notepad that writes up your meetings from your own device's audio, with no bot joining the call. Basic is free with limited history; Business is $14 a user a month.
From granola.ai by Granola Pricing page
