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Good Apps For Note Taking On Mac

Everyone needs a capable note-taking app to keep things organized. Evernote is the oldest note-taking software out there. The majority uses the software as file-cabinet to keep notes, documents, web clippings, and more. As for Apple users, Apple Notes is the default option for them. With each iteration of iOS and macOS, Apple is adding more features to the Notes app. If you are getting confused about these two apps, then you have come to the right place.

Jan 04, 2019  These are the best note-taking apps for Mac you should check out. If you have got a favorite, don’t forget to share with us in the comments below. Tags: mac mac apps. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Email. John Smith January 4, 2019. Notes apps on the Mac App Store. There are many note applications present in the Mac app store. Its main advantage over those downloaded on the internet is that some parameters such as security or optimization of it are guaranteed, since they are two of the essential requirements for Apple agrees to have them in the Mac App Store. These apps embody the core philosophy of Simplenote: minimalism and focus on the note taking. There are multiple unofficial clients (including the excellent Notational Velocity and NValt, a fork of the app with markdown support and other goodies.). Jan 08, 2020  Though only available on Apple products, Bear is a note taking app to be reckoned with. It has a simple left to right interface with a main menu, a note snippet display of your most recent notes, and then the actual note taking area. One of its key features is its organizational system. Jun 02, 2020  Best General Note-Taking App While seeing the green elephant logo no longer sparks joy in me, Evernote is still the top pick for most people. Its vast feature set ensures that it does everything well enough and has the fewest quirks (even though it doesn’t have Markdown support — a MAJOR quirk).

Apple Notes is focusing on simplicity while Evernote weights on organization and features. Each software has its pros and cons. You might find one that suits your needs and requirements.

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In this post, we are going to compare Evernote to the Apple Notes on Mac. We will also have a word on mobile apps. The comparison will cover Cross-platform availability, User Interface, Note organization, Note editor, features, pricing, and more. Let’s get started.

Cross-Platform Availability

In this area, you will always find Apple apps at a disadvantage. Apple Notes is only available on iOS, iPad OS, and macOS. Evernote is accessible everywhere, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and iPad.

User Interface

Both the apps follow the standard design elements for a notes app. Starting with Apple Notes, it offers all the notebook folders on the left pane, and notes on the right side.

Only one element bothers me in Apple Notes. The formatting bar remains at the top. There is no way to hide it.

Evernote looks and feels better to me. The software uses the dark-themed sidebar with notebooks, tags, trash, and other options. Evernote also lets you choose from multiple note-viewing options such as Card view, Snipped view, Side List view, and more. Unlike Apple Notes, the formatting bar only comes to play when you try to edit the note.

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Notes Organization

Notes organization is essential in note-taking apps. It might make or break the decision for you. After a couple of months, you are going to fill-up the software with hundreds of notes. So, it’s essential to find the relevant note quickly and efficiently. And here is where the notes organization comes in.

Starting with Apple Notes, the software allows you to create multiple notebooks. You can create sub-notebooks inside it. Unfortunately, there is no way to tag a note and find it using the added tag.

Evernote shines when it comes to notes organization. You can create notebooks and even add multiple tags to note for a better organizational structure. Adding tags is one of the best features of Evernote. I hope Apple Notes and OneNote take inspiration from it.

Note Editor

Apple Notes is offering limited options when it comes to editing a note. You can choose from Title, Headings, Subheading, Monospaced, Bullet list, and Numbered list. Users can also integrate photos and documents inside a note.

I like the table add-on. In certain notes, tables make it easy to keep things organized. Sadly, there is no way to highlight words in Apple Notes. I hope Apple adds a native highlighter in future updates.

Evernote feels like a full-fledged document editor with dozens of editing options. You can choose from the various font style, sizes, and even colors. If you are someone who likes formatting notes with different fonts styles, colors, and highlighter, then you can go ahead with Evernote.

I like the direct integration of Google Drive in Evernote. You can add files from Google Drive to Evernote with one step. I hope Apple offers a similar add-on with the iCloud or OneDrive platform.

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Search

Both the Evernote and Apple Notes offer search functions. Evernote is one step ahead as it lets you search within image text too. Apple Notes, on the other hand, enjoys close integration with macOS.

You can simply use ‘Command + Space’ keys, open Spotlight search, and start searching for notes within Apple Notes.

Sharing and Extension

With Apple Notes, you can invite others to make changes to the Notes and folders. Users can also use the default Share menu to send notes via Mail, Airdrop, Messages, and even attach the note to the Reminders app.

Evernote lets you directly share a file through email. You can also invite others to join the notebook and make changes.

Evernote offers a Chrome extension to clip content from the web to Evernote. You can also add web bookmarks using the Evernote extension. I hope Apple follows suit and develop Notes extension for Safari and Chrome browser.

Storage and Price

Apple Notes uses the iCloud platform to store user data. The company offers 5GB of iCloud storage for free. After that, you have to pay for the additional space on iCloud. The pricing starts at $1 for 50GB.

Evernote relies on its data centers to store the notes and user data. The free version is limited to two devices. The premium plan is priced at $70.

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A Word on Mobile Apps

Both Apple Notes and Evernote offer a native experience on iOS. Evernote is better with the bottom bar, intuitive user interface, dark theme support, and the ability to add voice notes. The formatting options are also the same as the desktop, which is a good thing.

Apple Notes is as functional on the phone as it's on desktop. You can use the spotlight search to search within Apple Notes.

Start Taking Notes

Both the Apple Notes and Evernote have their pros and cons. Apple Notes offer better OS integration, and it is free to use. Evernote is feature-rich, offers better organization and the web clipper is the best in business. As of now, I’m sticking Evernote. If you are planning to move from Apple Notes to Evernote, then you will appreciate the add-ons that Evernote offers compared to Apple Notes.

Next up:Evernote is a joy to use with keyboard shortcuts. Read the post below to find the best eleven Evernote keyboard shortcuts for Windows and Mac.


The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read Next11 Best Evernote Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and MacAlso See#macos #comparison

Did You Know

Notion, the productivity app, was founded in 2013.

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From that random idea that needs to be jotted down, to making complex notes and mind maps, in today’s day and age, it’s better to stick to a note taking application, rather than relying on physical pen and paper.

Good Apps For Note Taking On Mac Free

In our previous article, we saw some of the best note taking apps for Windows, and in this one, we have got you covered with our list of the best note taking apps for Mac.

Best Note Taking Apps for Mac

1. Apple Notes

The stock Notes app that comes with Mac OS itself, is actually not that bad. It comes with basic note taking functionalities like formatting, lists, checkboxes, drag and dropping pictures/files. While it doesn’t offer anything out of the box, where Apple Notes shines is how fast it is to open and get started with a new note. Also it syncs immediately and effortlessly with the Notes app on your iPhone and iPad. We highly suggest you first checking out this app which already comes with your Mac, before buying or installing another note taking app.

Pros:
– Very fast and simple to use
– Comes pre-installed
– Sync with notes app on iPhone and iPad

Cons:
– Not ideal for handwritten notes or drawings
– No charts, graph support
– Works only within the Apple Ecosystem

Bottom Line: If you are someone who needs to take notes on your computer very rarely, might be for a grocery list or quick information, you’ll get by easily using the stock Notes app. Apple Notes does offer all the basic functionalities you might need and best of all, you don’t even need to install another app.

Best Note Taking For Mac

Price: Free

Link: Use Apple Notes on iCloud here

2. Evernote

Chances are you have heard of Evernote, as it is one of the most popular note taking apps available on almost all platforms. Evernote offers some great ways to keep all your notes perfectly organised. You start off your note by creating/selecting a particular notebook and all your notes are kept organised in these notebooks. You also have a tags to classify all your stuff, and it basically works like a File Cabinet.

In terms of features, it is a beast and it has almost any and every feature you’d want in a note taking app including pie charts and bar graphs to searching text in a picture. We also strongly recommend trying Evernote with its Web-clipper companion which makes taking notes/clips form the web so easy, you can never go back. But all this does come at a price, which makes Evernote a little on the bulkier and slower side.

Pros:
– Feature packed to the brim
– Available on all platforms
– Easy organisation of notes

Cons:
– Heavy app and takes time to start up
– Costly

Read: Don’t Like Their New Pricing, Try These 8 Best Free Evernote Alternatives

Bottom Line: Well, if you are someone who has to take loads of notes and are also looking to keep them organised in the best way possible, Evernote is a really good investment.

Price: Free(Basic), $34.99/Year(Plus), $69.99/Year(Premium)

Link: Download Evernote from here

3. Unclutter

Unclutter is a neat tool which can increase your productivity by many folds. The app works almost like Sticky Notes; you can access it very quickly from any window you are working on. Just go to the top of your screen and scroll down, Unclutter should appear with its three windows: the first being the Clipboard, second being Files and the last being the Notes section.

Creating a note is pretty fast, just make Unclutter appear and start with your new note or even copy directly from the clipboard or even a file. Click on the ‘+’ to take another note and you can also see all your notes or search through them.

But do keep in mind that the notes you can take are pretty limited to text only and the absence of formatting and checkbox lists might be. Ideal breaker for some.

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Pros:
– Easy access, one swipe away
– Pretty fast
– Comes with a Clipboard as well as a file holder

Cons:
– Supports only text notes
– No organisation
– No sync, only on Mac OS

Bottom Line: Unclutter is a very cool app where you can take notes in a jiffy, so we’d recommend this app for someone who is looking to take some quick text notes while working on their computer and doesn’t need any fancy formatting or feature.

Price: $9.99 (Free Trial available)

Link: Get Unclutter here

4. BoostNote

Next on our list, we have a note taking app specifically designed for programmers. BoostNote started out as a open source project and has gained a lot of popularity among the programming community over the years.

What this app basically allows you to do is store your code or code snippets as notes. You can access quickly or even take notes in markdown. Once you open the app, you can select if you want to create a markdown note or create a code snippet. And when I said it is meant for developers, I meant it. BoostNote supports code syntax highlighting in more than a hundred languages and it is also very easy to keep all your notes organised.

Pros:
– Supports markdown notes
– Code highlighting
– Plenty of syntax and UI themes
– Open source
– Available on all platforms

Cons:
– Bulky
– Takes time to startup

Bottom Line: Well the answer is obvious, this app is a blessing for programmers as they can now manage all their code snippets and keep them organised while also not losing on the ability to take notes in markdown.

Price: Free

Link: Download Boostnote from here

5. OneNote

OneNote is a full blown note taking application from Microsoft, which has been here for a while now. And over all these years, it feels like Microsoft has almost perfected the note-taking experience.

What separates OneNote its competitors is that it using the app feels very close to taking notes on a real notebook; you can write, draw, add pictures literally anywhere on the page at any orientation, just like on a paper notebook. It also comes with a ton of features, the biggest selling point would be built in OCR reader. While you can get it for free for almost all platforms, the Mac app is huge in size and a little slow to use.

Pros:
– Feature-rich note taking app
– Office integration
– Notebook like experience
– Completely free

Cons:
– Huge size
– Can be sluggish at times

Bottom Line: If you are invested even a little in the Microsoft space, OneNote is a no brainer and even if you are not and looking for a great digital notebook, OneNote won’t disappoint.

Price: Free

Link: OneNote is available here

6. Notability

Notability is our pick as the best note taking app for students. It works exceptionally well with the Apple Pencil on the iPad to create beautiful hand-written notes and sketches. You can rotate, scale, and recolour your ideas and sketches until your notes are just how you want them. You can even markup photos and annotate PDFs and once you’re done you can easily share them through Airdrop or any other storage service.

Notability keeps all your notes neatly organised and also syncs them up between your iPad, iPhone and Mac, so you can access them anytime anywhere.

Pros:
– Great for hand-written notes and sketches
– Support for pressure sensitive strokes of the Apple Pencil

Cons:
– No search tags
– No support for shapes
– Pricey

Bottom Line: If you have an iPad which you use to take or sketch notes, Notability works really well with the Apple Pencil and if you have the money to spend, just go for it.

A great alternative to Notability would be ZoomNotes which comes at a lower price, but offers almost all the features of Notability.

Price: $9.99

Link: Buy Notability from here

7. Journey

The next app on our list is Journey, which takes maintaining your daily notes to a whole new level. While Journey is aimed more to be a digital journal, you can still use the feature-packed text editor to take quick notes and Journey will keep them ordered by the date. You can also search through all your notes and even view them by locations. The app backs up and syncs all your notes using Google Drive and it should be imperative to say, it also does provide impressive security features to protect your privacy.

Pros:
– Keeps everything organised like a Diary
– Easy note taking
– Streamlined review of your notes

Cons:
– Costly
– Requires Gmail/Google Drive account

Bottom Line: Journey works best for noting down your everyday goals or writing something about your day. If you are looking to make the switch from a physical diary to a digital one, Journey might be your best bet.

Price: $16.99

Link: Download Journey from here

8. Manuscripts

With all the normal note taking apps or text editors, it gets really hard to note down or represent scientific equations, derivatives and mathematical graphs. Enter Manuscripts, a free note taking app made for scientists and scholarly writing. Describing it as just a note taking app would be an understatement as it is capable of much more from a writing a research article to penning down a book.
There are various templates which you can choose from and a plethora of import and export options including LaTeX.

Pros:
– Scientific Notes/Writing
– Solid import and export formats
– Citation and bibliography formatting

Cons:
– Not quick for taking simple notes

Bottom Line: Manuscripts is a capable and powerful app for when the going gets tough. Of course, it isn’t for the average Joe, but rather for taking scientific notes with equations and graphs. If you are looking for more of a digital laboratory notebook with support for experiment templates along with equations and graphs, check out Findings.

Price: Free

Link: Ger Manuscripts here

9. iThoughtsX

Note Taking Apps For Mac

Last but definitely not least, we have iThoughtsX, a mind mapping tool that lets you organise your thoughts and at a glance see the whole project. Mind maps are ideal for brainstorming with means of keeping your ideas structured and nothing gets omitted out in the whole process.
Although it has a steep learning curve, it’s really easy once you get the hold of it. There are multiple templates and layouts from which you can start and there’s an impressive amount of built-in icons and clipart images.

Good Apps For Note Taking On Mac Computer

Pros:
– Create perfect mind maps for summarising and meeting notes
– Task Management
– Hand-off feature(Start your min map on one device and finish on another device)

Cons:
– Steep learning curve
– Not good for other kind of notes

Bottom Line: Mind maps are especially useful for managers and developers or anyone managing a large project. So if you know you need to create mind maps, this app is for you.

Price: $49.99

Link: Get iThoughtsX here

Best Note Taking App For Mac

Wrapping Up: Best Note Taking Apps for Mac

Note Taking On Mac

We believe that there is an app for everyone with their own particular need. So whether you are a student or programmer or businessman, we really hope that you could find at least one note taking app from this list suitable to your own needs. And that concludes our list of the top note taking applications available for the Mac. Don’t forget to connect with us and tell us your favourite app from the list or if we missed yours.