Digital devices have largely replaced paper as a medium for writing, with numerous software tools available for this purpose. In some cases, a word processing or desktop publishing software is needed to complete the current task in an optimal way. However, when you need to quickly take notes while listening to someone or watching a live stream, less complex software equipped with specific tools works much better.

This is why students would be wise to identify a note taking app that fits their learning style and fits into the available budget. It’s common to have a computer or phone during classes and having a great app for taking notes makes it more likely that key pieces of knowledge will be retained. In other words, a simple mobile app can have a tangible impact on the final grades.

Since there is a huge number of free and paid applications that can be useful for this purpose, students sometimes struggle to make the right choice and often fail to use any of them. By directly comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the best note-taking apps for students in 2023, we aim to help to match each learner with the most appropriate tool.

List of 15 Note Taking Apps for Students

Microsoft OneNote

Released by a top software company and highly compatible with commonly used Office tools, OneNote is perhaps the first app to consider for note taking in educational context. Thanks to a familiar layout, logical menu system, and plenty of smartly designed tools, this application will serve you well even if you are not experienced with content capturing.

Best features:

• Simple and practical digital notebook for creating and storing text, audio, or video
• Supports writing and drawing with a stylus or even a finger
• Offers flexible options for file systematization and sharing
• Allows teachers to distribute educational materials and curriculums over the web

Primary weaknesses:

• Offline editing of notes is not possible, making internet connection a necessity
• Loading time can be slow, especially when trying to share large files

Pricing: free to download, additional features may be unlocked with a Microsoft 365 subscription

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.5 (1793 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6 (1268 reviews)

Evernote

This is perhaps the best-known note taking app in the market that has been consistently improved over the years. The current version can go toe for toe with any product from this class, delivering additional options for the user at every step. Students can use this platform to quickly exchange and compare notes and work together to prepare for important exams.

Best features:

• Professional software for teams that allows each member to create and manage his notes
• Strong collaborative features including centralized task scheduling
• Excellent search function that allows finding a key phrase in handwritten notes
• Storage space in the cloud is provided to save the notes

Primary weaknesses:

• Mobile search can be painstakingly slow
• Third-party integrations are relatively limited

Pricing: Basic version is free, Premium version costs $7.99 per month

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.4 (1974 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 (7722 reviews)

Google Keep

This program quite literally lets you keep everything worth saving for later reference and editing, be it text, an image, or just a scribbled note. It’s an integral part of the Google Workspace suite, so it will instantly look familiar to any PC user. Students in particular can greatly benefit from adopting Keep as a faithful study companion that remembers every detail.

Best features:

• The app uses a simple interface that resembles sticky notes placed on a desktop
• The most important notes can be pinned to the front so they are always visible
• Productivity tools such as to-do lists and reminders are included
• Excellent integration with other business software by Google

Primary weaknesses:

• It doesn’t have separate cloud storage and fills out space reserved on your Google account
• It’s not possible to organize the documents in a hierarchical manner

Pricing: free with a Google account

Customer ratings:

• G2: N/A
• Capterra: 4.7 (122 reviews)

Zoho Notebook

The usefulness of this app has been confirmed in the business sector as well as in higher education and science. Zoho Notebook is full of interesting functions that boost creativity and productivity, but it’s not very hard to master. Students that have big business ambitions can start practicing teamwork and accountability by using this app while they are still at school.

Best features:

• Powerful note-taking app that automatically synchronizes data across all connected devices
• Different Note Cards can be associated with specific types of notes
• Notes can be shared and collaboratively edited in the cloud
• Data privacy is treated as the top priority with Zoho Notebook

Primary weaknesses:

• Web clipping tool doesn’t always correctly work when multiple tabs are open
• The app is slower than most software of the same kind

Pricing: Essential package is available for free, Pro package costs EUR 19.9 per month

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.4 (59 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5 (65 reviews)

Apple Notes

While this is certainly the most convenient note-taking application in the Apple ecosystem, its full value might still be overlooked by many people. It works on multiple devices and lets users capture and annotate multimedia materials with absolute ease. Considering it’s a free tool that comes pre-installed on Mac computers and iPads, its popularity among students is no surprise.

Best features:

• Notes are automatically shared in the cloud and can be accessed from any Apple device
• The first line of the note is used as a title if the app is not instructed otherwise
• Formatting can be customized, including the style of the headings and the font used for text
• Photos and videos can be easily inserted into notes

Primary weaknesses:

• Not compatible with Windows, Linux, or Android devices
• Some features are not immediately visible and must be searched for

Pricing: free

Customer ratings:

• G2: N/A
• Capterra: N/A

Obsdian

Students who want to take their note-taking game to the next level could use Obsedian as their secret weapon. This app has everything you need for a serious educational effort, and lets users create extensive knowledge bases from their locally collected notes and documents. The more complex the subject gets, the more essential and indispensable this software becomes.

Best features:

• This app provides an easy way to create notes, clippings, and similar content snippets
• Valuable assistance with developing complex writing or research projects
• Graph view provides a summarized presentation of accumulated knowledge and connections
• Clean and modern interface shortens the learning curve

Primary weaknesses:

• Free users are forced to see ads, which can disrupt their work
• More advanced features take time to fully understand

Pricing: Personal account is free forever, Catalyst account costs $25 and Business account is $50 for a lifetime license

Customer ratings:

• G2: N/A
• Capterra: 4.8 (6 reviews)

nTask

The merits of this app have been well-demonstrated, and it continues to be widely used by students as well as high-level professionals. Adopting nTask is not very demanding and usually causes an instant productivity and efficiency boost. Note taking may not be its primary purpose, but it performs more than competently in that department, too.

Best features:

• Project management and task planning app with a note taking capacity
• Notes are automatically saved and may be accessed either online or offline
• Timesheets and time tracking tools can be very useful to students
• Kanban boards and Gantt chats allow for collaborative work on complex assignments

Primary weaknesses:

• Editing features of this app are quite limited
• The output doesn’t integrate with many popular third-party platforms

Pricing: Basic package is free, the Premium costs $3 monthly, while the Business package is priced at $8/month

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.4 (17 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.2 (101 reviews)

Notability

Some people prefer to use a specialized tool for note taking, and Notability fits this description quite well. This app lets users create and edit notes in many different ways and include typed or handwritten text, images, or audio. The notes made with this software can be used not only for personal preparation, but also as a part of presentations or project reports.

Best features:

• Digital note taking and editing tool that handles multimedia extremely well
• It comes with a large gallery of templates that help users to get started
• Notes can be annotated, marked by hand, or edited in other ways
• It’s possible to view a hidden note while presenting from the main one

Primary weaknesses:

• Importing or exporting files is too complicated
• The app doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility with organizing notes

Pricing: one-time payment of $10.82

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.6 (38 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6 (26 reviews)

SimpleNote

Students can use this lightweight app to outline their ideas, write down key theses from a lecture, or prepare a study project. Since all content is automatically synced across devices, the user can just focus on accomplishing his goals. SimpleNote is definitely one of the better note-taking options for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a premium business app.

Best features:

• User-friendly app that lets users create notes on a computer or mobile device
• Instant searching for earlier notes with a system of tags
• The app supports editing and publishing in the Markdown format
• Includes to-do lists and basic collaboration tools

Primary weaknesses:

• Hierarchical organization of notes is not an option
• There are no templates for specific note styles

Pricing: completely free

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.1 (26 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 (11 reviews)

MeisterNote

Most users consider this app to be very user-friendly and effective for reaching educational as well as professional goals. It gives content creators the power to combine different elements with very little effort. Thanks to a range of text and image editing tools, documents created with this app can look amazing even if they were put together quickly.

Best features:

• Practical app suitable for documenting personal or professional matters
• Notes and sub-notes can be conveniently organized within workspaces
• Knowledge bases can be built by interlinking numerous individual notes
• Instant sharing of notes between a group of users

Primary weaknesses:

• Notes can’t be tagged in this app, which negatively impacts document discovery
• External sharing of notes is not enabled

Pricing: the free version is available, the Pro package costs EUR 2.99 monthly, Business package costs EUR 6.49 per month

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.8 (2 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3 (14 reviews)

NoteLedge

No matter which style of learning and processing information suits you best, NoteLedge will support in in a very effective way. It is great for the visual types, but also works great if you like collecting ideas from many different sources. For those who like to study as a group, the app can deliver a smooth and enjoyable experience where everyone can participate.

Best features:

• Digital notebook app that includes powerful multimedia tools
• Mood boards allow for easy expression of ideas or setting project foundations
• Images, text, drawings and other elements can be arranged in multiple layers
• Notes can be exported as PDF’s or presented in a slideshow form

Primary weaknesses:

• There is no tutorial to help the beginners
• User interface is not very well suited for smartphones

Pricing: Basic plan is free, Pro plan costs $2.49 per month, Creativity 365 plan costs $4.99 monthly

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.7 (10 reviews)
• Capterra: 5.0 (1 review)

Bear

Students who use a Mac or iPhone to prepare for exams would be well advised to install this app. Bear note-taking app provides a simple way to keep track of your thoughts and formalize them in a way that makes sense to you. Creating documents of any length and complexity becomes completely instinctive when you can rely on this wonderful tool.

Best features:

• Note taking application with advanced features designed specifically for Apple devices
• Users can select a graphic theme, font, and other visual elements they prefer
• Notes can be converted into Word or PDF format and encrypted for security
• The app contains an advanced Markup editor

Primary weaknesses:

• There are no significant collaboration or social features
• Font color can’t be changed

Pricing: free trial is available, 1-year subscription costs $14.99

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.5 (42 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5 (4 reviews)

Also Read: Bear Note vs Evernote >

Notion

Note-taking is just one of many functions that this popular app can serve for. Notion is a project management and document creation platform that empowers users to work together towards a common goal. Groups of students preparing a research project can take advantage of this all-in-one approach and experience a synergistic effect.

Best features:

• Versatile app that combines note creation with document management and online collaboration
• Customizable templates provide a great starting point for developing ideas
• Education-specific deployments for teachers and students including class schedules
• Documents can be accumulated into wikis that can be accessed by all team members

Primary weaknesses:

• Only four different language versions are available
• Inexperienced users can have a steep learning curve

Pricing: free plan is available, Plus plan costs $8 per user monthly, Pro plan costs $15/user monthly

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.6 (1075 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7 (1176 reviews)

Quip

As a well-known team collaboration platform, Quip offers some interesting possibilities for use in the field of education. It was originally developed for sales teams, so it’s tuned to facilitate efficiency. Ideal for teams that closely collaborate on study projects, this software facilitates document-driven knowledge exchange in real-time.

Best features:

• Versatile and flexible platform for the creation and sharing of documents
• Rich media and spreadsheets can be easily embedded into text documents
• Notes can be edited collaboratively in the cloud
• High level of data security and privacy

Primary weaknesses:

• There is no free version of this app
• It can be difficult to properly configure the app for the most optimal use

Pricing: The starter pack costs $10 per user monthly, Plus pack costs $25 per user monthly

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.2 (1075 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4 (188 reviews)

Boostnote

For users who gravitate towards open-source software, Boostnote is a solid alternative to brand-name note taking apps that comes with some valuable extra features. This is a document-based project management platform originally made for supporting software development, but it can be used for learning purposes even in non-technical fields.

Best features:

• Open-source solution that supports collaborative document creation and real-time editing
• Specialized tool for writing down minutes during video meetings, presentations, or classes
• Diagrams and charts can be easily inserted into personal notes
• Documents related to a certain topic can be organized into folders or combined into a knowledge base

Primary weaknesses:

• Requires a relatively high level of technical knowledge
• Some bugs and app crashes are reported

Pricing: free trial is available, Standard plan costs $5 per user monthly, Pro plan is $8 per person/month

Customer ratings:

• G2: 4.0 (1 review)
• Capterra: N/A

Final Words

Note-taking applications of various types can deliver the expected functionality, but they greatly differ in terms of complexity and price. Students and educational institutions are usually budget-conscious, so they naturally want to use the most cost-effective option. Some of the best note-taking apps can be installed for free, and for individual learners, they might be quite enough. When there is a need to provide note-taking ability for study groups, research teams, or entire classes, a more advanced solution is recommended.