Top 10 Best Note Taking Tools
Ranked by rating, features, and user satisfaction. Last updated: May 2026.
| # | Tool | Rating | Free Plan | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obsidian | ★ 4.7 | ✓ | Free / $4+ | researchers, writers |
| 2 | Bear | ★ 4.7 | ✓ | Free / $2.99+ | writers, note takers |
| 3 | Notion | ★ 4.6 | ✓ | Free / $10+ | startups, students |
| 4 | Heptabase | ★ 4.6 | ✗ | $11.99+ | researchers, students |
| 5 | Ulysses | ★ 4.6 | ✗ | $5.99+ | authors, bloggers |
| 6 | Craft | ★ 4.6 | ✓ | Free / $5+ | apple users, writers |
| 7 | Craft | ★ 4.5 | ✓ | Free / $5+ | apple users, writers |
| 8 | Bear | ★ 4.5 | ✓ | Free / $2.99+ | apple users, writers |
| 9 | Typora | ★ 4.5 | ✗ | $14.99+ | developers, writers |
| 10 | Logseq | ★ 4.4 | ✓ | Free / $5+ | researchers, writers |
A knowledge base that works on local Markdown files.
- ✓ 100% offline
- ✓ Local-first
- ✓ Plugin ecosystem
- ✗ No real-time collaboration
- ✗ Steep learning curve
Beautiful, flexible writing app for Apple devices with nested tags, Markdown support, and a focus on elegant note-taking and long-form writing.
- ✓ Gorgeous design
- ✓ Flexible tag system
- ✓ Supports Markdown
- ✗ Apple only (no Windows/Android)
- ✗ Limited collaboration
All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
- ✓ Extremely flexible
- ✓ Great free tier
- ✓ Powerful databases
- ✗ Slow with large pages
- ✗ Steep learning curve
Visual note-taking tool that helps you make sense of complex topics using whiteboards, cards, and mindmaps to visually organize your knowledge and research.
- ✓ Visual-first approach to note-taking
- ✓ Whiteboards for spatial thinking
- ✓ Card-based system is very flexible
- ✗ No free plan
- ✗ Mobile app is limited
Distraction-free writing app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone with Markdown support, library organization, and publishing to WordPress and Medium.
- ✓ Beautiful distraction-free writing
- ✓ Excellent library management
- ✓ Direct publishing to blogs
- ✗ Apple ecosystem only
- ✗ Subscription model controversial
Beautiful document and note-taking app for Apple devices with blocks, AI assistant, nested pages, and real-time collaboration.
- ✓ Stunning native Apple design
- ✓ Fast and responsive
- ✓ Good sharing and collaboration
- ✗ Best on Apple devices
- ✗ Limited web version
Beautiful document editor for Mac and iOS with nested pages, real-time collaboration, and native Apple ecosystem integration.
- ✓ Stunning native macOS/iOS design
- ✓ Offline-first with seamless sync
- ✓ Nested documents for organized hierarchies
- ✗ Best experience limited to Apple ecosystem
- ✗ Web app less capable than native apps
Beautiful markdown note-taking app for Apple devices with powerful organization.
- ✓ Beautiful design
- ✓ Markdown support
- ✓ Nested tags
- ✗ Apple only
- ✗ No collaboration
Minimalist Markdown editor with live preview that seamlessly blends editing and reading modes into a single distraction-free interface.
- ✓ Live preview while editing
- ✓ One-time purchase
- ✓ Cross-platform
- ✗ No cloud sync built in
- ✗ Limited organizational features
Open-source, local-first knowledge management tool based on outliner and bidirectional links.
- ✓ 100% open-source
- ✓ Local-first and privacy-friendly
- ✓ Powerful outliner structure
- ✗ Steeper learning curve than Notion
- ✗ Mobile app is less polished