It is not easy to tell the difference between good apps, but sometimes Best Note Taking Apps for Mac does not allow most applications to run on it. Different applications only run in the browser, for example, and others provide. App for Mac apps that behave like they run in the browser. This is a problem: the apps that don’t fit your workflow are like bad guys those hinder your growth. So it is mandatory to know the best mac note taking app being the case.
Pressing shortcuts, receiving notifications, and user interfaces not corresponding can be a distraction. And that is just what you don’t need to think of during the time of making notes.
For the last ten years, I have been writing about macOS. And I do it with a work that is of the highest quality. There are more than 20 note apps available for Mac and I selected only the top from it. To do this, I tested all of them and this article talks about the best of the best.
What makes a great note taking app for Mac?
You can use just about any app for the notes taking, like a paper, for example. With regard to this paper, however, we just focused and presented apps that were designed primarily to take notes. Normally, it means that a primary window you may utilize to check out all of your notes. Sorted in notebooks and usually arranged with dates.
However, this is so far from the goal. What exactly contributes to the eminence of a Mac notes application? undefined
- Tell me to create it fast. Top note app on Mac should be able to be launched in just a blink of an eye. And start creating your masterpiece. I would appreciate an extra mile if there were options. To copy-paste info from websites or bring other text content automatically.
- Organize your notes. There should be ways to sort things: either folders, tags, or a notebook.
- Give quick and convenient searching function. The toil you are going to undertake is to take a huge number of notes. You ought to be able to locate the necessary ones easily.
- Are easy to use. The most qualified Mac note taking app should be student-oriented because. It comes with a simple interface that even a beginner can navigate easily. Pro users are also important, while some others may particularly consider keyboard shortcuts. And choice of preferences as the best features.
- These are real Mac apps developed for native Mac users. So what is it that distinguishes Innotas Notepad for Mac from just running. The web version of your application in a window?
Each of the note apps presented further down below fulfills all of the aforementioned criteria. And does some of them even better. Try them all out, and find out which one is the right fit for you.
The best Mac note taking apps at a glance
| Name | Best for | Stand-out feature | Pricing |
| Apple Notes | A simple notes app | Instant loading and support for lots of file types | Free with 5GB of iCloud storage; paid plans starting at $0.99/month |
| Joplin | An open source notes app | Local storage with optional cloud syncing | Free; Joplin Cloud service starts at 1.99€/month |
| Notebooks | Locally stored notes | Beautiful interface | $43.99 one-time purchase |
| Obsidian | Powerful note taking | Extremely customizable | Free for personal use; commercial plans starting from $50/year |
| OneNote | Traditional note taking | Paper notebook feel with OCR | Free with 5GB of OneDrive storage; Microsoft 365 starting at $9.99/month |
Best simple Mac note taking app
Apple Notes(macOS, iOS, Web)
Apple Notes pros:
- Trendy and evolutive.
- Can attach any file
- Working absolutely no recalibration with Apple devices.
Apple Notes cons:
- Doesn’t deal with syncing to Windows or Android.
There’s a saying in photography: the betterment of the video quality is always remaining. A significant issue for people who take pictures during the travel. The best thing about Apple Notes is that if you have a Mac, it’s automatically. Your note taking app and many people can agree that it’s the best trial note taking app for new users. I meant not putting thus in bad light; apple Notes is really a reliable tool. Yes, it is readily available and it does not have to be installed, bought or set up. And hence it is good enough for most Mac users to give Apple Notes a shot.
After being loaded, this app can’t be compared with any others, it is a lightning fast. And composing a new note takes less than any other app. The drag sign allows you to visualize the transitional relation between the pictures and text notes, and you can embed and import your desired audio files. You can also add a note to any document which you have and it’s very easy to make them all happen immediately. Actually, this is a native Mac app and there is no need to swallow your time at waiting uploads and here contents show up right away.
Notes are dividued into notebooks and cases are arranged by date. The support for hashtags is also present when users can add a #hashtag at note’s text and the hashtag will appear on the notes in the sidebar. In addition, there is a the quick-search feature situated on the left-hand side of the screen that lets the users search notes by entering only a few letters. An another one may be that exporting facilities are very scarce. Files are not compatible with other apps and you can`t export/import existing notes and that is practically all. Otherwise, there is no possible way extract all of the data from a notebook.
As a matter of fact, if you want to pick a Notes application for the apple operating system, you better give the first priority the Apple Notes. It could be those items, or you’d rather discover in them which features are most worthless. Suffice it to say, whatever way you look at it, you emerge a winner
Apple Notes pricing: This comes at no cost and also includes 5 GB iCloud storage. The iCloud Storage paid plans begin at 0.99$/month for 50 GB.
The best open source Mac note taking app
Joplin(macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS)
Joplin pros:
- Educational material accessible offline on a user device (Open-access resource, files are stored locally on your device).
- Easy to use
Joplin cons:
- Feel sometimes a bit like going back to the 80s.
Notes are, without a doubt, private products, and it is understandable that one may not like trusting them fully to a company with its own interests. Joplin is a free, open-source app. It is designed not only to let you have notes on your computer but to ensure that these notes are available exclusively to you and no one else. This is the Joplin Cloud basic attribute, which is a new feature that you can sync on any device without any additional configuration for a small fee, but you don’t need to sign up for the service to start using Joplin. You also don’t need the service to sync your notes: The Dropbox, OneDrive and Nextcloud, the open-source cloud provider are all supported. In case, you don’t want third-party vendors to operate the had access, you can go with end-to-end encryption tool.
The navigation or interface is like the one of a traditional note taking app, the notebooks and notes being arranged on the left column. Moreover, you can use tags organizing the notes; you can also bookmark clips from the web using the web clipper. The main editor is a Markdown editor, but you may choose to use rich-text editor instead if Markdown seems a bit complicated to you. This also, support includes note opening in external apps, so you can use your favorite one, instead.
It’s the most solid freeware option I understood, and there is already an option on importing notebooks from Evernote. It occasionally does get a bit clunky, but it really is worth checking out, especially for those who is searching for an OneNote alternative for a Mac computer. The best part is that you can totally customize all your notes!
Joplin pricing: Free. JoplinCloud connectable storage and synchronization service from 1.99€/month.
The best note app for Mac with local storage
Notebooks (macOS, Windows, iOS)
Notebooks pros:
- Beautiful interface
- It is at the same time, a tiny place and and a piece of cake to navigate, which is unordinary.
- Very port from other apps.
Notebooks cons:
- No integrated synchronization (but you can sync at other services).
Most Notebook applications appropriate their files in specialized formats (like Apple Notes or OneNote) or else are actually Markdown requiring to learn.Notebooks is different. The program treats each note like an HTML file in your computer (which probably might be unfamiliar to you), but this doesn’t prevent you from using this application. Its quite capable to be complex with one clean cut.
There are three panes: One for the creation of notebooks, the second one for documents inside the notebook, and the third one for current notes. You dual-click on any note so it opens on its own window. With this feature, you can manage a number of notes at a time, or have a smaller window at the side of your screen to work online. The user interface is best belonging to a Mac because of all the tips and tricks you feel at home with.
However, the true power lies in the fact that there is a flexibility. You will probably find importing Evernote notebooks, or importing folders full of itext, HTML, or Markdown files, to be very straightforward. Note that in addition to exporting the note in any Word, PDF, or plaintext file format, you can as well print them out. By default, notes is nothing but the HTML files inside the local folders which helps you to directly browse the files using your Finder. iCloud is probably the most convenient way to sync between non-Apple devices, especially if you have a Mac or an iPad. There is also the possibility of using some other cloud service which handles syncing and then storing your notebook in the folder for that service works wonders if you are to sync this with desktop Windows client.
Whether you want it to work in a linear way or smartly use keyboard shortcuts, Notebooks does not compromise its flexibility for ease of use. If you haven’t picked a notepad that matches you, I highly recommend you try out the 14-day free trial.
Notebooks pricing: $43.99 one-time purchase
The most powerful notes app for Mac
Obsidian (macOS, Windows, Android, iOS)
Obsidian pros:
- The App with the most options for making notes out of all the apps in the world.
- Thousands of add-ons available
- Files in plaintext, which leaves them susceptible to be copied and shared.
Obsidian cons:
- Steep learning curve
Obsidian isn’t one of the other apps in this list – that’s what makes it special and what I like about it. Literally, Obsidian’s notes are Markdown files, which are plain text documents with formatted lines. This means that if you remove Obsidian from your system, all of your notes will remain in place. However, the Omnispecific approach of the file format should not be mistaken as an aim of simple database of your life.
Observing the markdown texts employed by Obsidian, its notes are simply text files. It by means that, if you stop using Obsidian and pick up another note-taking tool, you will not lose your notes. Nevertheless, be aware the deceptive simplicity of the file format because at its core, the concept of a human database is already in place.
The app features all types of structure with a menu of folders you can use for organization purposes. The inbuilt linking also underlines internal hyperlinks. It is a key idea that the more often you make new notes, the more links you’ll be able to establish in different papers. This produce an interconnected web of knowledge which you could easily browse through as well as a quick way for you to pull up your notes via title or contents using a keyboard shortcut. It almost takes the form of personal encyclopedia but more practical.
It may seem unclear but if you start applying it then a good picture gets painted in the mind really quickly. When you do this yourself, you can choose what you prefer. Note taking app interface is completely adjustable, and you can have more than one note open in the single window at the same time. However, ultimately the true power comes from community plugins, which can provide intriguing features like a calendar for journaling everyday events or a fully-fledged Kanban board.
Obsidian pricing: For individual use free-of-charge at $50 per year for commercial purpose. I discovered that there are extras to features such as syncing or converting notes into websites, which prices at $8/month.
Best traditional Mac note taking app
OneNote (macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Web)
OneNote pros:
- It has every option you could possibly imagine and every of those options are powerful.
- Compatable with every type of device.
OneNote cons:
- No exporting options
- No offline-only storage
Of all the apps, OneNote was the very first which was released in 2003, thus it could be by far the oldest app. My notes are kept in several note books and each notebook is having section divided. Although many other apps were inspired by this feature, in most cases one can still say that OneNote does that best among all the others which do not have so generous free options available as it is.
OneNote stands out because it is extremely easy to recommend to power users of Microsoft Office applications, since they will naturally feel at home, but it can also be utilized to great advantage by any other user. The key idea is a paper notebook as a metaphor. Most apps in this list work like a text editor, but OneNote is more like a piece of paper: that typing, you don’t need to move your cursor and can just click anywhere to start typing in that exact spot. There is the incorporation of feature for the drawing. Surprisingly, this is probably simpler to use on a tablet then a Mac, and images and word documents may be added inline or as attachments.
But the query is highly advanced so that it will search for notes beyond any of the notebooks. There goes the optical character recognition (OCR). Even if you upload an image or PDF, your query detects words in these files. No other app experiences that one. By employing the OneNote clipper for your browser, you can also zip them any articles and recipes from the web.
There are downsides. With OneNote for Mac, there is no offline option as files can only be added on OneDrive, which is the same cloud storage OneNote uses for all content. There are not only export tools for OneNote in such way that making a switch to other app means a lot of copying and pasting.
By contrast, OneNote is easily accessible from any gadget that you can imagine, including devices with a completely different ecosystem. In this case, there is a jury for you if you often use Windows or Android; therefore, it’s a great choice. Additionally, the OneNote integration with Zapier can take your OneNote far beyond what’s available in the app. This integration connects OneNote with thousands of other applications. For instance, you can use the same shortcuts to add notes to all the events on your Google Calendar, and then you an also use the same action to migrate your notes from other apps.
Stick with OneNote if you didn’t find great work-flow in Apple Notes. You could find the dashboard a bit messy, however, the trade-off for this extra flexibility is totally fine.
Microsoft OneNote pricing: 5G comes with a free one year subscription with 5G of OneDrive storage. Microsoft 365 which bottoms the $9.99/month plan offer you word, excel, powerpoint, OneNote, outlook and OneDrive 6TB of storage.
What’s the best note taking app for Mac?
The best notes app depending a particular person is the one he likes the most—however. Not all apps have a consistent platform across the MacOS. For an average Mac user, there is a wide range of the note-taking apps you can choose. So take just a few of them for a trial and then pick. The one that feels most comfortable on your Mac.
