Best Note Taking App (2026): 8 Picks, Free Plans Compared

Notion is more workspace than notebook. Its pages hold text, databases, wikis and project views, which suits people who want notes tied to tasks. The vendor's pricing page describes a free plan for individuals with unlimited pages, and its help center says the 1,000-block limit applies only to free workspaces with two or more owners.

On the free plan, uploaded files are limited to 5 MB each, and Notion says paid plans raise that to unlimited uploads with a maximum of about 5 GB per file. Notion AI is described as a limited trial on Free and Plus, with fuller access on Business and Enterprise. Sources conflicted on the size of the free AI trial, so we did not print a number. Check the current price on notion.com.

For plain quick notes, Notion's structure can feel like more setup than needed.

Skip it if you want instant capture with no databases or templates to configure.

Obsidian takes the opposite approach to Notion: notes are plain Markdown files in a folder on your machine, and the app builds links and a graph on top. The vendor's license page says the core app is free for all purposes, including work, and that no account is required to use it.

Money enters through two optional services. Obsidian Sync keeps vaults in step across devices, and Publish turns notes into a website. The pricing page lists both per month with annual and monthly options, and a discount for students and nonprofit staff, but figures differed between Obsidian's pages, so we are not printing a price. Check the current price on obsidian.md.

Because files are plain text, you can move them elsewhere, which many buyers value as a hedge against vendor lock-in.

Skip it if you want collaboration with teammates in real time or dislike configuring plugins.

OneNote works like a freeform notebook, where you can drop text, drawings and clippings anywhere on a page. Microsoft's support pages say all supported versions are free to use, the desktop app runs on supported Windows versions, and mobile apps are free downloads for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Notes are stored in OneDrive, so a heavy attachment habit counts against your free storage allowance, which has shrunk over time. Microsoft's current pages describe higher Copilot usage limits on paid plans. The older OneNote for Windows 10 app reached end of support in October 2025, so Microsoft points users to the standard desktop app.

If you already live in Microsoft 365, OneNote fits without any extra account.

Skip it if you prefer a strict, linear note format over a freeform canvas.

Evernote is a long-established name, but its free plan is the tightest here. The help center states that Free accounts are limited to 50 notes in total and one notebook, and the compare-plans page lists a single device. Existing notes can still be viewed and edited when you hit the cap, but new ones cannot be created.

For individuals who need more, Evernote says Starter and Advanced are now the only options, replacing Personal and Professional. Starter carries a cap of 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks and 3 synced devices according to Evernote's FAQ, while Advanced is described with unlimited notes, notebooks and devices in the plan FAQ, though another help article gives a cap, so check the details. Prices changed recently, per Evernote's own blog and forum threads, so check the live price.

Evernote's strengths remain web clipping, search and file attachments.

Skip it if you want a free plan you can use across a phone and a laptop.

Joplin is the open-source pick. Its site describes a free note app in Markdown, and notes can sync through several services with end-to-end encryption, including Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive and Joplin Cloud. Joplin maintainers explain on the forum that, with encryption enabled, whoever runs the sync server cannot read the notes because they do not have the key.

Encryption has limits that the documentation and forum are clear about. It covers synced data, not notes stored on your own machine, so full-disk encryption is the answer for local protection. A per-note lock feature was described in the forum as still in development.

Joplin Server Business adds self-hosting for organizations that want control over where notes live.

Skip it if you want polished design and templates over open-source flexibility.

Bear is a writing-first Markdown app, available only on Apple devices. The vendor's FAQ says that without Bear Pro all notes are stored locally on the device, and that Bear Pro unlocks iCloud sync across your devices. A 7-day free trial is offered, and the price is listed on bear.app, so check the current price.

The troubleshooting page sets clear limits: attachments over 250 MB stay on the device, and the App Store and iCloud accounts must match across devices. It also says that, in rare cases, a note can end up with a second conflicted version. A Bear community thread reports slower background sync on iOS, though other users describe sync as reliable once it runs.

Bear Web is in public beta and, once out of beta, will require Bear Pro.

Skip it if anyone in your workflow uses Windows or Android.

Taskade treats a note as an outline you can turn into a task list, a mind map or a board, and puts AI on top. The help center describes a Free Forever plan with unlimited projects, real-time collaboration, AI chat, basic agents and automations. A free PDF-to-notes converter generates structured notes plus flashcards and a quiz from an upload, with no watermark.

Credit counts are the unclear part. Taskade's FAQ lists 1,000 monthly AI credits for Free while also calling the allocation one-time, a billing FAQ cites up to 3,000, and other pages cite higher numbers. Seat counts differ too, from one to two. Open your account to see what you actually have.

That uncertainty matters if AI is why you are choosing it.

Skip it if you want a predictable, documented AI allowance before you commit.

Google Keep is the lightest option in this list. The help pages describe quick notes and checklists that sync once you are online, with a Copy to Google Docs action and a Keep Notepad panel inside Docs that lets you drag notes into a document and creates a backlink to the source.

Reminders have changed. Google's Tasks help says Keep reminders migrated to Google Tasks, and location-based reminders can no longer be created, even though Google's older Keep marketing page still advertises them. Non-repeating reminders older than a year went to an Old Google Keep Reminders list.

For long-form writing or linking ideas, Keep runs out of room quickly, which is where Obsidian or Notion take over. If you want a CRM style workflow, our [GoHighLevel pricing guide](/work/gohighlevel-pricing/) covers a different category.

Skip it if you need structure, nested pages or strong search across thousands of notes.