The Best Apple Notes Alternatives

Spike Team

,

March 23, 2021,

9 min read

By

Updated on Mar 15, 2023

 

What is Apple Notes?

Apple Notes is a note-taking application developed by Apple Inc. that is available on all Apple devices running iOS, iPadOS, and macOS operating systems. The application allows users to create and organize notes that can include text, images, sketches, audio recordings, and even checklists. Apple Notes also includes a search function, collaboration features, and the ability to sync across all devices using iCloud. With its user-friendly interface and robust set of features, Apple Notes has become a popular choice for both personal and professional use.

 

What Are the Best Alternative Options to Apple Notes?

Note-taking is a key part of any productivity workflow, whether jotting down points in a meeting, collaborating on a new project idea with your team, or getting your thoughts organized. For many people working on Mac or iOS devices, the in-built note-taking app is THE go-to, but what are some of the most popular Apple Notes alternatives?

 

Below is a quick overview of the features that some of these note-taking platforms offer before we take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of each. Some of the key considerations here are inputs (multimedia, text, and formatting), native platforms, and collaboration tools.

 

Quick-Comparison of the Best Alternatives to Apple Notes

Text

Live Collab

 

Videos

Images

Audio

Cross-Device 

Google Keep

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

OneNote 

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Spike 

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Bear 

Yes

No

No

Yes

Only on Apple Watch

Premium

Craft 

Yes

Yes

No

Premium plan needed for high-quality media 

No

Yes

Evernote 

Yes

Business Premium only

Premium

Yes

Yes

Only 2 devices without Premium

Simplenote 

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

 

 

Best Alternatives to Apple Notes

There are plenty of Apple Notes alternatives out there, with many users requiring online notes as well as native apps on different platforms (an iPhone and a Windows laptop, for example). Some of the best apps are part of broader, more powerful productivity software, but all of the options below have the basic features you’ll need for alternative Apple Notes options.

 

 

 

If you’re looking for the best email client based note-taking application, look no further. Spike has created a powerful productivity suite with email at its core, including collaborative note-taking with multimedia, cross-device synchronization, and more.

Pros 

• •

  Everything in one app means more focus and productivity.

• •

  Multimedia support allows for images, gifs, and videos in notes.

• •

  Huge range of formatting options to tailor your notes and bring greater clarity to your points.

• •

  Live collaboration with multiple people.

Cons

• •

  No voice notes (but can drop audio files into notes).

• •

  No free draw for doodled notes.

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Google has created an entire productivity ecosystem, which wouldn’t be complete without note-taking. Google Keep is a free app available on Android, iOS, and through web browsers. It offers collaborative note-taking, syncing across platforms, and supports multimedia such as images and gifs making it a good Apple Notes alternative. That said, Google has been known to strip features out of notes before, so this may change.

Pros  

• •

  Photo-to-text through optical character recognition.

• •

  Voice notes are a great feature for some users.

• •

  Integration with other Google products, such as Google Now for reminders.

Cons

• •

  No video.

• •

  A standalone app means swapping for other tasks.

• •

  Google has switched core features to other product lines.

 

The Microsoft alternative to Apple Notes, OneNote, is one of the old guards when it comes to productivity software, launched way back in 2003. It is an obvious alternative for those working in the Microsoft ecosystem and offers a number of powerful features within a very comprehensive organizational system.

Pros 

• •

  Allows for a variety of inputs such as free-hand drawing.

• •

  A comprehensive organization system allows for personal or enterprise use.

• •

  The free-form style allows for natural note-taking, unrestricted by text.

Cons

• •

  The many layers of organization can make OneNote confusing, with a steep learning curve.

• •

  Requires a Microsoft account.

• •

  The standalone app means switching software for other tasks.

 

Bear is an Apple-only note-taking app with advanced Markup editing, making it a great Apple Notes alternative for those who regularly work with this format. It offers basic features but lacks any collaborative tools for team workflows.

Pros

• •

  Advanced markup options.

• •

  Cross-note linking.

• •

  Individual notes can be encrypted with Face/Touch ID.

Cons

• •

  Only for Apple with no plan for Android or Windows.

• •

  Can only sync between devices with premium.

• •

  Voice notes only on Apple Watch.

• •

  No tables or free draw.

 

Another Apple Notes alternative is Craft, also natively built for Macs, iPhones, and iPads. It uses an interface of blocks rather than lists of text, which can be valuable for more visual notetakers. It allows for various inputs such as images, sketches, lists, and more but many features are only available for premium users.

Pros

• •

  A focus on live collaboration.

• •

  Native apps take advantage of Mac capabilities.

Cons

• •

  Only on macOS and iOS.

• •

  Blocks system may not work for everyone.

• •

  Features such as high-quality media and advanced searches only in the paid version.

 

One of the most well-known alternatives to Apple Notes, Evernote is available across all major platforms and on the web. It has a range of features for different workflows but reserves many of its most standout tools for premium and business users.

Pros

• •

  Multiple formats within a single note (such as text, images, and tables) make for powerful note-taking.

• •

  Annotation and free-hand note-taking.

• •

  Integrates with existing productivity applications.

Cons

• •

  Many features are only available for Premium users.

• •

  Live collaboration only available for Business users.

• •

  The standalone app still requires other software for a full productivity suite.

 

Simplenote is a great Apple Notes alternative for Linux users (as well as running on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and browsers). However, this cross-platform usability comes at the cost of functionality, with Simplenote living up to its name and offering only text. That said, it does offer Markdown support, but if you regularly use emojis, images, or more – forget it.

Pros

• •

  Very good cross-platform support, including Linux.

• •

  Completely free.

• •

  Simplicity can be good for some.

Cons

• •

  Very few features.

• •

  Live collaboration not possible.

 

When you’re looking for the best Apple Notes alternative, there are now some fantastic online notes options available for everyone, from individual freelancers to large-scale enterprises. Using notes effectively can improve productivity as well as simplifying and streamlining tasks. For more productivity tips and tricks, subscribe to the Spike blog or Tweet us @SpikeNowHQ.

 

The Obsidian app for Mac is a robust knowledge base notes app on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files. The idea is to keep your notes organized using simple text files and tag them to create categories and subcategories. This makes it very easy to find what you are looking for as you can search within the whole note.You can also add tags to links, making them clickable. It’s designed as a “Personal Knowledge Manager” where you can create links across notes to build a database. It also has plugins, themes, and custom CSS at your disposal.

Pros

• •

  Highlight customizable

• •

  Can be extended with community plugins

• •

  Built on top of plain text documents

Cons

• •

  Incredibly challenging for new users

• •

  No free syncing options

• •

  Limited iOS and Android options

 

Notion is a note-taking app that’s different from other Mac note-taking apps in a few ways. It’s designed to work with your team — in fact, it’s optimized for teams and groups of people who need to collaborate on projects. That means you can add collaborators to your notes, and they’ll be able to see what you’re working on.

 

You can also create tables in Notion that are flexible enough to display everything from simple lists to complex formulas. You can also customize the appearance of these tables by changing colors and borders.

Pros

• •

  Flexible use cases

• •

  Mobile options for notes on the go

• •

  Multiple integrations

Cons

• •

  Difficult for new users

• •

  Flexibility makes it overkill for simple tasks

Apple Notes Alternatives FAQS

How to get Apple Notes on Windows

For those searching for an Apple Notes alternative for Windows, you may not have to! Apple Notes can be accessed on a Windows machine through a browser and iCloud. However, if you’re a Windows user (or cross-platform user), it’s almost certainly better to opt for a note-taking app with native apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and web-based use.

How to Best Use Apple Notes

Using Apple Notes is as simple as opening the app and jotting down your ideas. Linking it across your other Apple devices is also simple using iCloud. However, if you operate on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows), you will probably have difficulty accessing them. Best to go for a note-taking app that covers all your devices, such as Spike.

Best Apple Pencil Alternative for Note Taking

There are many apps that support Apple Pencil on the iPad, and choosing one will depend on exactly what you need. Some are more designed focussed, providing plenty of options for illustrators and artists, while others are purely for note-taking. In the end, your specific requirements will guide you.

Can I Use Apple Notes on Android?

Yes and no. You can access Apple Notes through iCloud if you have another Apple device. However, if not, you’ll have to choose another alternative, and cross-platform options such as Spike deliver everything you need and more.

Spike Team

The Spike team posts about productivity, time management, and the future of email, messaging and collaboration.