Notes alternatives

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

1. [R3] Notes 3/5 · US Missing scanned attachments: As much I like Apple. I truly dislike not having a version history option within the app. I’m literally scanning and taking notes only to find out days laters it’s gone. I cannot fathom doing over again. It’s not in recently deleted and no matter how long I kept pressing the undo button has anything changed. I’m truly tired of these glitches. Please fix it. I should ha
2. [R4] Notes 1/5 · US Notes is great but…: The only way to make sure that you don't get a note put in your deleted folder and disappear in 30 days which happens a lot it's a bug or a glitch the only way to prevent that is to Lock the new but nowadays you can't lock a note if it includes a PDF a picture of video and a few other things and if you're trying to retrieve your data from Apple to pack your stuff up or if you'
3. [R10] Notes 1/5 · US horrible: all of noted over the last few years with important information just disappeared with no way to get them back???? thanks apple!
4. [R16] Notes 1/5 · US Can’t update it and deleted all my notes: Deletes all my information then tells me to update and is not possible to update.
5. [R9] Notes 3/5 · US Good for typed notes, serious performance issues for handwritten notes.: It pretty much does what it says on the tin, and is great for taking down quick notes, lists and reminders from your phone. However for longer notes I prefer to hand write them, and this app causes massive overheating and battery drain on my M4 ipad air. Putting lines on a page should not be this taxing on my tablet, and it s
6. [R13] Notes 1/5 · US Horrible and just crashes: Crazy to make a ‘notebook’ app, but it can’t handle saving writing without crashing. Embarrassing!
7. [R15] Notes 3/5 · US 2 steps away from being the perfect note taking app: So as a student i wanted to try out the notes app for note taking with the Apple Pencil. Its honestly great, i love the layout, the tools, the syncing with iCloud,and, most importantly for me, its free. MY ISSUE: When the note is large enough, the ipad a16 i am using atm starts to struggle for no reason. It heats up and the latency for writing
8. [R18] Notes 3/5 · US Slow, laggy and search not working: I’ve been using Apple Notes for as long as I can remember and for some reason that app just seems to keep getting worse and worse. It has become so slow and laggy that I can barely use it. By the time it allows me to start typing, I’ve nearly forgotten what I was going to type. Additionally, the search function has become so wonky. If I search a word the notes a
9. [R1] Notes 1/5 · US Only 5 colors?: I wish you had more colors that you can make the words when you type, because you have more colors on the photos app
10. [R6] Notes 3/5 · US App needs improvements: App needs ability to have auto calculation of math data within a table this way as I make a change or add something or remove something it updates those math totals in real time.
11. [R12] Notes 3/5 · US Limited colors: Great app needs a color wheel and integrated hand writing
12. [R21] Notes 3/5 · US Almost there: UPDATE 2: Very slow, delayed responses to taps, seems like it can’t handle thousands of notes well even though a 1-2 thousand mostly text docs doesn’t really seem like a lot for an app (on a relatively recent iPhone) to process. UPDATE: This app crashes a lot. ORIGINAL REVIEW: This app has come a long way. If it had easier formatting (markdown), backlinks, and the ability to naviga
13. [R7] Notes 1/5 · US 1 Star Here's Why:: One Day, I Come to notes and noticed the undo/redo button is gone all those memories where I can Put Back A Mistake and now I can't do it anymore, So Apple if your out there or your reading this review please bring back Undo/Redo or I'll try my best to get your address And Hit you with a sledgehammer or punch you and your mom & Dad To Death
14. [R31] Notes 1/5 · US Export option nonexistant: Want to import my notes into obsidian and can't
15. [R33] Notes 3/5 · GB Find in note: The function of search (Find in note) in the context seems to have gone malfunction. When you input something hopefully to find it in a massive sea of content, the notes no longer works without a hitch.
16. [R28] Notes 2/5 · US Can’t transfer notes to Windows laptop: I initially liked this App, but cannot copy or move any of my notes to my Windows laptop. Nor will Apple let me email them to myself, requiring a different email address. Huge FAIL.
17. [R52] Microsoft OneNote 5/5 · US OneNote is it!: I use this software for all my notes. It is great for organizing across all my devices. I love it!
18. [R55] Microsoft OneNote 5/5 · US Onenote: It is very nice app. It is little bit slow and don't update in macbook though
19. [R61] Microsoft OneNote 5/5 · US Wonderful application for segregating all folders and ids properly: Must have this application "OneNote" cuz it saves all data at one palce like sticky notes, folders and Ids at one place with bequtiful colours available to choose to.
20. [R62] Microsoft OneNote 3/5 · US Is helpful, but with opportunities: I like being able to organize my notes and the easy access. I also love the feature that lets me select the meeting the notes are about. Major opportunities are dragging info down, not working, and making a mess. The text box overlaps, spelling doesn’t work well, and when searching for keywords, it shows you the notebook name but not the tab name. Still love it
21. [R66] Notability 4/5 · US Please develop a way to hide the control bar (tools like pencil, scissors, etc.)!!!: I absolutely love Notability, it is very useful for me as a college music student. I take a lot of notes there, and I load music into it as pdfs to read and play off of. So far the experience has been wonderful, EXCEPT that there is no way to hide the controls at the top, which sometimes blocks some of the music.
22. [R67] Notability 3/5 · US This app crashes all the time: This app makes annotating very easy and has a great interface but I’ve been using it regularly for over a year and it crashes A LOT, especially when inserting a text box. It happens several times in an hour sometimes and is very frustrating because it is a paid subscription service…
23. [R69] Notability 5/5 · US Always reliable: I have been using Notability since its creation. I love using this app.
24. [R72] Notability 5/5 · US Excellent: I’ve been using it for years, and I love it. Much easier to study.
25. [R80] Goodnotes 5/5 · US Excellent Note App: I’ve tried multiple other ones that integrate with iPhone and iPad. GoodNotes has been the best overall so far. The time between syncing in the cloud between devices is far better than most other apps. The ease of use and user friendly options as well. Give it a try and see for yourself ! Thanks Goodnotes team!
26. [R83] Goodnotes 4/5 · US Great with one tiny fix: I love this app it’s amazing and it’s really helped me in school. However i’ve been having the issue that whenever i’m writing the text will go to something i don’t normally use.
27. [R86] Goodnotes 5/5 · US Get it together: Enjoying this app. My life is full and every day is different. This app goes beyond just being a calendar. I use it to journal my days and help myself process the chaos. So grateful for the go to that serves as an anchor through the storms and keeps me from going adrift from my purpose and goals.
28. [R89] Goodnotes 4/5 · US Pretty solid :): I really like to make notes fun and this is perfect but if you want to draw for any reason it sometimes deletes stuff randomly
29. [R94] Notion 5/5 · US Notion: I still don’t know what I’m doing and I absolutely love it.
30. [R97] Notion 5/5 · US Appreciation: Game changer app, especially with tech background and base AI knowledge
31. [R100] Notion 5/5 · US my notion is amazing: this is the best platform for planning and building your projects that you will ever use. it can be so structured but also has incredible flexibility, and sharing workspaces with others is fast and easy. I have been using this tool for years and will continue to do so. the only thing I wish there was is a mind map feature within pages to allow users a visual representation fo
32. [R103] Notion 5/5 · US Journaling: Notion has always been a great place to jot down and plan my life out.
33. [R108] Evernote 4/5 · US Many Years with Evernote: I have used Evernote for 20 years, first as an academic and now in retirement. Its versatility for multiple used is just what I need. I appreciate that the app has kept up with changes and integrated AI functions. I gave a four star because some text formatting isn't so intuitive but I also know that device/phone-based word processors are limited generally. I recommend Ev
34. [R111] Evernote 5/5 · US The bestest: I’ve been using this app since I was in nursing school
35. [R117] Evernote 5/5 · US Have used this for years now…: And quite simply it must gets better and better, especially with the addition of AI features as of late!
36. [R120] Evernote 5/5 · US My most useful app: I use Evernote frequently on my phone and my computer for work and personal use, Evernote helps me organize my documents, receipts, photos, to do lists, etc. Very useful. Love it!
37. [R30] Notes 3/5 · GB Needs Optimisation: Longer notes seem to take up a lot of processing power and become laggy on my iPad Air M3, even leading to overheating. I’m using Notes to study for an exam where there is a lot of revision material, and it seems like my very powerful iPad is struggling to process all of my handwritten notes and is slowing down. Functionality and features of the app are okay, though nothing spe
38. [R109] Evernote 3/5 · US Most likely unsubscribing soon: I’ve used Evernote for like 10 years or something crazy and it’s just gotten too expensive but I feel stuck. Will be looking into something else soon.
39. [R110] Evernote 1/5 · US Price has gone up too much: A loyal user but the new limitations and price increase are unsustainable. Looking for alternatives.
40. [R112] Evernote 3/5 · US Pricey: The app is good, but the cost is high. The monthly cost for this app is way too high for something that just holds your notes. They act like it’s the only app you’re paying for.
41. [R113] Evernote 2/5 · US Evernote: The program is well constructed and seemingly bullet proof. It has become very expensive. Also the two step verification needs an opt out option.
42. [R92] Goodnotes 5/5 · US Free: Definitely recommend this app I love using it for planning school project dates and when they are due also very smooth with Apple Pencil and ipad