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The best note-taking apps in 2026

Ten note-taking apps, from plain Markdown files kept on your own device to shared workspaces with databases. Each pick says who it suits, what it costs and where the free plan stops.

Updated Oct 4, 2026 · 10 tools · How we pick

Every app here will hold a note and help you find it again. What separates them is where your notes live, what shape they take and how much you get before you pay. Those three questions narrow the field faster than any feature list.

On the first, three of the ten are built to keep notes on your own device: Obsidian and Logseq as plain-text files, Anytype as encrypted objects. On the second, the choices run from pages and documents to outlines, typed objects and cards on a whiteboard. On the third, nine have a free version, but the limits vary widely: Evernote's Free plan stops at 50 notes and Craft's at 1,500 blocks, while Notion gives one person unlimited pages and Capacities puts no cap on objects.

Devices matter too. Six of the ten have Linux apps, three have no web app and one is for Apple devices only. The order below runs from the apps that suit the most people to the ones that suit a narrower group very well. Prices were read on the date shown on each tool's page, which also names the page each figure came from.

The shortlist

  1. 1NotionBest all-rounder
  2. 2ObsidianBest for notes kept as your own files
  3. 3CraftBest for polished documents
  4. 4CapacitiesBest for linking people, books and projects
  5. 5EvernoteBest for web clipping and search
  6. 6BearBest for writing on Apple devices
  7. 7AnytypeBest for private, encrypted notes
  8. 8LogseqBest open-source outliner
  9. 9Tana OutlinerBest for structured notes with AI built in
  10. 10HeptabaseBest for visual thinkers and students

The picks in detail

  1. 01

    Notion

    Best all-rounderWorkspace for docs, wikis, databases and projects with built-in AI

    Notion puts documents, wikis and databases in one workspace, so the same tool can hold personal notes, a team wiki and a project tracker. Pages can be shared, commented on and edited together. The Free plan gives one person unlimited pages and blocks, and Plus is $10 per member a month billed yearly. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.

    Worth knowing: The Free plan caps file uploads at 5 MB and keeps 7 days of page history, full access to the AI agent and meeting notes starts at Business ($20 per member a month billed yearly), and there is no Linux desktop app.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $10 per member / month, billed yearly
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Notion pricing and detailsnotion.com
  2. 02

    Obsidian

    Best for notes kept as your own filesMarkdown note-taking app that keeps your files on your device

    Obsidian saves every note as a plain Markdown file on your own device, so notes stay readable in other editors and available offline. The app is free without limits on desktop and mobile, needs no sign-up and can be used at work without a commercial license. Links, a graph view, an infinite canvas and thousands of community plugins and themes let you shape it into a linked knowledge base.

    Worth knowing: There is no web app, and sync between devices is a paid add-on from $4 per user a month billed annually, with publishing to the web billed separately.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $4 per user / month, billed annually (Sync Standard add-on)
    Runs on
    macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Obsidian pricing and detailsobsidian.md
  3. 03

    Craft

    Best for polished documentsNotes and documents app with tasks, daily notes and whiteboards

    Craft is the pick when notes often become documents you share. Documents are built from styled blocks and can be published to the web, with tasks, daily notes, whiteboards and a calendar view in the same app. Plus is $96 a year for one account with unlimited documents, and the Family plan covers 2 to 6 accounts for $180 a year.

    Worth knowing: The free Starter plan stops at 1,500 content blocks and 1 GB of storage, and offline use covers only documents you opened earlier; creating documents and search need a connection.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $96 per year ($8 a month), or $10 billed monthly
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Craft pricing and detailscraft.do
  4. 04

    Capacities

    Best for linking people, books and projectsObject-based note-taking app with daily notes and backlinks

    Capacities swaps files and folders for typed objects such as people, books and projects, each with its own properties and linked in both directions. Daily notes act as an inbox, and content can be sent in from WhatsApp, Telegram or email. The free Basic plan includes unlimited objects and blocks, sync across devices, offline support and full-text search, and the app runs on the web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.

    Worth knowing: Tasks, the AI assistant, calendar integrations and smart queries need Pro at $9.99 a month billed yearly, there are no team plans, and it is not end-to-end encrypted.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $9.99 per month, billed yearly
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Capacities pricing and detailscapacities.io
  5. 05

    Evernote

    Best for web clipping and searchNote-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search

    Evernote is built for collecting things and finding them again. Its Web Clipper saves pages from Chrome, Firefox and Safari, paper documents can be scanned in alongside them, and search handles Boolean and filtered queries as well as semantic matches. Tasks and a calendar sit next to your notes, and AI Transcribe turns a recorded meeting into a transcript and summary.

    Worth knowing: The Free plan is limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook and sync on one device, and the Starter plan, listed at $99 a year, is still capped at 1,000 notes and 3 synced devices.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $99 per year (about $8.25 a month), or $14.99 billed monthly
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Evernote pricing and detailsevernote.com
  6. 06

    Bear

    Best for writing on Apple devicesMarkdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links

    Bear is a Markdown editor for Mac, iPhone and iPad that organizes notes with nested tags and wiki links instead of folders. A note can mix text, photos, tables, sketches and to-do lists, and a web clipper saves pages from Safari, Chrome and Firefox. Bear Pro, which adds iCloud sync, costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, the lowest subscription price in this guide.

    Worth knowing: Bear is offered only for Apple devices, and syncing between them requires Bear Pro, as do note encryption, OCR search and export to PDF.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year
    Runs on
    macOS, iOS, Browser extension
    Bear pricing and detailsbear.app
  7. 07

    Anytype

    Best for private, encrypted notesLocal-first, end-to-end encrypted workspace for notes and data

    Anytype stores everything on your device and encrypts it before it syncs, so it keeps working without a connection. You can sync through your own infrastructure instead of Anytype's network, or turn sync off so data stays on one device. Notes are objects with types and properties that can be laid out as a calendar, gallery or kanban board, and the app is free with unlimited private spaces.

    Worth knowing: There is no browser version, and in September 2026 the team announced a rebuilt successor, Anytwo, and said development of the current app will slow down.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $4 per month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
    Runs on
    macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
    Anytype pricing and detailsanytype.io
  8. 08

    Logseq

    Best open-source outlinerOpen-source outliner for linked notes stored as local files

    Logseq is free and open source, and it writes notes as nested bullet blocks in plain-text Markdown or Org-mode files on your own device. Any page or block can be referenced or embedded elsewhere, a journals page collects dated entries, and queries pull matching blocks into one place. It also suits study: you can highlight PDFs, bring in references from Zotero and review notes as spaced-repetition cards.

    Worth knowing: Sync is not part of the free app: Logseq Sync is in beta and limited to Open Collective backers paying $5 or $15 a month, and the database version, Logseq 2.0, is also still in beta.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $5 per month for Open Collective backers, which unlocks Logseq Sync
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
    Logseq pricing and detailslogseq.com
  9. 09

    Tana Outliner

    Best for structured notes with AI built inOutliner with supertags, daily notes and built-in AI features

    Tana Outliner begins as an outline and adds structure when you want it: a supertag turns any node into a typed object with its own fields, and live search nodes find matching items, which can be shown as a table, cards or a calendar. AI is built in, including a meeting notetaker and voice memos that are transcribed into your notes. The Free plan comes with 500 AI credits a month, and Plus is $8 a month billed yearly.

    Worth knowing: AI features draw on monthly credits and Free users cannot buy more, and the Free plan is limited to 3 workspaces, 0.5 GB of file storage and 5 MB per upload.

    Price
    Free plan; paid plans from $8 per month, billed yearly
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
    Tana Outliner pricing and detailsoutliner.tana.inc
  10. 10

    Heptabase

    Best for visual thinkers and studentsVisual notes app that arranges linked cards on whiteboards

    Heptabase turns each note into a card and lets you arrange cards on whiteboards, which suits people who understand a topic by laying it out. It is aimed at learners: you can highlight PDFs, ask AI to explain PDFs and YouTube videos, and sync highlights from Readwise or sources from Zotero. It runs on the web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, and people you invite can collaborate in real time for free.

    Worth knowing: There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial Pro is $8.99 a month billed yearly, and unlimited PDF uploads, GPT and Claude models and AI Tutor need Premium at $17.99 a month billed yearly.

    Price
    $8.99 per month, billed yearly ($107.88)
    Runs on
    Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
    Heptabase pricing and detailsheptabase.com

How to choose

Start with your devices

Bear is for Apple devices only. Linux users can choose from Obsidian, Capacities, Anytype, Logseq, Tana Outliner and Heptabase; Evernote and Craft list no Linux app, and Notion points Linux users to its browser version. If you want to open your notes in any browser, look at Notion, Craft, Capacities, Evernote, Logseq, Tana Outliner or Heptabase. Obsidian, Anytype and Bear have no web app.

Pick the shape your notes take

Notion, Craft, Evernote and Bear are built around pages, documents or individual notes. Obsidian is a set of linked Markdown files that you shape with plugins. Logseq and Tana Outliner are outliners, where notes are nested bullets rather than pages. Capacities and Anytype turn notes into typed objects such as people and books, and Heptabase lays notes out as cards on a whiteboard.

Check what syncing costs

Sync is often the part you pay for. Capacities includes sync across devices on its free Basic plan, and Anytype's free tier comes with 100 MB of remote storage, which only files such as images count toward. Obsidian charges from $4 per user a month billed annually for Sync, Logseq offers its beta sync to backers paying $5 a month, and Bear syncs only on Pro at $29.99 a year. Evernote's Free plan syncs on a single device.

Look at where the free plan stops

Obsidian and Logseq give you the full app for free. Notion's Free plan gives one person unlimited pages and blocks, and Capacities Basic puts no cap on objects. Craft's Starter plan stops at 1,500 content blocks, Evernote's Free plan at 50 notes, and Tana Outliner's at 3 workspaces and 0.5 GB of file storage. Heptabase has no free plan, only a 7-day trial.

Common questions

Which note-taking apps are free?

Nine of the ten apps here can be used for free. Obsidian and Logseq give you the full app at no cost, with sync as a paid extra. Notion, Capacities, Craft, Evernote, Tana Outliner, Anytype and Bear have free versions with limits, from 50 notes on Evernote to unlimited pages for one person on Notion. Heptabase has a 7-day trial and no free plan.

Which note-taking apps work on Linux?

Obsidian, Capacities, Anytype, Logseq, Tana Outliner and Heptabase all list Linux desktop apps. Notion has no Linux desktop app and points Linux users to its browser version, and Evernote's desktop apps are for Mac and Windows only.

Which note-taking apps work offline?

Obsidian keeps notes as files on your device and Anytype stores everything locally, so both work without a connection; Logseq also saves notes as local files. Capacities, Heptabase and Tana Outliner's desktop app support offline use. Notion's desktop and mobile apps can view, edit and create pages offline, with Free users choosing which pages to download, and Craft covers documents you opened earlier.

Which note-taking apps are end-to-end encrypted?

Anytype encrypts everything on your device before it syncs, and Obsidian's paid Sync add-on is end-to-end encrypted. Bear Pro can encrypt individual notes, and Evernote offers in-note encryption in its Mac and Windows apps only. Capacities says in its own documentation that it is not end-to-end encrypted.

Which note-taking apps have student discounts?

Notion and Craft both offer a free Education plan to students with a school email. Tana Outliner and Anytype give students 50% off, Obsidian takes 40% off Sync and Publish, Capacities 40% off annual plans, Evernote 40% off a year of Advanced and Bear 30% off the first year of Pro. Heptabase says it does not currently offer educational discounts.

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