The best apps for notes on an Android device depend on what you need to note down.
Do you need a simple app to take down a few sentences? Do you want an app that’s easy to use and looks good? Or are you looking for lots of features, like the ability to take voice notes or sync notes across devices?
If you’re looking for something simple, we recommend Google Keep. It’s free, has a clean interface, and is easy to use. Evernote is another good option. It has more features than Google Keep and looks great, but it might be overwhelming if you just want something simple.
For power users who want to do everything with their note-taking app, Microsoft OneNote is the way to go. It syncs easily with your other devices and offers lots of features: handwritten notes, sketching and drawing, lists, and more. You can even record audio with your notes!
Best Apps For Notes Android
The best note-taking apps for Android make it simple and easy to make and manage notes on the go with your Android smartphone or tablet.
This is especially important as smartphones have become a common device for use by business as well as general consumers, and note-taking is one of the simplest type – but probably most essential – of the various business apps available.
Whether you’re just typing text, writing with a stylus, or scribbling with your finger, there are a lot of different note-taking apps for Android out there. Some are focused more on just taking simple notes, while others come with more features and functionality that can turn your smartphone into a digital notebook, or workbook.
You can also now use your smartphone for taking minutes from minutes, simply putting down business ideas and other inspirations, or even work with collaborative software with colleagues and add the notes you make.
We’ve previously listed the best Android apps and the best free Android apps, so here we’ll feature the best note-taking apps for Android.
Also take a look at the best productivity apps.
Website screenshot for OneNote
(Image credit: Microsoft)
- OneNote
A flexible note-taking app
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Multi-platform support
+Works with Microsoft Office formats
+Free
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not hugely advanced
For decades, Microsoft has dominated the software scene, and things haven’t changed today. Offered as part of the Office family of productivity apps, OneNote is one of the most popular and capable note-taking apps you can get. This app is capable of a great deal, whether you want to capture information from emails or embed Excel tables.
This app is a multi-platform affair which is hooked up to the cloud, meaning that if you’ve written some notes on your laptop, you can pull these up in a meeting via your smartphone. OneNote works across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
The Android app is easy to use and works as a flexible canvas, letting you type, handwrite, draw and clip things you find on the web. What’s more, you can even scan notes made on paper and make them searchable through OneNote. To organize your notes, you can create tags, labels, to-do lists and follow-up items. It’s also possible to categorize notes based on their importance.
OneNote allows for collaboration, letting you share your virtual notebooks with anyone. People can leave comments and follow-up questions on your notes as well. The best thing about OneNote, though, is that it’s completely free to download while offering a plethora of premium capabilities.
Read our full Microsoft OneNote review.
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Website screenshot for Evernote
(Image credit: Google Play)
- Evernote
Many regard this as a must-have productivity app
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+User-friendly
+Powerful note-taking features
+Free version
Evernote is a well-respected and powerful productivity app. It’s described as an organization and planning app that lets you take both typed and handwritten notes, create to-do lists, scan documents using your camera, and collaborate on content with others.
The great thing about Evernote is that it makes use of a variety of media. For instance, you can create notes in text form, or as sketches, photos, audio, video, PDFs or web clippings.
Just like Microsoft’s OneNote, this app is underpinned by cloud technology. That means you can sync content across all your devices from computers through to tablets and phones. In other words, if you start a task on one device, you can complete it on another.
With Evernote, you can create, share and discuss content with your colleagues as well. The app is currently free to download, but the premium plan which offers a wider range of features is available for a monthly or yearly subscription
We’ve also featured the best free alternatives to Evernote.
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Website screenshot for Google Keep
(Image credit: Google Play)
- Google Keep
A comprehensive offering for note-taking
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Backed by Google
+Allows for scanning documents
+Free
Google offers a highly capable note-taking app in the form of Keep, which allows you to create as many notes and lists as you want. And you don’t need to stick to mere text – you can also add images and audio to your notes.
In fact, there’s even the ability to record memos for the app to automatically transcribe. That’s particularly handy if you’ve had a light bulb moment and want to get it noted down somewhere quickly. Similarly to OneNote, you can scan handwritten notes, receipts, invoices and other documents through your camera.
Google Keep is a pretty decent productivity app for teams, too. You can easily share notes and collaborate with others. Other features include color-coded labels, reminders and the benefit of multi-platform support. The app is free to download from the Play Store.
Read our full Google Keep review.
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Website screenshot for Material Notes
(Image credit: Google Play)
- Material Notes
A visual way to make notes
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Easy-to-use
+Colored notes
+Affordable
Material Notes is a streamlined app that allows you to create notes, to-do lists and reminders. These are all color-coded and stored within a card-style interface to keep things better organised, and to make it easy to find relevant information. You also get the ability to mark important notes with stars, and these are saved within a category based on the urgency of projects.
To ensure you never misplace an important note or list, you can easily locate anything by making use of the app’s search function. Plus you can create and place widgets on your home screen, which give you quick access to your notes.
In terms of security, you can create a four-digit pin for all your notes, ensuring that sensitive information doesn’t get into the wrong hands. And the app allows you to easily and swiftly import content stored on other devices. Material Notes is free to download, with additional features available as an in-app purchase.
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Website screenshot for Simplenote
(Image credit: Google Play)
- Simplenote
A simple notepad application
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Highly streamlined note-taking
+Solid organizational capabilities
+Free
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when an app is weighed down with tons of features, many of which you might never use. Simplenote is designed for people who just want a quick, easy-to-use piece of software to jot down spontaneous ideas.
Just open up the app, and right away you can create notes and lists. As you continue to use the software and amass more notes, you’re able to organize them with tags and pins. Every time you create a new note, it’s stored in the cloud and can be accessed through other devices. The app is completely free to download and use.
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Website screenshot for Keep My Notes
(Image credit: Google Play)
- Keep My Notes
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Multiple formatting options
+Speech to text
+Password protect notes
Keep My Notes is a note-taking app for Android that comes with a number of neat features. For starters, you can create handwritten notes using a finger or stylus, plus there’s also the option to create notes using a built-in text-to-speech feature.
There are also various formatting options available to bold, underline, or italicize – among other things – plus the ability to add audio to your notes. Even better, for added security, you can password protect notes.
Notes can be set up like sticky notes on your home screen, and notes can even shared with other apps. There are different light or dark themes available, and the display can be changed to portrait for phones and landscape for tablets.
Additionally, you can also change the text size and color when inputting text for your notes in the first place, which can be very handy.
Altogether, Keep My Notes is a handy little package that backs up to the cloud. You can run the app for free with ads, but there are in-app purchases, not least to run ad-free.
Other note-taking apps for Android to consider
The above are only a small selection of the number of note-taking apps available for Google’s Android operating system. There are plenty more available at the Google Play store and we’ll cover some of the most popular alternatives below:
Samsung Notes is Samsung’s replacement for S Notes and Memo, and is a general notepad for organizing text, images, and audio. Where it differs from others are the extra features for scribbling or sketching, with various color editor options that make it as much as an all-purpose sketchbook as a notepad, depending on what you want to get from it.
Notes is another general notepad app which allows you to organize text, images, and audio. It has a simple but clean look that makes it easy to work with. Notes also allows for password-protected areas, and is free to use when running ads, which can be switched-off using an in-app purchase of about two dollars.
Classic Notes is one of the simplest apps listed, and this is probably one of its selling points. While it allows for taking basic notes, it doesn’t do much more, so people not so use to smartphones and apps should be able to get a lot of use from it without becoming so confused by features and options present in other apps. It’s free to use, but contains ads.
best offline notes app for android
According to the latest statistics, more than 2.5 billion people use Android. It’s the most used operating system in the world. There is even a community of Android fans on Quora with nearly 99 thousand members, the number still growing.
Because of its popularity, you can find many apps on Google Play Store available for the Android system, no matter which model of smartphone you use. One of the most popular categories users choose is productivity, into which note-taking apps fall as a subcategory.
This type of application helps to keep the ideas when your head can’t, especially, if you don’t have a piece of paper within reach. With a smartphone, you can put your notes in the pocket and carry them with you wherever you go.
Before you start, check another way to boost productivity. Try Timecamp – 100% free time tracking app.
Sign up for free and download the app
What Are The Best Free Note Taking Apps for Android?
There are many notes apps available for Android. Some are dedicated to making simple notes whereas others have extensive features that let you create powerful lists and reports. To help you choose the ideal app for you, here’s the list of the best note-taking apps. I’ve downloaded them all on my Android system and tested myself. Whether you look for a simple app or an all-inclusive tool, there’s something of interest for everyone.
The little helping arrow ⇒ will show you who are the apps best for.
QUICK NAVIGATION
Google Keep Notes
Simplenote
ColorNote Notepad Notes
Material Notes
Evernote
Microsoft OneNote
Notepad Free
FiiNote
WorkFlowy
Squid
BlackNote
ClearNote
Notes
WeNote
Notepad
Dropbox Paper
Notebook
- Google Keep Notes
⇒ Best note-taking tool compatible with Google apps
⇒ Play Store Editors’ Choice
Google Keep Notes Android app
Google Keep is one of the most popular note-taking apps for Android. It lets you capture ideas and thoughts with text, lists, images, and audio.
You can create notes, lists, and draw or keep your notes in a handwritten form. Colors and #labels let you easily spot what you’re looking for, and search option saves time so you don’t have to scroll down your list. Dark and light themes enable you to personalize the interface.
All your notes are adjustable:
Add title
Pin your note
Set a reminder and choose if you want to repeat it
Take a photo – it will automatically appear in your note
Add image
Make a drawing
Record – you can dictate your thoughts, Keep will transcribe them for you
Add checkboxes to create a to-do list
Make a copy of your note
Add a collaborator to work together on ideas
Print note
You can also quickly archive or delete content that is no longer needed. Use “Ok Google” voice commands to “take a note” or “add to to-do list”.
Google Notes is a simple app with all the basic features you need to make a good note on the go, far away from your office or home. It easily synchronizes with other Google services which makes it comfortable to work across different apps and devices. And you can easily and quickly access and share notes via email, text message, copy them to Google Docs or Google Drive, or send them to any other app.
- Simplenote
⇒ Best for quick and simple capturing of ideas
Simplenote notes app for Android
Simplenote, as the name suggests, is a simple app for taking notes. If you’re looking for a handy and transparent tool without fancy functionalities, Simplenote is the perfect fit for you. You simply write down what’s on your mind and voila! it’s done.
The only extra features you’ll find include search, pinning important notes, and checklist. Also, tags help to organize thoughts but you can add an email address as a tag to share notes with people or do it with other Android apps. With the history of your note you can check when it was created, modified, how many words and characters it counts.
Themes are available to customize user experience – light, dark, or dark at night only to protect your eyes.
If you delete notes, they go to trash but you can restore them, or empty the trash to completely get rid of them forever.
Simplenote lets you access your notes on the web and your other devices so you can always keep your ideas close to you.
- ColorNote Notepad Notes
⇒ Best as a sticky note app
⇒ Play Store Editors’ Choice
ColorNote notes app for Android
ColorNote is a simple notepad app with multiple useful features. You can use it to write notes, memos, e-mails, messages, shopping lists, and to-do lists. It works as a simple word processing program and gives you the flexibility to type in whatever you need. In the calendar, you can organize the schedule by notes in the calendar. ColorNote lets you create checklists to get things done (GTD), lists of things to do, and shopping lists. Additionally, you can search the Web or Amazon for items on your list. So if you created a shopping list, you will have your items delivered straight to your door!
To always keep important information at hand, you can add notes to your home screen and adjust their size with the sticky note memo widget.
Other adjustable functionalities include colors, theme, a lunar date for the calendar, notes search, list and grid views, task reminders, and notepad support of ColorDict Add-on (search for words in Wikipedia, Wordnet and StarDict dictionaries).
To keep your thoughts and ideas safe, you can protect notes with a passcode. There’s also secured backup notes to SD storage, and online backup and sync to synchronize notes between phone and tablet. In ColorNote, your text can be sent to any app, as an attachment or printed.
- Material Notes
⇒ Best for minimalistic note-takers
Material Notes for Android
Material Notes is a simple app with minimalistic features. If you’re looking for a tool that doesn’t require much of your attention, Material Notes is the right choice.
First of all, it has a pleasant and intuitive interface so using the app is an enjoyable experience. Secondly, it has only the most necessary features:
Bright and deep colors help to visualize your ideas
Create notes and to-do lists
Star your favorite or most important notes
Use colors for easy scanability
Custom font, theme
Create widgets and place at your home screen for quick access
Export and import notes from and to other apps and devices
Lock your content with 4 digit PIN
Material Notes is most suitable for those who want a straightforward and transparent note-taking app.
- Evernote
⇒ Best for organizing and planning work
⇒ Play Store Editors’ Choice
Evernote for Android
Evernote is one of the most popular and widely used tools for organizing and planning. To use it, first, you need to sign up. Whether you need it to make arrangements for work or personal tasks, Evernote is a powerful app that will help you organize everything.
It’s best for teams as it allows for full collaboration and in-app chatting. You can quickly capture any thought with a camera and organize it with labels and notebooks to later easily find it in search.
The main features include the following:
Taking a quick note from your notification bar without launching the app
Save webpages by sharing it to Evernote with the Webclipper
Set up a passcode with 4-digit code to protect your content
Invite friends and team members to collaborate
Take pictures and save them in different formats
Rich functionalities inside a note – you can format your text however you like with bullet list, highlight, upper script, and more
Add a voice message, set dates, attach files photos, videos, audio, handwrite
However, for more advanced features, you need to subscribe to a paid plan. In the free version, you can use only 2 devices, have 60 MB of transfer per month, 25 MB per note, and you don’t have access to notebooks offline, and can’t use all functionalities.
⭐ Check out TimeCamp integration with Evernote! ⭐
- Microsoft OneNote
⇒ Robust app, best for saving and organizing ideas in a team
⇒ Play Store Editors’ Choice
Microsoft OneNote notes taking app for Android
Microsoft OneNote lets you take notes on your phone and sync them across all your devices for a smooth workflow in Microsoft tools. It’s a powerful tool that enables you to do anything you want with your content. You can draw, add notes, create memos, journal, add sticky notes. All content can be personalized – bold text, italics, strikethrough, lists, link, files, and photo attachments. And colors enable faster search and organization of ideas.
Moreover, OneNote badge (which you add to the homescreen) lets you quickly capture your ideas and you can hide it when you don’t need it.
Use OneNote for work or personal tasks. Share your ideas with others, and collaborate with team members. OneNote lets you do it all for free the way you need and like.
- Notepad Free
⇒ Best for simple note taking
Notepad Free is one of the highest-rated note-taking apps for Android. If you’re looking for the simplest solution without fancy additional features, this is it. The interface has a simple layout, delicate, brownish colors and it’s super easy-to-use.
You can sort your notes by date or title, search, and share content with other apps or people.
Use Notepad Free to save your ideas in a quick and convenient way. It’s a simple and free notepad, nothing else, nothing more.
- FiiNote
⇒ All-inclusive app for visualizing ideas
FiiNote app for Android
FiiNote is an app for noting all types of ideas. With it, you can capture everything, beginning from a simple idea to a complex map of thoughts. Mix inputs including keyboard, handwriting, voice, doodle, and camera.
There’s an option of putting pictures and drawings in-between notes, adding location and reminders, attaching photos and videos from your gallery. You can conveniently swipe left or right to quickly access your records. Customize colors, themes, and do much more.
FiiNote even has an in-built calculator so you can make financial reports, lets you create Prezi-like presentations, or draw various shapes in a paintbook.
FiiNote is the most complete free app to take not just handwritten notes but every kind of documents. And it has all the tools you need to edit them. It also has all the features you need to freely personalize it. Additionally, after completing free registration at FiiNote’s website, you will be able to synchronize notepad between your smartphone and PC.
- WorkFlowy
⇒ Best for making structured lists
WorkFlowy to-do app
WorkFlowy is a simple but powerful free notepad app best for structuring your ideas. It allows for creation of transparent lists with subitems, titles, and a description. In the lists, you can include such items as #hashtags, @mentions, date, note, and check the items from lists. These functionalities are helpful in the search option as they let you quickly find searched notes.
It’s a straightforward app, easy in use, and has all the necessary features.
To use WorkFlowy, first, you need to create an account. Moreover, it automatically syncs between your phone, tablet, and computer.
- Squid
⇒ Best for handwriting
Squid app
Squid is one of the best notes app for Android for those who prefer to handwrite their ideas. You can either write with an active pen, stylus, or finger.
Here’s what you can do with Squid:
Infinite paper by default which means you can make your note as long as you want to
You can modify ink
Duplicate a note
Zoom in and out
Insert shapes and texts, PDF for markup
Multiple background types and sizes
Export as a PDF or image
Adjust your handwriting
Organize content within notebooks
Insert text
Import PDF files and work directly in them
With Squid, you can be creative. The tool is most suitable for those who like to visualize things. What’s more, it’s a great solution for e-whiteboard. You can use it to present ideas to team members, either in the form of in-office presentation or via video conference.
- BlackNote
⇒ Best for lovers of black color and simplicity
BlackNote note taking app for Android
BlackNote is notes app for Android all in black. If the standard white background of most apps tires your eyes and you need a break, this is the right choice.
In the app, you can create a note or a checklist. Other than that, you can star notes (they are automatically pinned to the top), create categories, set a password, add sticky notes to the homescreen, and send notes to other apps and people.
BlackNote is a simplistic notepad for non-demanding note-takers.
- ClearNote
⇒ Best for colorful and simple notes
ClearNote notes app for Android
ClearNote is a note app for Android made by the creator of BlackNote (see no. 11 on the list). It’s basically the same app only that it’s colorful.
Additionally, the ClearNote Bar appears in the top widget sections of your homescreen and gives you access to ClearNote app, YouTube, Camera, Watch, Calculator, and Web Search.
⇒ Notas Notepad created similar notes apps for Android, each with a slightly different interface. Make sure to check them all out here and choose the one you like most!
Conclusion
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