6 Top Mac Note Taking Apps of 2024
Personal experience with note-taking. So, a person’s preferences and demands will determine what feature set they need in a Notes app. While Apple Notes, the Mac’s built-in Note Taking Apps, has some helpful features, it’s not ideal and leaves you wanting more. Third-party note apps are, therefore, essential.
Abstract;
- Personal experience with Mac Note Taking Apps. Therefore, it is very important to choose the best note app for your needs.
- When it comes to note-taking on the Mac, Apple’s Notes software performs admirably, but it lacks a number of capabilities compared to rival note-taking tools.
- To help you choose the ideal Mac Note Taking Apps for your needs, we’ve compiled a list of the top Mac Note Taking Apps below.
Meanwhile, finding the ideal Note app can be difficult, given the variety of Mac programs available on the App Store (or elsewhere).
To make things easier, we’ve listed the top note-taking applications for Mac below.
The Best Mac Note Taking Apps you Should Try
We consider cross-platform compatibility, note security and privacy features, and ease of use above all else when choosing the best note-taking app for Mac. These are features that every user needs, regardless of their use case.
1) Microsoft OneNote: Best Note Taking App for Mac Overall
Microsoft’s popular note-taking program is called OneNote. Its free usage and interoperability with all popular desktop and mobile operating systems, including Mac, allow you to see and take notes while on the go.
You can basically use OneNote as a digital notebook for making memos, taking notes, and drawing on any of your devices from anywhere. For rich context or visuals, you can, therefore, attach files, images, printed documents, and other media to your notes in addition to text notes.
Similarly, OneNote allows you to take handwritten notes or digital drawings, something that many note-taking apps can’t do. This is especially useful if you have an iPad or Android tablet. OneNote’s advanced organizational tools, which let you use tabs, labels, and color coding to easily organize and find your notes, further expanding the feature set. It also has the ability to pin the most important pages to the top to save you time browsing the list.
Finally, OneNote also has sharing and collaboration tools. This means that you can use Notes to communicate your ideas or thoughts with friends or co-workers, and when necessary, you can work together to find their perspective. are
Free (in-app purchases available)
2) Ulysses: Best Mac Notes App for Writers
Another note program available only from Apple for Mac is called Ulysses. Its writing-focused feature set, which covers every step of the writing process, including grammar and style checks, is its biggest selling point. Plus, Ulysses enables you to create written goals to stay on task and produce more work.
We appreciate that even with so much functionality, Ulysses maintains a simple, clear, and easy-to-use user interface. It makes you feel immersed in the writing process and makes it easy to navigate the app’s various menus. Speaking of which, Ulysses’ focused writing mode simplifies the UI by eliminating extra visual components, making it ideal for creating long pieces of text or keeping a journal.
Other alternatives supported by Ulysses include direct posting to multiple CMS, code snippets, and Markdown. It also offers multiple export options, which makes the process of transferring your notes between apps easier. Ulysses stores all your written work and notes in its central library. You can easily access your notes and work on multiple devices because this library is compatible with all your other Apple devices.
However, unlike the majority of other apps on the list, Ulysses requires a premium subscription. So, to get the most out of it on your Mac, you need to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription.
Paid
Download: Ulysses.
3) Drafts: Easiest Note Taking App for mac
One of the most feature-rich yet user-friendly note-taking programs available for the Mac is called Draft. Since its primary function is text capture, any ideas or thoughts you come up with are instantly entered into a draft. From there, you can choose what to do with the Draft later.
The Drafts app organizes everything so that your new and old drafts are the main focus of the user interface. Simply put, you have an editor that supports Markdown that you use to draft new content. This Draft can consist of simple text or tasks that can be completed. Once captured, you can work on that document in a few different ways.
One of the many features is the ability to organize your drafts using tags and flags. However, you also have the option to export the document to several formats, review the version history, and write text when your hands are full.
Last but not least, Draft has the ability to perform a variety of more complex tasks, including editing, Markdown, tools, processing, and more. Scripting power combined with APIs for other apps and services.
Free (in-app purchases available)
Get: Drafts
4) Simplenote: Best Mac Notes App for Minimalists
One of the easiest Mac note-taking programs is called Simplenote. Since it is lightweight, it is easy and fast to jot down your thoughts and ideas. If you prefer, you can also use it to create checklists and take notes in Markdown format.
Simplenote is a cross-platform notes app that works with both Apple and non-Apple devices, and it seamlessly syncs your notes across them all. Additionally, if necessary, you can access Simplenote online.
Note history is one of Simplenote’s greatest features. This feature allows you to restore a version of a note at any time and, as the name suggests, records all versions of that note that have been created. Similarly, another helpful tool that comes in handy when you want to brainstorm or share an idea with others is the ability to share your notes with others for collaboration.
Simplenote has tags to help with note organization and discovery. By labeling similar notes, you can make them easier to find in your notes list. It also includes an integrated search function that makes it very simple to look up terms in any one of your notes or to search through them all.
No price
5) Bear: Best Apple Notes Alternative
Bear is undoubtedly one of the most brilliantly designed Mac Note programs. It is device-specific, supports Markdown, offers more advanced text editing capabilities, improves note organizing, and is extremely customizable, so you may think of it as an alternative to Apple Notes.
If you enjoy typography, Bear offers you a large selection of font styles when creating your notes. Additionally, you have the ability to change the theme and design of the app to suit your taste. We particularly appreciate Bear’s Focus mode, which displays your notes in full-screen view to aid concentration and writing. This results in removing distractions.
Additionally, Bear includes a sophisticated markup editor that is compatible with over 150 programming languages. If necessary, you can quickly write code snippets in your notes regardless of style. Another useful feature of Bear that makes your boring notes more interesting is the ability to attach pictures to them.
Bear also offers automatic syncing. This means that all your notes will instantly sync across all your devices if you plan to use them on your iPhone or iPad as well. Not only that, but the app also offers hashtag organization and cross-note linking, making it easy to reference other notes.
Beer is completely free to use; however, the Pro plan unlocks additional features like note locking and encryption.
Free (in-app purchases available)
Get: Bear
6) Notion: Best App for More Than Just Note-Taking
The Concept isn’t just your typical note-taking app. It has almost all the capabilities you need to take notes, plus a few more that broaden its application and let you use it for databases, wikis, project management, and journaling.
In Concept, everything you do happens on one page. All the different conceptual blocks are on one page, including text, graphics, tables, lists, and more. Drag and drop allows you to rearrange these blocks however you see fit. It’s a really special feature that offers tons of customization options and changes the way you take notes on a Mac, especially when compared to other note-taking software.
Notion’s wide range of applications, which allow you to use it for more than just note-taking, add to its uniqueness. So, if you’re looking for a note-taking app that lets you do more than just take random notes—it lets you create databases, checklists, and sheets for group collaboration, Concept is the perfect option. also allows
Specifically with regard to note-taking functionality, Notion offers templates that facilitate a quick start by serving as a boilerplate for the kinds of notes that you wish to take.
Integration support: to help you automate tasks; A web clipper, which allows you to store content from the Internet directly into your workspace. Collaboration and collaboration support, which facilitates working with peers or colleagues.
Having said that, the Concept also has several flaws. One of the most prominent—and potentially a deal-breaker for some—is the inability to view notes offline.
Free (in-app purchases available)
Download: Notion for Apple M1 | Notion for Intel
Choose the Best Mac Notes App for your Needs
While almost any note-taking program can help you take notes quickly, problems arise when you want to export your notes to other services, format them in Markdown, or organize them more neatly for quick access. Some other features missing from most standard note-taking apps are advanced text formatting and the ability to create and access notes on any of your devices.
We hope this list will help you choose the best note-taking software for your Mac: a product that’s user-friendly, straightforward, and notes in addition to a plethora of other useful features. Covers all essential aspects of taking.
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Note Taking Apps for Mac FAQs
Is there a Notes app for Mac?
Yes, the Apple Notes app comes pre-installed on Macs running macOS. It does a respectable job of taking notes and synchronizing them across devices in the Apple ecosystem. It is also compatible with iPhones and iPads.
Which Mac note-taking program is recommended?
An individual’s needs and use case determine which note app is best for them. If you’re looking for a simple note-taking tool for occasional use, Apple’s Notes app isn’t the best choice. A better alternative is Simplenote. On the other hand, Bear has some additional capabilities that might be useful for those who want a little more control over their notes. Similarly, the Drafts app allows you to do more than just take notes by adding a number of helpful features and connectors to other services.
Can I use OneNote on a Mac?
For those who want a little more options than a typical note program but don’t want to be overwhelmed by too many complex capabilities, OneNote is a great note app for Mac. If you use a platform other than Mac, OneNote can be very helpful for you.
Can I use a Mac to take handwritten notes?
If you have a suitable input device, you can take handwritten notes on a Mac. For example, you can use the Tablet One from Wacom, which is compatible with Macs, to take handwritten notes on your Macbook or iMac. You can draw, doodle, or handwrite with OneNote for Mac using your mouse or trackpad, but it’s not the best way to take regular notes.
Is there a Mac version of GoodNotes available?
Yes, GoodNotes, widely considered the best note-taking app for iPad, is also compatible with Mac. While this is good, we believe there are better solutions available, which we’ve highlighted in the article specifically for Mac users. That being said, you can use GoodNotes on a Mac (separate purchase) if you’ve already invested in other devices.
