Best OneNote Alternatives

Packed with amazing features, OneNote is known to be one of the most popular, useful and best notetaking app. Though it is free and available for everyone, it is said it may not be for everyone due to its complexity. It is difficult to use specially for beginners and it also takes a lot of space on devices. Due to these reasons and if you are uncomfortable and having difficulties using OneNote, there are other options such as other apps which you could use as a substitute or alternatives such as:

1. Evernote

Evernote is another one of the most popular app for notetaking. It is one of the most trusted and most reliable apps. This app allows its users to organize and categorize their notes into different notebooks. You could share notes through this app to your classmates, officemates, colleagues, friends, etc.

This app is recommended not only for personal use but also for business. It allows teams to share ideas, notes, materials, checklist, web clippers, insert audio, pictures, characters, passwords to notes and use its spaces feature which helps teammates collaborate.

2. Simplenote

This app is one of the simplest note-taking app as its name suggests. It is easy to use and navigate. Simplenote allows its users to create reminders, checklists, notes and organize your notes through tagging their tagging system. If you wish to change its background to dark mode, you may do so with this app. It also only takes small space on your device.

This app is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux (.deb) and (.tar.gz), iOS, Web and Android.

3. Laverna

Looking for an app that would secure privacy of your notes? Laverna is the best recommendation. It offers an end to end encryption and allows its users to create a password which provides privacy protection to your notes.

This app allows your text notes to be synced with all your devices through Dropbox or RemoteStorage. Laverna supports simplicity and with it, it does not have any image or voice notes features. Though this is the case, Laverna makes it up through its markdown editing feature which allows you to format text without having to lift a finger off your keyboard. If you are just starting to learn how to use markdown, you will not have a problem with Laverna as it shows text preview in real time and allows you to correct errors easily.

Laverna offers the following features:

* To do list

* Code highlighting

* Compatible with Windows x32 and x64, Linux x32 and x64 and macOS

4. Google Keep

Google Keep is a unique note-taking app which shows your notes in color coded cards. This way you could view and scan your notes easily even without having to open it. Since this app is created by Google, this makes you assured that this app links with other Google products such as Gmail. Through these links it is easier and creates more useful features such as copying notes to your email, etc.

This app allows its users to create a checklist, reminders, attach pictures and has a web-clipper.

5. Zoho Notebook

Zoho Notebook allows its users to create covers for your notes like a real notebook. It enables its users to access its text-notes, voice notes, adding pictures, color coding, note stacking, multiple viewing and syncing with multiple unlimited devices features. It also has a web-clipping which allows one to save and link other web addresses.

Zoho is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, web and iOS.

6. Bear

This app is exclusive for Apple devices. Its aesthetics is top of the line best designed app awarded by Apple. Not only Bear is known for offering its good looking interface, it also has amazing features which one could make good use of. One of it is its markdown editing feature combined with UI, tagging system to your notes which helps you find and organize your notes. It is fast, effective, efficient, does not crash, could simultaneously sync to devices and export notes in PDF, HTML, JPG and RTF formats.

7. Elephant

An open-sourced version of Evernote, Elephant is similar and very much feels like Evernote. Similar with Evernote, Elephant allows you to save your created notes in notebooks and create stack of notebooks. Your notes are saved on your device which enables you to access your notes easily and also use other apps to help or enhance Elephant. These third party services such as Dropbox and Github are only a few which you could use.

8. Turtl

Turtl like Laverna, focuses on security and privacy. Turtl ensures this through creation of password and encryption of all your notes and data. Though your notes are secured, Turtl also allows one to share notes with others.

Turtl allows its users to organize notes through its notebook-like boards. These boards could be included or put inside another board which makes organizing easier.

9. Keep It

Keep it is exclusive to macOS and iOS devices. This app is not heavy and would not take up most of your device space. Keep it allows one to create checklists, attach links, pictures, organize your notes in folders, create levels, lists and bundles. Your notes could be shared and are synced through iCloud.

10. CintaNotes

CintaNotes allows its users to capture notes in web, ebooks, PDFs and the like through highlighting the data you need and paste it in your “notebook”. You could link notes and search notes. It enables its users to configure different hotkeys, create sections and tags. CintaNotes is compatible with Windows, macOS and Android.

Conclusion:

Since OneNote could be a bit difficult to use and might not be for everyone, options and alternatives are available. Though the list above, we hope you are able to find an app that would suit your note-taking needs.