Note-taking apps are as important as any other app on our phones. It is difficult for people to put thoughts, notes, and even tasks in their heads. That’s why most people scribble things down so they can refer back to them later.

However, the habit of carrying a notepad has become outdated and is becoming increasingly rare. An average person always has their smartphone with them, which makes taking notes with the help of note-taking apps very easy.

note taking apps

Moreover, the biggest challenge for users is the fact that there are so many options that make it challenging to find the best note apps for Android. Don’t worry; we’ve rounded up some excellent free note-taking apps for Android.

What are the best note-taking apps for Android?

Looking for the best note-taking apps for Android? We have the best options for you to choose from, depending on the features you are looking for, and here they are:

NameFeatureFree or Paid?Price
Microsoft OneNotePremium note-taking appFreemium$7.99 per month
Google KeepIntuitively designed note appFree-
BundledOrganize your note the way you wantFreemium$1.89 per month
NotionAll-encompassing app for productivityFreemium$5 per month
EvernotePowerful note-taking appFreemium$7.99 per month
FlexcilBest Handwriting App for AndroidFreemium$7.99 one-time fee
UpnoteMinimalistic note-taking appFreemium$0.99 per month
JoplinBasic note-taking appFree-

1. Microsoft OneNote – Premium note-taking app

best note-taking app for android -onenote

OneNote is one of the best applications Microsoft has developed to help with note-taking. The software is quite minimalistic yet packed with features that everyone needs to take and organize notes. Also, OneNote supports converting handwriting to text, drawing, scanning notes, creating to-do lists, and many other things.

Moreover, this app has a very intuitive interface and is synchronized with all platforms. Another advantage of OneNote is the fact that all your notes are accessible from any device, thanks to its cloud backup. Thus, you won’t have to worry about losing your notes if your smartphone gets lost.

Microsoft OneNote is also free and doesn’t contain any advertisements. This is an advantage that few note-taking apps for Android offer. If you want to take very long notes (including handwritten notes), this app offers endless paper. With the OneNote app, you can export your notes as plain text or PDF at any time. These are just some of the features you can use with this note-taking app on your phone.

Why should you use OneNote:

  • Intuitive UI design
  • Endless paper for note-taking
  • Doesn’t contain ads
  • Advanced collaboration features

In-app purchase: $7.99 per month

2. Google Keep – Intuitively designed note app

note taking app for android- google keep

This is another one of the best note-taking apps for Android and is arguably the best-designed note-taking app for Android. As a Google app, you should expect no less. I think people don’t know about this app even though it’s been around since 2013, unfortunately, because of these underdeveloped note-taking apps. Keep is very lightweight, making it very easy to use on any smartphone.

With Google Keep, you can effortlessly jot down ideas, save articles to read later, create to-do lists, and keep track of it later. It uses a card format to display notes which is reminiscent of sticky notes. This is also made easier because the app can be used offline, so you don’t have to worry about the internet. Besides, you can create notes in any format, such as images or voice notes, which you can record, and the application will automatically transcribe for you.

You can also take notes from your Android phone and access them through your PC, as all your notes can be synced with Google Drive. The application is well integrated with other Google services, so you can easily use Keep with applications like Google Docs and others. The ability to collaborate and share notes is something that’s been created with most Google productivity apps, and this can happen with Keep as well. You can easily share your notes with colleagues and get them to annotate them in the same app.

Why you should use Google Keep:

  • Easy to use
  • Can be connected with other Google apps
  • Offline access

In-app purchase: Free

3. Bundled Notes – Organize your note the way you want

best note-taking apps for android

If you are looking for a notes app that also works as a web application, Bundled Notes is the right choice for you. The application is well-created with a very intriguing interface that will have you right from its login page. The login is simply one-click through your Google account, so you do not have to worry about anything.

The best thing about any note app is the ability to organize your notes the way you want, and Bundled Notes fulfills that requirement very well, making it one of the best note apps for Android. You can create bundles (organized notebooks) for any group of things, whether notes for college, personal ideas, game collections, movie lists, tasks, and many other things. This is one of the things that sets the app apart from others, and it’s a very special feature.

Bundled Notes is a new app that surpasses most of these old note apps with exclusive text formatting tools. You can add rich content like images, files, and link previews to your notes. Although the app also allows you to sync notes with other devices, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version to take advantage of this. However, the Pro version offers many other features that are worth taking advantage of. Bundled Note is quite literally the best note-taking app you’ll ever come across.

Why you should use Bundled Notes:

  • Has almost everything needed to create and organize notes
  • Allows setting reminders with your note
  • Easy to use and nice interface
  • Relatively inexpensive

In-app purchase: $1.89 per month

4. Notion – All-encompassing app for productivity

note taking apps for android - notion

Notion happened to be the first note-taking app I used in our selection for this article. It’s a unique productivity app that provides everything you need to take notes and complete tasks from your smartphone. And yes, you can access the notes and memos you create with Notion from and on your devices.

The app calls itself an “all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.” It can indeed be used for all of that. Notion helps you create a custom structure for your notes and keep track of your projects. Plus, the app has several templates that can also be used to organize things like quick notes, annual goals, travel plans, movie lists, personal journals, meeting notes, grocery lists, and more.

With this software, you can copy your notes and share them with others so they can access them. From there, the people who have access to the note can comment, and you can all discuss the note in the note’s comment section. Also, you can easily switch from a light to a dark theme to change the look or to make it easier on your eyes. Notion is a compelling note-taking app, and you will hardly be able to explore all of its features.

Why you should use Notion:

  • More than just a note-taking app
  • Quite easy to use
  • Has both light and dark themes
  • Very small size

In-app purchase: $5 per month

5. Evernote -Powerful note-taking app

android note taking app-evernote

Evernote is another powerful Android note-taking app designed mainly for creative people and entrepreneurs to jot down and organize their ideas. Its ease of use and many time-saving features are things that set Evernote apart from other note-taking apps for Android. Notes can be created in different notebooks, which makes your ideas and tasks well organized.

You can also create checklists for your tasks and keep track of them by setting the app’s built-in reminder. Voice notes, sketches, and attachments can be added to your notes to make them more meaningful. Moreover, the notes app can also be used on the web, and deleted notes can be recovered effortlessly if needed.

Evernote has both a free and premium plan. The free version offers only 60 MB of storage for notes, which should be quite enough for an average user. However, if you do not use the premium subscription, you’ll only be able to sync your notes with two devices, and you will not be able to use some of the advanced features either. Finally, you can share links to notes and collaborate with others.

Why you should use Evernote:

  • Effortlessly create notes and to-do list
  • Very useful in organizing ideas
  • Set remainder

In-app purchase: $7.99 per month

6. Flexcil – Best Handwriting App for Android

best handwriting app for android-flexcil

Here is an app that can serve as both a personal note-taking app and a note-taking app for studying. Flexcil is very easy to use and has an intuitive interface. Not only can you write using the keyboard, but you can also make use of the handwriting option. The app is constantly updated, and new features are added to make note-taking easier.

With this software, you do not have to switch between different tabs to take notes while studying as you can select up to 4 page views for your notes in the app’s window. This makes it easier to take notes for academic purposes. You can also create notes on audio recordings when needed.

In addition, Flexcil has extensive text editing tools for creating notes and markup tools for PDFs. Text, images, and attachments from other sources can also be inserted into your notes. You can link notes from multiple documents using the Flexcil reference link. The app can be used for free, or you can sign up for a premium subscription to get more features.

Why you should use Flexcil:

  • Extensive text editing tools
  • Create up to 4-page view to take notes from
  • Link note from several documents

In-app purchase: $7.99 one-time fee

7. Upnote – Minimalistic note-taking app

minimalistic note app for android - upnote

This is a useful software to increase your productivity and organize yourself. It offers a clear interface for taking notes and numerous designs to help you take notes without being distracted by other things. Upnote’s new tag feature also lets you organize your notes.

Apart from that, Upnote works on all platforms, making it easy for users to access it on all devices. And yes, your notes are automatically synced between all devices. This Android app for notes allows you to insert images, code blocks, and various other attachments. The text format can also be customized to your preferences, so you can feed your eyes with what you want.

You can also take notes offline, and the app has a focus mode, so you won’t be distracted while taking notes. Thanks to the elegant design of the screen, you can also use multiple themes to make your notes more enjoyable. With the lock feature, you can ensure the privacy of your notes on all devices.

Why you should use Upnote:

  • Elegant design
  • Has distraction-free mode
  • Note lock feature

In-app purchase: $0.99 per month

8. Joplin – Basic note-taking app

best note taking app for android - joplin

Joplin is the best open-source simple note-taking app that is absolutely free to use. The app has numerous features and is available on all major app download platforms. This software accepts all file types, including images, videos, audio, and PDFs. Also, you can easily organize your notes into notebooks, which makes it easier to keep track of the notes you have made.

Also, this software lets you draw diagrams and write mathematical equations – something that many note-taking apps lack. Another advantage of the Joplin app is the ability to customize the look of your notes to your liking. A special feature of this program is that it automatically saves the history of your notes for 90 days. Just like Evernote and most of the apps listed here, you have the option to save web pages as notes using the Joplin Web Clipper extension.

You can also sync your notes with services like Joplin Cloud, OneDrive, and Dropbox to make them available on all your devices. Your notes can also be published on the web and accessible via a URL. Notes created with Joblin are very safe and secure to ensure privacy. And, as mentioned earlier, it’s all free.

Why you should use Joplin:

  • Free note-taking app
  • Sync your note with different services
  • Share note via URL

In-app purchase: Free

Curating the Best Note-Taking App for Your Need

Finding the best note-taking apps for Android can be difficult because there are so many bad apps out there. The apps presented in this article, on the other hand, will undoubtedly boost your productivity as they all offer amazing features and are easy to use. Some of them work even better if you are using a stylus pen. Choose from the options depending on your preferences.

FAQs on Android Note-Taking Apps

No, you cannot use GoodNotes on Android because it is only available for iOS. However, several other alternatives with better features than GoodNotes are compatible with Android. We have discussed our recommended options in this article.

Both OneNote and Evernote do a good job in their own way. However, Evernote is more feature-rich and easier to use than OneNote, which is one of the things that sets it apart.

If you are looking for the best note-taking apps with stylus Android, here are our top picks:

1. Squid
2. Evernote.
3. Keep My Notes
4. Google Keep
5. OneNote

We have tried to answer exactly this - which Android note-taking app is the best "for YOU". For most people, Google Keep should suffice considering it's completely free and works like a charm. But for someone who's more productivity-oriented, Microsoft OneNote is the best note-taking app for Android.

While Android phones don't have a default Notes app, most phones come pre-loaded with Google Keep as part of Google's suite of built-in apps. Google Keep is completely free and is a fine note-taking app. It's constantly updated with new features.

While there are many apps claiming to be the best Goodnotes alternative for Android, we think Evernote comes closest in terms of features, user interface, and user experience. You can also consider Microsoft OneNote as a decent GoodNotes alternative for Android.

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