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I've compiled this list of note-taking tools because I get disorganized very quickly, and there are way too many of these things. So I thought I'd help narrow it down.
Markdown based
These note apps are powered by markdown (and also all eerily similar to one another).
Notable
Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows
Notable is a clean, focused, and powerful markdown-based note-taking tool. Notable allows you to organize your notes into tags and notebooks. You can also import existing markdown files, as well as sync your ~/.notable directory via any cloud-syncing service. Notable has plans to integrate directly with cloud storage solutions in the near future as well, making it a very promising tool.
Fun fact: Notable's Markdown editor is the same one vscode uses, which means you get multiple cursor support and more!
Boostnote
Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS(planned)
Boostnote is fairly similar, if not a blatant facsimile of Notable, with a couple of key differences:
- It's got more themes
- It's keyboard shortcuts are... very different from what I'm used to.
- It's taking things in a cloud-first direction Boostnote's similarity to Notable is not a bad thing, however personally I feel a little overwhelmed by it's interface. Boostnote also uses vscode for it's editor.
Bear
Platforms: iOS, Mac
Bear is probably one of my favorite apps of all time. It's simple, stylish, and very easy to use. It's my go-to app for taking notes on my phone. While I don't own a Mac (and hopefully never will), I still find lot's of times where bear has come in handy (for instance, Bear is where I wrote this article.)
Joplin
Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and as a CLI
Joplin has a ton of cool features. From it's browser extension to it's version control, Joplin has it all. While this might seem like probably the most versatile note-taking app in existence, that is actually Joplin's only downside. With it's intense feature-set and frankly verbose introductory example, it's easier than you'd think to get lost in Joplin's sauce. But if you're someone with laser-like focus all the time, and think you can handle what Joplin has to offer, then have at it!
Block based
This next set of note-taking apps are an order of magnitude more powerful than those mentioned previously. But with great power...
Notion
The team behind Notion describes it as
A tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It's the all-in-one workspace for you and your team.
And while that quote may scratch Notion's surface, I feel that it is an injustice to the product. Notion is a powerful, logical, and multi-facet document editor and workspace. Notion let's you: write blogs, create kan-ban boards, manage your coursework for uni, document products, services, and tools with an expressive set of rich text features you won't find anywhere else, and - most importantly - take notes.
Personally, I use Notion for a lot of things:
- Tracking coursework and grades
- Documenting the tools and libraries I create
- Starting a blog
- At my startup for all internal documentation
I don't know how I documented work before Notion. Go ahead and give it a try! Sign up at https://notion.so/
Roam
Roam is interesting... At first, it feels kiiiiinda similar to Notion, but then you start using it. Roam is a tool for thought networking, a practice I - myself - am not very familiar with. I had to watch a YouTube video and even then I still felt as though there were gaps in my understanding of the tool. My first time reading through the Roam White Paper I felt so lost, and still do. But, regardless, Roam has helped me map out my thoughts more. I find ideas really flow when I'm writing in Roam.
My Top Picks
The three I use the most are:
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day :-)
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