Note Taking Softwares and Apps

Discover best Note Taking softwares, apps and websites.

Best Note Taking Softwares and Apps

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RedNotebook

RedNotebook

Office & Productivity Journal and Diary
RedNotebook is a free and open-source desktop journal and diary application offering a clean interface and features for organizing notes, thoughts, and ideas with a calendar view, tag search, and basic text formatting.
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Open Source
Simple and intuitive interface.
Manuskript

Manuskript

Business & Commerce Desktop Application
Manuskript is a free and open-source writing software designed specifically for authors. It provides a structured environment to plan, outline, and write novels and other complex documents, featuring tools for character tracking, plot management, and a distraction-free interface.
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Open Source
Comprehensive outlining and organizational tools.
Tomboy

Tomboy

Education & Reference Desktop Application
Tomboy is a free and open-source desktop note-taking application designed for simplicity and efficiency across Linux, Unix, Windows, and macOS. It utilizes a wiki-like interface for easy linking between notes and offers features like automatic linking, full-text search, and local storage, making it an accessible and reliable tool for organizing your thoughts and tasks.
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Open Source
Simple and user-friendly interface.
wikidPad

wikidPad

Education & Reference note-taking
wikidPad is a free and open-source wiki-like notebook application that allows you to store your thoughts, notes, and snippets of information in a highly organized and cross-referenced manner. Its strength lies in the effortless creation of links between pages, making it easy to navigate and connect related ideas.
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Open Source
Effortless creation of cross-links between pages.
Simplenote

Simplenote

Office & Productivity note-taking
Simplenote is a minimalist note-taking application designed for speed and efficiency. It provides a clean interface across multiple platforms, focusing on text-based notes with robust synchronization and versioning capabilities. Ideal for capturing ideas quickly and accessing them anywhere.
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Open Source
Extremely fast and responsive interface.
Laverna

Laverna

Office & Productivity Note Taking
Laverna is a privacy-focused, open-source note-taking application designed for secure personal information management. It offers a robust Markdown editor, strong encryption capabilities, and offline access, making it an ideal solution for users prioritizing data privacy and a seamless note-taking experience across devices.
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Open Source
Strong AES encryption for enhanced data security.
Paperwork

Paperwork

Development Note Taking
Paperwork is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to popular note-taking and archiving applications like Evernote and OneNote. It offers a powerful suite of features for creating, organizing, and managing notes and documents with a strong emphasis on privacy and control.
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Open Source
Complete data ownership and control through self-hosting.
Leanote

Leanote

Office & Productivity Note Taking Software
Leanote is a versatile self-hosted note-taking application that blends rich text editing with Markdown support. It offers seamless synchronization across multiple devices and features built-in blog publishing capabilities, making it a powerful tool for both personal information management and content creation.
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Open Source
Self-hosting provides excellent data privacy and control.
KeepNote

KeepNote

Backup & Sync Desktop
KeepNote is a versatile note-taking application designed for organizing information in a hierarchical structure. Available on Windows, Linux, and macOS X, it features robust organization tools, including a tree-like outline, wiki-like linking, and support for embedded files and images. Although discontinued, its local storage and rich features make it a compelling tool for detailed note-taking and research.
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Open Source
Excellent hierarchical organization for complex information.
Org-mode

Org-mode

Office & Productivity Office & Productivity
Org-mode is a powerful and flexible mode for GNU Emacs, designed for note-taking, project planning, to-do list management, and authoring documents. It utilizes simple plain text files with intuitive markup.
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Open Source
Highly customizable and extensible through Emacs Lisp.
NixNote

NixNote

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
NixNote is an open-source, cross-platform desktop client for Evernote, offering a familiar interface and offline access to your notes.
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Open Source
Open-source and free to use.
Cryptpad

Cryptpad

Development Productivity
CryptPad is a suite of collaborative and encrypted web applications, providing a secure and private environment for document editing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Leveraging zero-knowledge encryption, it ensures that only you and your collaborators can access your content, making it ideal for sensitive information.
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Open Source
Excellent zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption.
CherryTree

CherryTree

Office & Productivity Note-Taking
CherryTree is a powerful, free, and open-source hierarchical note-taking application. It allows you to organize your thoughts, ideas, notes, and code snippets in a tree-like structure with rich text editing and syntax highlighting.
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Open Source
Excellent hierarchical organization.
Turtl

Turtl

File Sharing Web Application
Turtl is a secure and private note-taking, bookmarking, and document storage application. It utilizes strong client-side encryption to ensure that only you and authorized collaborators can access your sensitive information, making it ideal for managing confidential projects and data.
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Open Source
Strong client-side encryption ensures high level of data pri...
Notational Velocity

Notational Velocity

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
Notational Velocity is a minimalist, keyboard-centric note-taking application for macOS.
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Open Source
Extremely fast and responsive.
MyTetra

MyTetra

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
MyTetra is a versatile, cross-platform information manager designed for collecting, organizing, and managing various types of data. It excels as a portable note-taking application, personal information manager, and notebook, offering a robust outliner and rich text editing capabilities.
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Open Source
Excellent hierarchical organization with infinite depth.
KeyNote NF

KeyNote NF

Development Note-taking
KeyNote NF is a versatile, open-source notebook application offering a tabbed interface, rich text editing, multi-level note organization, and robust encryption for secure information management.
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Open Source
Excellent hierarchical structure for complex note organizati...
Zim

Zim

Education & Reference Note-Taking
Zim is a powerful, open-source graphical text editor designed for maintaining a personal wiki or notebook. It allows users to organize notes, ideas, and various types of information in a hierarchical, interlinked structure, similar to a wiki.
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Open Source
Data stored in plain text files for maximum portability and ...
Omni Notes

Omni Notes

Office & Productivity Mobile Application
Omni Notes is a versatile open-source note-taking application for Android. It emphasizes simplicity, lightweight design, and offline functionality while providing robust features for organizing and managing your notes effectively.
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Open Source
Works reliably offline.
QOwnNotes

QOwnNotes

Backup & Sync Note-Taking
QOwnNotes is a powerful yet simple open-source plain-text note-taking and to-do list application with Markdown support, designed for seamless integration with ownCloud and Nextcloud instances while also offering standalone functionality.
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Open Source
Uses plain-text for maximum compatibility and future-proofin...
Magpie

Magpie

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
Magpie was a note-taking application designed as an alternative to Evernote, leveraging Git for version control and synchronization. It focused on providing a robust, offline-first experience with privacy in mind.
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Open Source
Robust version control via Git integration
nvALT

nvALT

Office & Productivity Desktop
nvALT is a lightweight, plain text note-taking application for macOS building upon the foundation of Notational Velocity. It excels at fast capture, searching, and retrieval of notes using a simple, keyboard-centric interface, with added support for Markdown and synchronization.
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Open Source
Extremely fast note creation and retrieval
Nextcloud

Nextcloud

Backup & Sync File Storage & Synchronization
Nextcloud is an open-source, self-hosted platform for file synchronization, sharing, and collaboration. It provides a private alternative to commercial cloud storage services, offering a comprehensive suite of tools including file management, calendar, contacts, and notes, all under your control.
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Open Source
Complete control and ownership of your data through self-hos...
OpenNote

OpenNote

Office & Productivity Web Application
OpenNote is a free and open-source web-based note-taking application designed as an alternative to commercial offerings like OneNote and Evernote. It focuses on providing a lightweight yet feature-rich environment for organizing your thoughts and information.
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Open Source
Open Source
TiddlyWiki

TiddlyWiki

Education & Reference Personal Knowledge Management
TiddlyWiki is an innovative open-source, single-file, non-linear personal web notebook.
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Open Source
Extremely portable due to single file nature.
Gruik

Gruik

Office & Productivity Note Taking Software
Gruik is a powerful, free, and open-source note-taking service designed for users who value privacy, organization, and control over their data. Offering robust features like hierarchical organization, offline access, rich text formatting, and synchronization options, it provides a flexible platform for managing notes, ideas, and personal knowledge wikis.
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Open Source
Open source and self-hostable for complete data control.
ScrapBook

ScrapBook

Development Browser Extension
ScrapBook is a Firefox extension for enhanced web content management. It allows users to save full web pages, manage bookmarks, take notes, annotate, and organize digital content offline, serving as a comprehensive digital scrapbooking tool.
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Open Source
Saves complete web pages for reliable offline access.
Elephant

Elephant

Office & Productivity Note-taking Application
Elephant is a portable, privacy-focused note-taking application featuring a classic, intuitive interface. It supports robust note organization, rich text formatting, markdown, and offline access. With capabilities like image insertion and secure cloud synchronization, Elephant is designed for users needing a reliable and versatile digital notebook.
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Open Source
Strong emphasis on privacy and security with encryption and ...
Skim

Skim

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
Skim is a free and open-source PDF reader and note-taker for macOS. Tailored for scientific use, it offers advanced annotation tools, robust export options, and tight integration with LaTeX, making it an ideal companion for academic research and professional document management.
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Open Source
Excellent annotation tools for detailed markup.
nvPY

nvPY

Backup & Sync Desktop Application
nvPY is a minimalist, open-source note-taking application that seamlessly syncs with Simplenote. Designed for speed and simplicity, it provides a clean interface for focused writing and efficient note management through search and tags, echoing the user experience of Notational Velocity.
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Open Source
Excellent speed and responsiveness.

Recently Added Note Taking Apps and Services

footnote

footnote

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
Footnote is a streamlined and intuitive note-taking application specifically designed for elementary OS. It provides a clean interface for capturing, organizing, and syncing your thoughts and information seamlessly.
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Open Source
Clean and intuitive user interface.
Hypothes.is

Hypothes.is

Office & Productivity Browser Extension
Hypothes.is is a free, open-source web-based annotation tool that allows users to annotate and highlight text on any website. It facilitates collaborative discussion and sharing of ideas alongside the content being read.
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Open Source
Allows direct annotation on webpages.
Lifeograph

Lifeograph

Office & Productivity Journaling Software
Lifeograph is a private, offline journal and note-taking application designed for Linux desktops and Android. It prioritizes privacy with AES encryption and offers features like a calendar view, auto-saving, and various synchronization options for ease of use and data accessibility.
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Open Source
Strong AES encryption for privacy
Osmo

Osmo

Office & Productivity Personal Information Manager
Osmo is a lightweight and versatile personal organizer designed for efficiency. It integrates essential modules like a color calendar, task manager, address book, and notes editor into a single, user-friendly interface, making it ideal for managing daily activities.
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Open Source
Efficient and fast performance
Elephant

Elephant

Office & Productivity Note-taking Application
Elephant is a portable, privacy-focused note-taking application featuring a classic, intuitive interface. It supports robust note organization, rich text formatting, markdown, and offline access. With capabilities like image insertion and secure cloud synchronization, Elephant is designed for users needing a reliable and versatile digital notebook.
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Open Source
Strong emphasis on privacy and security with encryption and ...
Magpie

Magpie

Office & Productivity Desktop Application
Magpie was a note-taking application designed as an alternative to Evernote, leveraging Git for version control and synchronization. It focused on providing a robust, offline-first experience with privacy in mind.
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Open Source
Robust version control via Git integration