I absolutely love OneNote. Not only is it completely free, but it has tons of features that make daily note-taking a breeze. I've also enjoyed Evernote in the past, although I haven't used it for a while due to its price. Overall, both apps are great (check out our OneNote vs. Evernote comparison on Evernote vs. OneNote:Which note-taking app is right for you? Evernote vs. OneNote:Which note-taking app is right for you? Evernote and OneNote are amazing note-taking apps. It's hard to choose between the two. We compare everything from interface to note organization to help you choose. Which works best for you? Read More).
But no app is Perfect . I recently got a Chromebook and I'm not impressed with the web versions of both apps. Additionally, both OneNote and Evernote sit at the "heavy duty" end of the spectrum, meaning they can be slow and bloated. Sometimes speed and performance trump features.
And that's why I've been looking for an alternative. Maybe you have too. The good news is, lightweight alternatives. make exist - you just have to be willing to sacrifice some power and flexibility for them.
Available on the web, Android and iOS.
I'm not a big fan of web-only note-taking apps because web interfaces tend to be slow and unimpressive, so I was skeptical when I heard about Thinking . But I can confidently say this one deserves all the praise it gets.
Thought is really light. Supports three input types:Notes, All, and Bookmarks. Notes are just regular rich text notes. They are all notes that can be marked as completed. Bookmarks are fragments of the web. Beyond that, notes are mostly organized using custom tags.
The web version works pretty well, but the Android and iOS apps haven't been updated in a few years, so you may run into occasional bugs.
Available on Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
Simplenote lives up to its name. The developers haven't wasted any energy implementing useless bloat that you'll never use. Instead, we have a streamlined note-taking app that's fast, organized, and easy on the eyes.
There are no notebooks. Notes are organized using custom labels, although you can mark individual notes so they stay at the top of the note list. The notes themselves are plain text (no rich text editing), but if you need to format, you can switch to per-note Markdown mode.
Another notable feature is the revision history by note. As notes are edited, Simplenote saves regular snapshots, and you can look at them and revert the note to a previous snapshot when needed.
Available on Web, Windows, Mac and Linux..
The biggest selling point of Laverna it's their approach to privacy. Your notes are never stored on Laverna's servers, but you have the option to integrate with Dropbox or RemoteStorage if you want to sync between devices. You can also set an encryption password to keep your notes 100% private.
Laverna has two other big points going for her. First, all notes are written in Markdown with a live preview window. Second, it has three levels of organization:profiles, notebooks, and tags (and notebooks can be nested within other notebooks).
Plus, it has a distraction-free editing mode, syntax highlighting if you ever write code in your notes, several handy keyboard shortcuts, and it's open source on GitHub.
Available on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
turtle is another security-oriented note-taking app, so much so that it doesn't have a “Lost Password” feature. If you forget your login details, all your notes are doomed and irreparable. Keep this in mind before committing to this app.
What makes Turtl unique is that in addition to notes, it can also collect files, images, and web bookmarks. All of these items are organized into boards (which are basically notebooks with a more visual layout) and can be tagged for more granular organization.
Turtl is definitely offbeat, so it may take a while to grow into its design and structure, or you may never like it. Although I do recommend you give it a try. Who knows? Maybe your love that.
Available on Windows and Linux.
Cherry Tree It was my go-to note-taking app for years before I fell in love with OneNote. It is extremely lightweight, is open source, and has been regularly updated for several years. I consider it to be the best note taking app for Linux productivity on Linux:7 Note Taking Productivity Apps on Linux:7 Note Taking Apps Here are seven different apps you can use to write notes and increase your productivity on Linux. There are often web versions available, but instead we'll focus on alternative desktop apps you can use. Read more.
It can handle rich text notes and code based notes with syntax highlighting. And while CherryTree doesn't have notebooks per se, notes can be nested below other notes, so top-level notes basically act like notebooks.
The coolest feature, and the reason I started using CherryTree in the first place, is that you can create internal links to other notes as a wiki 4 of the Best Personal Wikis to Keep You Organized 4 of the Best Personal Wikis to Keep You Organized What if there was wiki software designed to help you on a personal level? You could use it for anything, from outlining your novel, keeping track of home improvement projects, or planning... Read More This is great for notes that are relative to other notes (such as when planning characters and plots for a novel).
Available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
Unlike all the other apps on this list, Tag Spaces is completely offline. That Never Send data over the internet. Instead, only uses local folders and files, which also means no syncing between devices (unless you sync with a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive).
TagSpaces supports three types of notes:plain text (TXT), rich text (HTML), and Markdown (MD). The interface is a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it, everything will make sense and your productivity will increase. And because TagSpaces uses the local file system, staying organized is as easy as creating your own preferred subfolder hierarchy.
While the free version is fully functional, you can unlock additional features (such as advanced search, geotagging, and file/folder tagging) with the one-time $40 Pro version.
Available on the Web, Android, iOS and Chrome.
If you prefer the “sticky notes” approach over the “text pages” approach, then why not use Google Keep ? I don't use it much because I like dedicated desktop apps, but I have to admit Google Keep is terrific for mobile note taking.
You should check out these awesome Google Keep tips and tricks 7 Tips for Taking Better Notes in Google Keep for Android 7 Tips for Taking Better Notes in Google Keep for Android If you use Google Keep for Android, these tips will make your experience much better. one. Read more:color coding, sticky notes with gestures, organization with labels, voice memos and more. You can do a lot with this, including planning your trips How to Use Google Keep to Organize Your Travel Plans How to Use Google Keep to Organize Your Travel Plans Try Google to plan your next trip. Google's easy-to-use app has great note-taking features that help keep all your trip details organized in one place. Learn more and manage simple projects How to use Google Keep for simple project management How to use Google Keep for simple project management Looking for a basic, intuitive, cross-platform project management tool? We show you how to use Google Keep for simple projects. Read more.
Don't spend too a lot of time trying to decide which one to use.
I know all too well that searching for a new app can be an incredibly pointless way to waste your time. 10 Time-Wasting Habits You Need To Quit Today , But it all adds up! Could it be that you are wasting your time on mindless habits? We will show you daily tasks that you can abandon. Read More
So download the ones that look interesting, give each one a few minutes, and don't be afraid to drop them all and go back to OneNote or Evernote if they're not satisfying. OneNote and Evernote may be. are The best options for you, at least for the moment..
Are there any other lightweight note-taking apps we missed? What is your favorite? What characteristics do you consider essential? Let us know in a comment below!
