List of the Top 25 Note-Taking Apps for Windows in 2026

Plottr provides a user-friendly platform for organizing and rearranging your scenes, character journeys, and overall plots, facilitating a seamless pathway to your story's conclusion. It automatically generates a detailed outline that you can review and modify, which can then be exported to serve as a foundation for your manuscript. With Plottr, you can bypass the daunting task of starting from zero, as it offers a variety of templates—many of which are grounded in effective storytelling strategies—to aid in transforming your ideas into a fully realized narrative. Additionally, the adventure of storytelling continues as Plottr streamlines the transition from outlining to writing, allowing you to simply export your outlines into the software and unleash your creativity. This ensures that the process remains engaging and efficient, no matter where you are in your writing journey.

ShixxNOTE is a desktop application that enables users to create sticky notes on their screens and share them with friends or coworkers over the Internet or a local network. Functioning in a client/server setup, it allows messages to be sent to designated ShixxNOTE users seamlessly. Notably, messages can also be delivered to computers that do not have ShixxNOTE installed, utilizing the standard Windows Messenger service for those instances. Additionally, the program includes alarm functionalities to notify you about specific notes that require attention. Users have the flexibility to customize the font, color, and style of their notes, enhancing their visual appeal. The application also boasts several other features, such as the ability to reply to notes, email them, export, and print, making it a versatile tool for personal and professional communication. With these features combined, ShixxNOTE stands out as a practical solution for organizing thoughts and reminders effectively.

Microsoft OneNote is an intelligent digital notebook that brings creativity, organization, and AI-powered productivity together in one place. Designed for personal, academic, and professional use, OneNote lets you capture notes, drawings, voice memos, and web clips with ease. With Copilot in OneNote, users can draft outlines, structure plans, summarize pages, and even brainstorm ideas through simple conversational prompts. The platform’s digital ink tools make sketching and annotation feel natural—ideal for creative thinkers and visual learners. The new Sticky Notes integration enhances memory and context by resurfacing related notes automatically when you revisit similar pages or sources. OneNote supports voice transcription, enabling users to record and review meetings or lectures without missing key details. In classrooms, OneNote for Education helps teachers organize lesson plans and share content libraries, while students collaborate and sketch diagrams in real time. The app’s collaborative features make teamwork intuitive, allowing multiple people to edit and sync notes simultaneously across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Deep integration with Microsoft 365 and OneDrive ensures your notebooks are secure, searchable, and accessible from anywhere. With OneNote, Microsoft redefines note-taking as an interactive, intelligent, and creative experience designed for modern productivity.

Notion is a powerful and intuitive collaboration tool that transforms the way teams and individuals manage their projects, documents, and knowledge. The platform supports everything from document creation and comprehensive wikis to project management, offering a highly flexible workspace that adapts to a wide variety of workflows. Notion allows teams to centralize all their information in one place, making it easier to stay organized and collaborate effectively. With its AI-powered features, users can automate smart task management, generate content quickly, and easily access data and insights from integrated apps such as Google Drive, Slack, and Figma. Whether you are working in a small team or a large enterprise, Notion is a customizable platform that centralizes your resources, streamlines your workflow, and significantly enhances productivity by keeping everything you need in one cohesive space.

Discover the ultimate note-taking app that flawlessly syncs across all your devices, providing a cohesive and efficient experience. Various formats are vital for different note types, and each Note Card is purposefully designed to enhance your note-taking process according to your preferences. Whether you are capturing your thoughts, compiling lists, recording audio clips, sketching your ideas, or taking photos, the Text Card serves as an exceptional tool for preserving your memories. You can share your notes easily and securely with trusted friends and colleagues, fostering collaboration only with those you choose. This Notebook is crafted to be essential, as it automatically syncs to the cloud and across all your gadgets, guaranteeing that your notes remain up-to-date and safely backed up. With an unwavering dedication to privacy, we do not sell your information or depend on advertisements for revenue. Our business model is built on prioritizing your needs while efficiently safeguarding and managing your data, providing you with peace of mind as you jot down your thoughts. Experience the reliability and security of a note-taking application that genuinely understands your requirements and empowers you to take notes effortlessly. With this app, you can enjoy a seamless blend of functionality and privacy that enhances your overall note-taking journey.

Notezilla is a versatile sticky note application designed for Windows and mobile devices that aids in keeping you organized and equipped with the necessary tools. It enables users to jot down quick notes that resemble 3M post-it® notes directly on their Windows desktop, ensuring a seamless sticky note experience. Additionally, you can synchronize your sticky notes across multiple computers through the cloud synchronization feature. The application also offers free access via smartphones with dedicated apps available for both iPhone/iPad and Android users. With its professional design, Notezilla stands out as a simple yet elegant solution for note-taking, and it has built a solid reputation over the last 15 years, as reflected in numerous customer reviews. This makes it a highly reliable choice for individuals looking to enhance their productivity and organization.

Obsidian acts as a powerful knowledge management solution that utilizes a collection of plain text Markdown files stored on your local device. Just as our thoughts transition from one idea to another, your second brain should reflect this organic, non-linear flow. The ability to create and explore "connections" between notes in Obsidian is both effortless and user-friendly. Take the time to nurture your notes, and at the close of each day, reflect on the complex web of insights you've woven together. Customization is essential in the note-taking process, and if you've tried different applications yet always felt something was lacking, Obsidian presents a revitalizing option. With its highly adaptable design, it offers 22 core plugins and an impressive 149 community-developed plugins, making it easy to personalize your setup and get started in mere minutes. Moreover, when Obsidian reaches its version 1.0 milestone, users will have the opportunity to incorporate third-party plugins or even develop their own, unleashing a world of possibilities. In a time when cloud services can be unpredictable and prone to abrupt changes, the last thing you want is to be dependent on proprietary formats that risk data lock-in. Obsidian ensures that your information is safely housed within a local folder, granting you both peace of mind and absolute control over your data. This commitment to local storage guarantees that your knowledge will always be accessible and protected, regardless of what challenges the future may present. By embracing this tool, you're not just organizing information; you're empowering yourself to engage deeply with your own thoughts and ideas.

Whether collaborating in real-time or managing tasks across different time zones, Notejoy helps create the feeling of proximity among coworkers. Take advantage of Notejoy's lightning-fast quick find feature and powerful search tools to easily access the information you require. The platform provides flexible workspaces designed to cater to both client needs and project demands. With adaptable team libraries, you can establish spaces for internal teams, external clients, or any combination of collaborators. Experience real-time interaction to maintain a continuous dialogue and a consolidated version of your work. Team libraries are designed to support a variety of sizes and formats, organized by company, project, clients, and more, ensuring that all team members can find what they need. You have the ability to control who can view, comment, and edit your documents, providing a secure environment for your work. To help you stay updated on important developments, content digests offer critical insights into what’s currently trending. Collaborate effortlessly, sharing and editing content simultaneously to keep everyone in the loop. Furthermore, you can share files, link resources, and facilitate discussions, which not only enhances project flow but also cultivates a more unified and efficient team atmosphere. This comprehensive approach to collaboration ensures that all team members remain engaged and aligned throughout the project lifecycle.

Presenting Noteastic, the eagerly awaited note-taking application for Windows that users have been looking forward to: a leading native solution specifically designed for handwritten note-taking. Developed by two university students who were dissatisfied with the available options for recording their academic notes, this app merges robust features with a user-friendly and responsive design. With Noteastic, you can freely write in your own style, utilizing a range of note-taking tools such as Pens, Highlighters, Lines, and Shapes to personalize your experience. Moreover, it allows for the seamless import and annotation of PDF documents or lecture slides, making it convenient to enhance your study materials. When the time comes to share your insights, you can easily export your notes, all while maintaining an organized library of your notebooks. Noteastic is dedicated to boosting your productivity and transforming studying into a more enjoyable endeavor, ensuring that you have everything you need to succeed in your academic journey. Whether you are in a lecture hall or at home, this app is designed to support your learning experience every step of the way.

Uncover the perfect outlining tool tailored for your most remarkable ideas, where outstanding visions are meticulously organized, nurtured, and realized. Dynalist merges a wealth of functionalities with a user-friendly layout, presenting essential tools only as needed to maintain a clean workspace. Take a closer look by trying the demo, which allows you to hide various panels to focus purely on organizing and refining your ideas. You won't need to worry about feeling daunted by its features; they are designed to facilitate your journey toward producing exceptional work. Dive into the possibilities this application offers and unleash your creative potential in a distraction-free environment, paving the way for innovative breakthroughs.

Write! is an advanced platform designed for creating notes, to-do lists, writing projects, and various other types of text. Its user-friendly design brings together all the key features of a conventional word processor while eliminating unnecessary clutter. The platform equips users with productivity-boosting tools such as customizable autocomplete, a sophisticated spellchecker, unlimited undo capabilities, and productivity tracking, all of which significantly enhance writing efficiency. The clean writing interface allows your ideas to flow smoothly as you create content. You'll have peace of mind knowing that your documents are secure and easily accessible, ensuring they will never be lost. The platform is accessible on any device, allowing you to seamlessly continue writing from wherever you left off. Additionally, Write! offers the capacity to store an unlimited number of documents without incurring any extra charges. Organizing your writing tasks is simplified through the use of tabs, sessions, and folders, which aid in navigating through various projects effortlessly. Switching between different writing sessions will instantly change the tab group you’re working on, facilitating quick shifts in focus. Moreover, you can publish your documents online with a unique URL, making sharing via email or social media a straightforward process. Any updates made to a shared document are promptly reflected online, guaranteeing that collaborators always have access to the latest version. This functionality not only boosts individual productivity but also encourages effective teamwork and collaboration among users. With Write!, you can elevate your writing experience while fostering connections with others.

Joplin is a powerful, open-source tool tailored for note-taking and task management, designed to handle a large number of notes organized neatly within notebooks. Users can easily search, copy, tag, and modify their notes either within the application or through their favorite text editors, with all notes utilizing Markdown formatting. The application also facilitates the importation of Evernote notes via .enex files, ensuring that formatted content is maintained (which is then converted into Markdown), along with resources such as images and attachments, in addition to detailed metadata like geolocation and timestamps. Moreover, it allows for the import of standard Markdown files. Joplin enables synchronization with a variety of cloud storage options, including Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, and WebDAV, as well as local file systems like network directories. During this synchronization process, all notes, notebooks, tags, and related metadata are saved in plain text files, providing an easy way to inspect, back up, and transfer data. With accessibility across numerous platforms such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS, it caters to a wide range of users. Ultimately, the combination of its adaptability and rich features makes Joplin an exceptional choice for those in search of an effective and comprehensive note-taking application. Users will find that it not only meets their organizational needs but also enhances their productivity significantly.

Elevate your handwritten notes into sophisticated documents with cutting-edge write-to-text technology. You can easily integrate PDFs into your notebooks, mark them up, and export everything to PDF while preserving your modifications. Experience the freedom of a vast workspace where you can freely write and sketch, as well as effortlessly copy content across different pages or applications. Whether you’re in a boardroom or a classroom, from organizing a project to penning personal reflections, Nebo transforms the note-taking process into a smarter, more efficient, and enjoyable experience. With the convenience of taking your notes on the go, the companion app for iPhone empowers you to read, search, and share your notes anytime. Take advantage of Nebo’s compatibility with Apple silicon devices, and access it for free in the iPhone and iPad sections of the App Store. Recent updates introduce features that allow you to emphasize titles and utilize colored, bold, and underlined text options. Furthermore, by simply touching and holding a marker, you can swiftly alter the colors of highlights, words, strokes, shapes in diagrams, and even mathematical symbols, adding depth to your creative expression. This multifaceted tool not only changes how we document our ideas but also enhances our overall productivity and creativity. With each feature designed to improve the user experience, Nebo stands out as an indispensable resource for anyone looking to refine their note-taking strategy.

TiddlyWiki is a dynamic and engaging platform that allows individuals to organize complex data structures that standard tools such as spreadsheets or word processors struggle to handle. Designed to resonate with your cognitive workflows, it offers support for information that defies conventional formatting. The foundational principle centers on the notion that data becomes more functional and reusable when segmented into smaller, semantically significant units called tiddlers, which are easily organized through titles, links, tags, lists, and macros. By employing a unique WikiText notation, tiddlers provide various text formatting and hypertext features in a compact format. TiddlyWiki aims to create a fluid experience for managing these tiddlers, enabling users to merge and compile them into larger, cohesive narratives. This versatility not only enhances the organization of thoughts but also gives users the freedom to creatively explore and articulate their ideas in a structured manner that reflects their mental processes. Additionally, the platform encourages collaboration and sharing, making it a valuable tool for teams and individuals alike.

Amanote has been thoughtfully designed to meet the specific needs of students. Its main objective is to boost both productivity and efficiency during lectures and study periods. By utilizing Amanote, students can greatly enhance their ability to take notes during various presentations, lectures, and conferences. The platform empowers users to generate clear, well-structured, and comprehensive notes directly on their study materials. With Amanote, you can optimize your productivity, freeing up more time for personal activities within your day. Furthermore, the option to share notes with classmates proves to be highly beneficial when it comes to exam preparation. Featuring a wide range of tools, Amanote streamlines the note-taking process and improves study habits. While engaging with recorded lectures, Amanote highlights the slide currently under discussion, facilitating easier comprehension. Users also have the ability to export their notes, organized by slide or page, to PDF format for convenient access and distribution. In addition, Amanote supports the inclusion of mathematical or chemical equations, illustrations, charts, and code, enriching the overall note-taking experience. This adaptability makes it an indispensable resource for any student eager to elevate their academic success. The application not only enhances learning but also fosters collaboration among peers, making it a comprehensive educational tool.

Boost Note is a versatile and fast-paced collaborative platform specifically designed for development teams, aiming to significantly boost developers' productivity through an exceptional note-taking interface that transcends traditional GitHub-style markdown. It enables users to create clearer documentation by integrating diagrams from tools like Charts.js, Mermaid, and PlantUML. The platform offers extensive customization options, including keymaps such as Vim and more than 150 themes, allowing users to tailor their Markdown editor to fit their individual workflows perfectly. Additionally, users can manage their documents programmatically by securing an authentication token, which facilitates the use of Boost Note's APIs through simple HTTP requests. By utilizing over 2,000 external tool integrations available through Zapier, teams can automate their documentation processes, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. Collaboration becomes seamless as team members can share insights in a centralized workspace, taking advantage of Boost Note's real-time editing capabilities to work collectively on documents. Document revision history tracking provides an easy way to revert back to earlier versions with a single click, ensuring that changes can be managed effortlessly. Moreover, the platform prioritizes the security of critical data with tailored access controls for each workspace, creating a safe environment for all team members to excel. In conclusion, Boost Note empowers users with the tools they need to collaborate and innovate effectively, making it an invaluable resource for any development team.

Hypernotes simplifies the way you articulate your knowledge, allowing for natural expression. It’s user-friendly for both creation and expansion, and perhaps most crucially, it ensures clarity for your audience. Your notes, tutorials, intranets, books, scripts, articles, research, and various other resources find a centralized home, creating a network of interconnected knowledge. With Hypernotes, you can effortlessly construct a semantic web that enhances comprehension. The outcome is a reduction in excessive text while boosting understanding. As your projects expand and achieve greater success, collaboration with your team becomes vital, and the same principle applies to knowledge bases. Hypernotes also boasts robust task management capabilities, enabling you to share and delegate writing tasks to friends, family, and colleagues. Ultimately, the key moments in content creation often occur outside your workspace, in the real world, emphasizing the importance of collaboration. Moreover, this tool empowers users to seamlessly integrate various forms of knowledge, enhancing both individual and team productivity.

Supernotes offers a modern and effective way to handle your ideas, notes, tasks, and lists. It replaces clunky file formats with efficient digital note-cards that support a variety of features, including mathematical formulas, tables, images, checklists, and even emojis. You can easily arrange your note-cards according to your preferences, using filters, search capabilities, and sorting tools to quickly find any specific note. Furthermore, the platform allows you to link your thoughts together in a manner that traditional document formats simply cannot achieve. Your notes are securely kept on our servers, granting you easy access from any device you choose. Whether you want your notes to remain private or to collaborate in real-time with peers, you have full control over your sharing options. Acknowledging the value of your time, Supernotes streamlines numerous tasks, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. With no need for formatting, downloads, or delays, the platform operates smoothly and efficiently. Additionally, Supernotes is built to adapt to your evolving needs, making it a versatile tool for both individual and collaborative endeavors. It empowers users to enhance their productivity while maintaining a user-friendly experience.

Your notes are safeguarded by encryption, which guarantees that you alone can access and decode them, meaning that no one else, including our team, has the ability to read your notes. This approach allows you to focus more on writing rather than dealing with technical issues, as our application is designed to be user-friendly. It operates more efficiently and demands fewer resources in comparison to many other note-taking apps on the market. We take great care in crafting our applications to ensure they are durable and long-lasting. Standard Notes is offered for free on all platforms and comes equipped with features such as cross-platform synchronization and strong end-to-end privacy measures. For those interested in enhanced features and customization, we provide a premium version that unlocks advanced editors, various themes, and automated backups. Regardless of whether you are using a computer, smartphone, tablet, or gaming console, your data is always encrypted whenever it is sent outside your immediate control. Whether it travels through our servers, across public networks, in the cloud, or even into outer space, your information is protected by a passcode unique to you. This high level of privacy guarantees that your notes remain solely yours, giving you peace of mind in a world that is increasingly interconnected and complex. Ultimately, maintaining the confidentiality of your thoughts and ideas is our top priority, reinforcing the trust you place in our service.

Organizing your Markdown notes has never been simpler. With more than 100 plugins to choose from, this tool ensures smooth cross-platform functionality and secure data synchronization. Enjoy a seamless personal note-taking experience that significantly boosts your productivity. When your notes are effortlessly organized, it becomes easier to concentrate and achieve exceptional outcomes. This application includes features like syntax highlighting for various programming languages, multi-cursor capability, line numbering, scrolling beyond the final line, and the option to view hidden characters, among other useful tools. Its intuitive, streamlined interface, along with a 'Distraction Free Mode,' helps keep you focused on your writing tasks. The flexibility of nestable notebooks, the ability to pin items to the top, tagging options, and a workspace overview enables personalized note organization. You can also track your progress through note statuses and task management directly within the note list, making it easier to stay on top of your responsibilities. Furthermore, sharing your notes is a breeze with a public link, and you can export your work in HTML, PDF, or Markdown formats. Whether you are online or offline, you can conveniently access and jot down your notes whenever necessary. This all-encompassing tool truly revolutionizes the way you approach note-taking, making it a vital resource for anyone seeking to improve their efficiency.

TagSpaces is a versatile, privacy-conscious file manager and browser that also offers note-taking features, enabling users to categorize their files and folders through the use of tags and colors. Available for platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, it provides a seamless way to manage digital content. The TagSpaces Web Clipper facilitates the gathering of web pages, bookmarks, geo-coordinates, and screenshots directly from the Internet. With its integrated Markdown editor, users can craft notes that incorporate various elements like tables, mathematical equations, to-do lists, and diagrams. TagSpaces allows for connection to any folder on your computer, making it easy to navigate through its contents, and you can label any file or folder with tags for better organization. In the Pro version, users gain the ability to add descriptions and geotags to their files and folders, with geo-tagged items being positioned on a digital map for easy reference. Additionally, this upgraded version permits the transformation of any folder into a Kanban board, facilitating process representation through the use of cards (files) and columns (folders). TagSpaces also supports cross-references via tags within the folder structure, and users can employ the built-in search function to find files using various tag combinations. Furthermore, it offers the ability to browse files stored on S3-compatible object storage, such as those from Wasabi or AWS S3, expanding its utility beyond local files. This comprehensive tool not only enhances file management but also streamlines the organization of digital information.

Scrintal serves as a dynamic platform for visual note-taking and mind-mapping, empowering users to think and express their ideas creatively. This online whiteboard facilitates the organization, grouping, and connection of thoughts in a visually coherent manner. With Scrintal, users can seamlessly navigate between an overarching view and intricate details of their notes all in a single interface. It also enables the incorporation of images and multimedia, allowing for enhanced engagement and connectivity through backlinks. Ultimately, Scrintal stands out as an effective tool for managing personal knowledge visually, making the process of learning and organizing information more intuitive.

NoteDex provides exceptional previews for every card, enabling you to swiftly find the information you need without wading through unnecessary details. Its Card Stacks feature makes it easy to capture and arrange notes for different projects or classes seamlessly. With top-notch functionalities like editing options for handwriting, text, and images, you can produce and print remarkable 3 x 5 index cards that exceed your expectations. A single click allows you to alter the colors of your note cards, enhancing their appeal and engagement. NoteDex is excited to unveil a mobile application that acts as the perfect solution for your note-taking and organization needs. Packed with an extensive array of features, NoteDex is crafted to boost productivity and simplify your note-taking journey. Whether you are a visual learner, a student, a writer, a project manager, or anyone looking to organize thoughts effectively, NoteDex equips you with all the essential tools to achieve your objectives with ease. Not only does this app streamline the process, but it also enables users to unleash their creativity while efficiently managing their notes, making it an invaluable resource for diverse users.

MadNotes PRO is a versatile note-taking browser extension designed to enhance your privacy while providing an extensive workspace for each card. Key Features: ✔️Advanced text formatting ✔️Cloud synchronization ✔️Unlimited document creation ✔️Built-in security measures ✔️Toggle between Dark & Light Mode ✔️Customized privacy controls You can easily download the MadNotes extension from the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser stores, or explore it directly on the web for a seamless experience.

SNote is a workspace dedicated to maintaining privacy while enhancing productivity and collaboration. Unwavering Privacy Commitment Your files and notes are safeguarded through cutting-edge encryption methods, ensuring that no one, not even us, has access to your information. Privacy is integral to SNote's functionality; it’s a foundational principle that governs every note and file you create. Collaborate with Confidence You have the ability to work together privately with selected individuals on Projects, To Dos, Tasks, and shared files, all while enjoying a strong emphasis on privacy. This collaboration occurs with real-time end-to-end encryption, which we refer to as "eye-to-eye," ensuring that your conversations and data remain secure. Extremely Adaptable Data Management With smart, encrypted, and customizable data tables, users can explore limitless options for creating efficient and secure workflows. These data tables empower you and your team to tailor them to your unique requirements, all while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information. Furthermore, the flexibility of SNote allows for seamless integration of various tools to enhance overall productivity.