3 Best Note-Taking Apps of 2024: Free & Paid

More and more people are now turning to using the best note-taking apps during their meetings, and it is for a good reason. It is a no-brainer that, in most cases, our attention can only be directed towards one particular thing at a time. This means that during meetings, your attention may be diverted when taking notes, especially when active participation is essential.

In this case, note-taking apps seek to resolve this issue, taking off the weight of manual and disorganized note-taking from you and allowing you to focus on the discussions.

But exactly which tools should you use?

This post provides the answers you seek by highlighting:

What note-taking apps are;
How to select the right note-taking tools;
Top free and paid note-taking apps of 2024.

Understanding Note-Taking Apps

You are probably aware of some of the best note-taking methods, mostly using pen and paper or tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. However, all these are manual note-taking techniques, which have displayed quite a number of disadvantages over the last few years.

For instance, if you do not know how to take great meeting notes, it is easy for crucial information to get lost along the way. This is why the world is now shifting towards note-taking apps.

But what exactly are these, and how can they be helpful to you?

In layman’s terms, note-taking apps are software applications that allow users to create, organize, and store notes in a digital format. These apps can be used for a variety of purposes, including taking notes during meetings, organizing thoughts and ideas, and creating to-do lists.

Benefits of Using Note-Taking Apps

Here are some of the key benefits of using a note-taking app:

Better organization: A note-taking app allows you to generate well-organized meeting notes. You can create folders, tags, and categories to find your notes quickly and easily.
Enhanced accessibility: With note-taking apps, you can access your notes from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection (although some allow for offline access too). This makes it easy to work on notes from multiple devices or locations.
Collaboration: Many note-taking apps allow users to collaborate with others on notes. This can be helpful if you’re working on a project with a team or are a student and need to work on a group assignment.
Searchability: Unlike manual note-taking tactics, note-taking apps often have powerful search features that allow you to find specific notes quickly and easily.

Overall, note-taking apps can be a valuable tool for anyone who needs to take notes on a regular basis. They offer a convenient way to keep track of thoughts, ideas, and notes all in one place.

However, not all note-taking apps are equal. This is why it would be prudent to find one that best aligns with your unique needs and requirements.

Some other considerations to make when selecting the best note-taking apps are:

The purpose of the note-taking tool;
The key features you need;
The budget or pricing.

With these in mind, it can be much easier to pick a note-taking tool that can help you achieve your meeting needs.

3 Best Note-Taking Apps of 2024

Here are the top note-taking apps of 2024 to consider:

Krisp

Krisp is one of the best note-taking apps with loads of features to take your meetings to the next level. This is an AI-powered meeting transcription tool that uses the latest and most advanced artificial intelligence technologies to accurately transcribe your discussions.

Krisp also uses these transcripts to automatically generate meeting notes and summaries, which you can seamlessly share with meeting participants or other stakeholders.

Some of the key features that make Krisp to stand out as one of the best note-taking apps include:

Highly accurate transcription

Besides helping you to capture notes for your meeting, you can rely on Krisp to give you an accurate representation of what was discussed during your meetings. This makes it easier for you to review and highlight any important parts.

Automated note-taking

Krisp’s AI meeting assistant jumps into action whenever you have a meeting. This means you do not have to undergo extensive setup processes every time you have a meeting.

This way, you can focus on your discussions without worrying about taking meeting notes or acquiring transcriptions.

Customizable notes and summaries

Krisp provides well-organized meeting notes encompassing the most important aspects of your discussions. It mostly highlights crucial details like the meeting takeaways, decisions made, questions raised, and action items assigned.

What’s more, you can also use the AI tool to automatically generate a summary of the discussions. This feature is beneficial for recalling what the meeting was about and enhancing accountability.

Moreover, this summary, which you can easily customize, can be shared with those who didn’t attend the meeting to bring them up to speed.

Works on any meeting platform

Krisp’s AI note-taker is not limited to any meeting platform. Whether you’re hosting your meeting on Zoom or Google Meet, the tool seamlessly integrates with these tools, making the whole process easier for you.

What’s more, the Krisp note-taking tool has a cross-platform capability. If you switch your meeting platforms between discussions, it automatically picks up and generates meeting notes for you.

All the key features of Krisp are freely available. This means that even without paying for a premium plan, you can still enjoy accurate transcriptions, automatic note-taking, summaries, and Krisp’s renowned noise cancelation technology.

However, if you hold numerous and long meetings every other day, you can seamlessly upgrade to the paid version.

Try Krisp for free today!

Obsidian

Obsidian is a powerful note-taking app that can be used to help its users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way. This tool is a local-first app, which means that all notes are stored locally on your device, ensuring that your data is always under your control.

Obsidian is best for markdown writers and power note-takers. It allows you to create a folder of plaintext files for your notes. Moreover, you can make internal links for notes and then visualize the connections as a graph. This method makes it possible to easily explore and manage notes. Furthermore, the knowledge graph, which is a series of interlinked notes allows you to find common themes between notes.

Some of the key features of Obsidian include:

You can create connections between your notes.
Get to visualize the relationships between your notes through a visually engaging and interactive graph.
There is an infinite space to research, brainstorm, diagram, and lay out your ideas on the canvas, which is a limitless playground for your mind.
You integrate Obsidian with numerous other plugins thanks to its open API.

Obsidian is free for personal use. However, you will have to pay to access features like sync through its paid versions.

Google Keep

Google Keep is a free note-taking app where you can create, organize, and store notes in a digital format. It is available on the web and mobile operating systems, including iOS and Android.

There are many things you can achieve with this free note-taking app:

Note-taking during meetings;
Organizing thoughts and ideas;
Creating to-do lists;

Moreover, when using this tool, you can add photos and audio to your notes. You can also create voice notes, depending on your unique needs.

Some of the features that can make you consider using Google Keep are:

Flexibility in how you organize your notes.
You can access your notes from anywhere, as long as there’s internet connectivity.
Google Keep allows you to collaborate with others on notes.
Enhanced searchability feature, which allows you to find specific notes quickly.

Other tools to check out:

Apple Notes;
Microsoft OneNote;
Ulysses;
Simplenote;
And Evernote.

Manual note-taking will be a thing of the past for busy people and those who wish to make the most of their meetings. As note-taking technology continues improving with each passing day, there may be much more to expect. But for now, AI-powered note-taking is the way to go, and Krisp has you covered.

By using these note-taking apps, you can seamlessly improve collaboration, communication, and productivity in your meetings.

Moreover, by exploring the power of advanced AI in note-taking through a tool like Krisp, you unlock enhanced efficiency, making your meetings more aligned.

Try Krisp for free today!