What is the best Note Taking app in 2026?

Our editors rank TickTick #1 for most teams in Note Taking based on features, value, and user feedback. See the full ranked list above for alternatives.

Are there free Note Taking tools?

Yes — many Note Taking apps offer free plans or trials. Use the pricing filter in our directory to browse free and freemium options.

How do we rank Note Taking software?

We evaluate each app on features, ease of use, value for money, integrations, and real user feedback. Apps are ranked by overall editor score within this category, with manual adjustments when hands-on testing reveals a clear winner.

Best Note Taking Tools Updated Oct 2026

#1

TickTick

Cross-platform task, note-taking, and planning app with calendar views and habit tracking.

5.0

Best Task Manager App

38

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is TickTick?

Cross-platform task, note-taking, and planning app with calendar views and habit tracking. TickTick is a task and note-taking app for people who need one place for tasks, habits, and schedules.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

After evaluating dozens of productivity and task management applications, my team and I found TickTick to be one of the most well-rounded solutions for individuals and teams. It combines task management, calendar planning, habit tracking, reminders, and collaboration features in a single, intuitive platform, making it easier to stay organised without switching between multiple apps. What impressed my team and me most is TickTick's clean interface, cross-platform support, and consistent performance across devices. Whether you're managing personal tasks, coordinating projects, or planning daily routines, the app offers the flexibility and features needed to improve productivity. Based on our hands-on evaluation, we recommend TickTick for professionals, students, freelancers, and businesses looking for a reliable, feature-rich productivity app that delivers excellent value…

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Audience

Best for

Students
solo professionals
SMB teams
cross-platform users
people managing personal and work tasks in one app

Capabilities

Key features

Task Lists and Notes

Keep work tasks, personal chores, and study items in one place with note support for each item.

Calendar Views

Plan in yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, agenda, multi-day, and multi-week views.

Kanban Boards

Organize tasks by status or workflow when a list view is not enough.

Timeline Planning

Map tasks by duration so you can see schedule load and adjust dates by dragging.

Reminders and Recurrence

Set one-off, repeating, email, constant, and location-based reminders for deadlines.

Pros

There is a free plan, plus Premium is priced at $35.99 per year, so entry cost is clear.
Works on web, iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, which helps teams and solo users on mixed devices.
The site lists several planning views, including calendar, Kanban, timeline, and Eisenhower matrix.
Premium adds fuller calendar functions, advanced filters, task history, and historical statistics.
Integrations listed in the fact sheet include Notion and Google Workspace support.

Cons

There is no free trial, so testing Premium means paying upfront.
The fact sheet lists only a small set of integrations, so it may not fit teams that need many native connectors.
There is no API in the fact sheet, which limits custom automation.
Some advanced planning features are behind Premium, including fuller calendar controls and custom filters.

Plans

Pricing

Paid Subscription35.99

Premium $35.99 billed annually

Summary

Final verdict

After evaluating dozens of productivity and task management applications, my team and I found TickTick to be one of the most well-rounded solutions for individuals and teams. It combines task management, calendar planning, habit tracking, reminders, and collaboration features in a single, intuitive platform, making it easier to stay organised without switching between multiple apps.

#2

Otter.ai

AI meeting notes with searchable transcripts and workflow handoff

5.0

57

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is Otter.ai?

AI meeting notes with searchable transcripts and workflow handoff Otter.ai is an AI notetaker for meetings, interviews, and day-to-day conversations.

Audience

Best for

Sales teams
customer support teams
recruiters
educators
SMB marketing teams
enterprise operations teams

Capabilities

Key features

AI Meeting Transcription

Captures live conversations and turns them into searchable text across web, desktop, mobile, and browser extension.

Meeting Summaries

Generates clear summaries with decisions, insights, and takeaways after each meeting.

Action Item Capture

Pulls next steps from meetings and assigns them so follow-up work is easier to track.

Bot-Free Desktop Recording

Records meetings directly from Mac or Windows without a bot joining the call.

Multilingual Live Transcription

Supports live transcription in multiple languages and speaker recognition for mixed-language teams.

Pros

Free forever Basic plan is available, so individuals can test it without paying.
7-day free trial on the Business tier gives teams a short trial before committing.
Business pricing is published at $16.99 per user per month, with annual pricing shown at $99.99.
Broad app coverage includes web, iOS, Android, browser extension, Mac, and Windows.
Listed integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Workspace, Jira, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Notion.

Cons

The free Basic tier is limited to basic integrations and does not include the paid collaboration features.
Business includes 6,000 monthly transcription minutes, so heavy users need to watch usage.
Enterprise pricing is custom, so larger teams must contact sales to get a quote.
There is no public API listed in the fact sheet.

Plans

Pricing

Paid Subscription16.997-day trial

Basic

Business 16.99 /mo 99.99 billed annually

Enterprise

#3

Granola

AI meeting notes without a meeting bot

4.0

51

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is Granola?

AI meeting notes without a meeting bot Granola is an AI notepad for back-to-back meetings.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

After evaluating AI meeting assistants, my team and I found Granola to be a refreshing alternative to traditional note-taking tools. Instead of trying to replace the meeting experience, Granola quietly works in the background, capturing key discussions and turning them into clear, well-structured notes. What impressed us most was how natural and effortless the experience feels. You can stay focused on the conversation while Granola organizes action items, decisions, and important takeaways automatically. The notes are easy to review, edit, and share, making follow-ups much faster. Based on our hands-on testing, we recommend Granola for founders, executives, consultants, product teams, and anyone who attends frequent meetings and wants accurate, AI-powered notes without interrupting the flow of the conversation.

Audience

Best for

Sales teams
product managers
founders
consultants
executives
distributed teams

Capabilities

Key features

AI Meeting Notes

Captures notes, actions, and memory from live conversations so you can focus on the meeting.

No Bot Recording

Uses your computer audio instead of inviting a bot into the call.

Calendar Meeting Briefs

Syncs with your calendar and prepares a brief before external meetings.

Cross-Platform Apps

Available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android for desktop and mobile note-taking.

Works With Meeting Apps

Supports Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and other meeting apps.

Pros

Free plan available, with unlimited meeting notes on the free tier.
No free trial needed because the product is already free to start.
Works on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, so it covers both desktop and mobile use.
Supports Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and other meeting apps according to the homepage.
Uses computer audio instead of a meeting bot, which is a clear workflow difference.

Cons

Older notes beyond 30 days require an upgrade, so the free tier has retention limits.
No API is listed in the fact sheet.
No integrations are listed in the fact sheet, despite the site mentioning broad meeting app support.

Plans

Pricing

Free plan

Free Plan

Summary

Final verdict

After evaluating AI meeting assistants, my team and I found Granola to be a refreshing alternative to traditional note-taking tools. Instead of trying to replace the meeting experience, Granola quietly works in the background, capturing key discussions and turning them into clear, well-structured notes.

#4

Flotnote

Floating Markdown notes for Mac. Pay once, own your files

3.8

43

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is Flotnote?

Floating Markdown notes for Mac. Pay once, own your files Flotnote is a floating Markdown notepad for macOS 13 or later.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

I would shortlist Flotnote for someone who already likes Markdown but finds that opening their notes app interrupts the thought they meant to save. A floating capture window and plain files are a useful pair: the window removes a step, while the files leave your future options open. The Obsidian connection is file-based, not a second sync system or a plugin you must maintain. That is the part I value most. Links, tags and backlinks give it more depth than a disposable scratchpad without turning it into a team workspace. There are limits worth taking seriously. It is Mac-only, backup depends on your setup, and lifetime licensing does not promise every future update. The privacy policy also makes a clear…

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Audience

Best for

Mac users capturing quick thoughts
Obsidian users wanting a floating inbox
people who prefer local Markdown files
solo writers seeking a one-time license

Capabilities

Key features

Floating quick capture

Use a global shortcut to show or hide a note above the app you are using.

Plain Markdown files

Save notes as .md files in a folder you choose, with no separate proprietary database.

Markdown editing

Syntax highlighting, checklists, code blocks and find-and-replace support structured notes.

Multiple windows and export

Float several notes at once; copy or export Markdown, HTML or plain text.

Full-text fuzzy search

Search note contents rather than only titles with the note-search panel.

Pros

Plain local files make data ownership and migration straightforward.
File-based Obsidian compatibility needs no import or separate database.
Seven-day full trial and a non-expiring one-time license with two activations.
Search, links, backlinks and tags go beyond a basic scratchpad.

Cons

Mac-only; requires macOS 13 or later.
Sync and backup depend on the folder service you set up, not a managed Flotnote cloud.
Future updates are at the developer's discretion, despite the non-expiring license.
Global shortcuts require Accessibility permission; Polar receives license activation data.

Plans

Pricing

One-time7-day trialDeal

Personal license ($4.99 launch; $9.99 regular)

Summary

Final verdict

I would shortlist Flotnote for someone who already likes Markdown but finds that opening their notes app interrupts the thought they meant to save. A floating capture window and plain files are a useful pair: the window removes a step, while the files leave your future options open.

#5

middle place

Local-first Apple journal with AI replies memory and opt-in shared reflections

3.4

37

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is middle place?

Local-first Apple journal with AI replies memory and opt-in shared reflections middle place is an Apple-device journal with an AI conversation that remembers context from earlier entries and chats.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

middle place is a free local-first journal with continuing AI context and user-reviewed sharing. Editable memory, export and encrypted backups are useful. Its latest privacy policy is more detailed than the homepage: selected content goes to AI providers and sync is migrating to encrypted Firebase storage. It is a limited prototype for adult reflection, not therapy.

Audience

Best for

Adult personal journaling
Apple-device users
User-reviewed reflection and memory

Capabilities

Key features

Journal entries with photos and places

Capture text photos and locations with Apple Journaling Suggestions support.

Continuing AI conversation

One thread carries context into later conversations.

Editable personal memory

Review notes about goals struggles people and what helps.

Optional Life Report

Requested reflection from selected memory with exclusions described in policy.

Common Ground

Opt-in comparison of curated profiles through QR or link with separate reports.

Pros

Free current US App Store listing with no registration form.
Genuine iPhone iPad and Mac journal interfaces.
Editable memory and opt-in profile review before sharing.
Export backups and a detailed privacy policy.

Cons

Default AI features can send sensitive content to external providers.
Prototype has daily limits and a shared service-capacity cap.
Homepage and support descriptions lag the new sync and measurement policy.
Not therapy or crisis care; encryption and sync migration were not independently tested.

Plans

Pricing

Free plan

Free app 0 /mo

Summary

Final verdict

middle place is a free local-first journal with continuing AI context and user-reviewed sharing. Editable memory, export and encrypted backups are useful.

#6

LUCI Desktop

Local computer memory for every AI agent - it remembers your whole day, fully on your device

4.2

38

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is LUCI Desktop?

Local computer memory for every AI agent - it remembers your whole day, fully on your device LUCI’s premise is that AI agents are brilliant in the session and blind to everything around it – so you become the courier pasting context back in.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

LUCI gives AI agents the context they always lack: a persistent, searchable, 100% local memory of your screen and meetings that Claude Code, Cursor and Codex can query through official skills - and it is genuinely free, with no subscription, no bot in your calls and nothing uploaded.

Audience

Best for

Founders
investors and sales leaders who live in meetings and want AI agents briefed from real context
privacy-conscious users who refuse cloud AI note-takers
and developers who want Claude Code or Cursor to remember their workday.

Capabilities

Key features

Whole-Day Local Memory

Remembers meetings, code, email and everything between - a continuous, searchable record of your computer day, stored fully…

Agent Memory Skills

Official skills let Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and GitHub Copilot query your memory - no more pasting context…

AI Meeting Notes, No Bot

Notes for every Zoom, Google Meet and Teams call taken locally on-device - no bot ever joins the…

AI Screen Recorder

Records your screen with an AI that remembers everything it sees, including meeting video recording.

Synthesized Daily Reports

Each day is distilled into a report with time blocks, meetings, people, projects and organizations detected across your…

Pros

Completely free - no trial, no subscription, no credit card, no feature gating.
100% local and private: on-device processing, encrypted at rest, no bot in your calls.
Agent-agnostic memory: official skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and GitHub Copilot.
Whole-day scope - meetings plus screen, code and email, not just another note-taker.
Mac and Windows support; active changelog and public comparison pages.

Cons

Desktop-only and single-user - no shared team workspace or admin controls.
Local model means no cross-device cloud sync; your machine holds everything.
Always-on screen capture demands trust in permissions and hygiene.
Company details on the site are thin beyond the Memories AI name.
Sustainability of free-forever pricing is an open question.

Plans

Pricing

Free plan

Free 0 /mo

Summary

Final verdict

LUCI gives AI agents the context they always lack: a persistent, searchable, 100% local memory of your screen and meetings that Claude Code, Cursor and Codex can query through official skills - and it is genuinely free, with no subscription, no bot in your calls and nothing uploaded.

#7

Timeless Code

Your meetings are the prompt - record once, remember forever, and let Claude Code use it.

4.2

45

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is Timeless Code?

Your meetings are the prompt - record once, remember forever, and let Claude Code use it. Timeless Code: meetings as memory for Claude Code Timeless (previously timeOS, operated by Supertools, Inc.) pitches a simple idea: your meetings are the prompt.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

Timeless turns meetings into memory your stack can use: record from Claude Code, ask anything across past conversations, get briefs before calls and push action items into issues. A free plan with 5 AI meetings, no card required, makes it easy to try on real meetings, and the vendor publishes a clear privacy posture.

Audience

Best for

Developer teams and founders who live in Claude Code and want meetings to become queryable memory - briefs before calls
action items after
and answers grounded in what was actually said.

Capabilities

Key features

Record from Claude Code

Start recording the call you are in with a single command inside Claude Code, or send the vendor's…

Ask anything over meeting memory

Ask questions across everything ever discussed; per the vendor, answers come grounded in real conversations with the meetings…

Pre-meeting briefs

Ask for a catch-up before a call (the vendor demo shows a brief with meetings held, open promises,…

Action items to issues

Meeting outcomes turn into assigned tasks; the vendor demo shows five action items created as Linear issues in…

Cross-check against GitHub

Ask whether what was promised in meetings matches what shipped, checked against GitHub activity (vendor claim).

Pros

Genuinely useful free tier: 5 AI meetings of up to 90 minutes each, no card required, per the pricing page.
Deep Claude Code integration: recording, asking and task creation all demoed inside the terminal workflow.
Vendor publishes privacy posture: SOC 2 Type II, Frankfurt EU data residency, no model training on your data, consent-first capture (vendor-stated, not independently verified).
Clear per-seat pricing with a yearly discount of up to 34% per the vendor toggle.

Cons

Business/team pricing was not visible on the captured pricing page (teams tab content), so total team cost is unclear beyond a 3-seat minimum.
Identity gaps: no founders, headquarters or founding year published on the official pages reviewed.
Security and residency claims (SOC 2 Type II, EU residency) are vendor-stated and not independently verified here.
Crowded category: meeting notetakers and memory layers are commoditizing fast, and value depends on the team actually recording consistently.

Plans

Pricing

Free+Paid

Free 0 /mo

Pro 29 /mo

Max 39 /mo

Summary

Final verdict

Timeless turns meetings into memory your stack can use: record from Claude Code, ask anything across past conversations, get briefs before calls and push action items into issues. A free plan with 5 AI meetings, no card required, makes it easy to try on real meetings, and the vendor publishes a clear privacy posture.

#8

Hemory

Always-on listening app that turns real conversations into a private, searchable memory your AI agents can query over MCP.

4.0

38

AppsInsight Score

Overview

What is Hemory?

Always-on listening app that turns real conversations into a private, searchable memory your AI agents can query over MCP. Hemory is a listening app that records the conversations you choose to capture, transcribes them in up to 100 languages, and organizes them into a searchable memory of meetings, meals, voice notes and calls.

Editorial

Why we recommend it

Always-on AI memory is a hot category, and Hemory is notable for connecting that memory to developer agents through MCP rather than keeping it inside one app. All four plans include every feature, so you only choose how many listening hours you need, and a 10-hour free trial lets you test it first.

Audience

Best for

Professionals and founders who sit in many meetings and conversations
and developers who want their AI agents to have real-world context through MCP.

Capabilities

Key features

Always-on listening

Manual or scheduled listening (for example weekdays 9:00 to 18:00), with Apple Watch listening listed.

100-language transcription

Transcription in 100 languages with an AI cleaning pass and automatic activity segmentation.

MCP for your agents

Connect Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP clients so agents can search your memory.

Summaries and minutes

Type-aware summaries and minutes, with topics aggregated across time.

Speaker recognition

Voiceprint speaker recognition so conversations are attributed to the right people.

Pros

MCP connection gives AI agents real-world context.
Transparent plans: all features on every tier, priced only by listening hours.
Free 10-hour one-time trial with no payment method.
States that audio, transcripts and voiceprints are never used to train models.

Cons

No permanent free plan, only a one-time 10-hour trial.
Desktop and web versions are not available yet.
Always-on recording raises consent and workplace-policy questions that you need to handle yourself.
Subscriptions are billed through the App Store, so refunds follow Apple's policy.

Plans

Pricing

Paid Subscription$10

Free Trial $0 one-time /mo

Starter $10/mo /mo

Pro $20/mo /mo

Summary

Final verdict

Always-on AI memory is a hot category, and Hemory is notable for connecting that memory to developer agents through MCP rather than keeping it inside one app. All four plans include every feature, so you only choose how many listening hours you need, and a 10-hour free trial lets you test it first.

Feature	TickTick	Otter.ai	Granola	Flotnote	middle place	LUCI Desktop	Timeless Code
Editor rating	5.0	5.0	4.0	3.8	3.4	4.2	4.2
Pricing	Paid Subscription	Paid Subscription	Free plan	One-time	Free plan	Free plan	Free+Paid
Starting price	35.99	16.99	Free	—	Free	Free	—
Free plan	Included	Included	Included	No	Included	Included	Included
Free trial	No	Yes (7 days)	No	Yes (7 days)	No	No	No
Platforms	Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows	Web app, Browser extension, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows	iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows	macOS	iOS (iPhone & iPad), macOS	macOS, Windows	Web app, macOS, Windows, API / SDK

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8 Best Note Taking at a Glance

Best Note Taking by use case

8 Best Note Taking Tools in 2026 — Full Reviews

What is TickTick?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is Otter.ai?

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

What is Granola?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is Flotnote?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is middle place?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is LUCI Desktop?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is Timeless Code?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

What is Hemory?

Why we recommend it

Best for

Key features

Pros

Cons

Pricing

Final verdict

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