Upgrade Your Note-Taking Game with These Top 6 Android Apps of 2023

Busy life requires fast and easy solutions to track all our to-do activities. Carrying around our paper notebook isn’t always handy. They are a bit heavy and take up space in our bags, especially when we’re on a trip. So, why not use a note-taking app? They are practical and easy to navigate through, even for those who are not too much ‘’digital’’ type of person. Here is the list of the top 6 note-taking apps for Android of 2023.

What are the criteria for selecting top 6 Note-taking Apps for Android

As in any selection for the top list, there must be a criterion by which such selection is done. So, it’s important to mention our criteria before mentioning these apps so that readers have a better insight into our selection.

Our selection is based on the user's experience. We looked at how simple an app is to use, what features and tools it has, whether is there a need for setting up an account, whether it’s possible to export your note and to-do lists to other platforms, as well as whether you can share your notes with others. Also, what the apps’ reviews are on Google Play Store.

The List Of Top 6 Note-Taking Apps For Android

One thing before mentioning our top 6 note-taking apps is that these apps are usually found on phones that use Google’s operating system for android. Moreover, there are many similar note-taking apps available on Google Play. 

Our top 6 note-taking apps for Android include, in alphabetical order, Evernote, Google Keep Notes, Keep My Notes, Material Notes: Colorful notes, Microsoft OneNote:Save Notes, and Simplenote. Here are our comments on these apps.

Evernote

Evernote is currently rated 4.5 stars at Google Play Store. It’s labeled as a productivity and organization app. It is free to download, but it has in-app purchase, meaning that you'll need to pay for premium features.

You can sign in with your email or choose your Google account. It asks you for what purposes you’ll use this app, for work, for school or for home. These settings can always be changed. Then it asks you what you’re going to create, depending on what’s your purpose. 

There’s also a short video tutorial for each feature, which you can skip at any time. Within this app, you can create to-do lists, insert notes written on a paper or retype them. You can even scan documents, as well as share your notes with others.

 Let’s say you write down a list for grocery shopping, and share the list with your house members. They access it and do some shopping and tick those items after purchasing. Thus, we don’t have to call and remind them to do the shopping, and again to call them to check whether they have done it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Evernote

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Evernote in short:

Advantages:

• User-friendly
• Free version
• Variety of features
• Uses cloud technology
• Advanced search options

Disadvantages:

• In-app purchases for premium features
• Expensive
• Doesn’t work offline
• No real time collaboration

Google Keep-Notes and Lists

This app is usually pre-installed on your phone as other Google apps form G-suite pack. It may look like a simple app, but it functions as a multi-platform app. Unlike Microsoft OneNote and Evernote, it’s completely free and doesn’t have in-app purchases.

For those who like to color-code their notes and reminders, this app also has that feature. Moreover, you can even add background to your notes, to make it more memorable, or keep it just black and white. 

You can write notes, to-do lists, and reminders. You can add images and scan your documents, you can draw, or add tick boxes. If you’re in a hurry, you can even record your note via the recording option. Also, it has the collaboration feature without limitations. Since it’s connected with your Google account, you can access it even from your laptop. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Google Keep Notes

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Google Keep Notes in short:

Advantages:

• Without in-app features
• Backed up by Google
• User-friendly
• Variety of features
• Limitless syncing
• Sharing and collaboration
• Adding images 
• Scan documents
• Record your notes
• Color-coding

Disadvantages:

• Limitation of texts characters
• Collaboration not possible with three or more people
• No text formatting

Keep My Notes

 

What distinguishes this from other similar apps is that you can easily share notes with other apps, and you can add your important notes as sticky notes on your Android’s home screen. You can also use your finger or a stylus to write down your notes, or you can just type it or record it.

Also, you can change fonts, text size and color of your text, which is great for those who prefer their notes in a color-coded style. If needed, you can add a password for your app to keep your notes protected from others. But, some features are premium you have to pay for.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Keep My Notes

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Keep My Notes in short:

Advantages:

• Notes available when offline
• Password protection
• Checklist
• Many text formatting options
• Sticky Notes option
• Desktop version available

Disadvantages:

• In-app purchases
• Doesn’t support Google Back-up
• Problems with uploading images

Material Notes: Colorful Notes

This app also has 4.5 star reviews, and more than 100K downloads. As its name suggests, this app uses colors for making notes, to-do lists, and reminders in a color-coded style. This makes it perfect for those who like to use plenty of markers in their paperback notebook.

Also, this app has a search feature which makes it easier to search for your notes. Also, to protect all your notes, you can enable the pin feature. In addition to this, you can extract it to different platforms if needed.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Material Notes: Colorful Notes

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Material Notes in short:

Advantages:

• Password protection
• Amazing color-code options
• Checklist
• Many text formatting options
• Desktop version available

Disadvantages:

• No Attachments 
• Everything is in checklist form
• No privacy policy

Microsoft OneNote: Save Notes

This app is actually a part of Microsoft Office packet with a cloud feature. This cloud feature enables larger storage for in-app activity, so this app is more like multi-platform. For example, you can even embed your Excel tables without any problem.

Being a part of Office apps, means that you can have it both on your laptop/ desktop computer and a smartphone. You can draw, type, add handwritten notes, and save things you find on the internet.

It also has the collaboration feature, and what’s even better, people can post comments on those notes in collaboration mode. Similar to Evernote, some features are free, but you will have to pay for premium features.

Advantages and Disadvantages of OneNotes

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Material Notes in short:

Advantages:

• Instantly data 
• Variety of features
• Creating notebooks
• Multimedia attachments possible
• Real-time collaboration
• User-friendly interface
• Desktop version available

Disadvantages:

• In-app purchases
• Limited free storage
• Search function limited
• Text formatting limitations

SimpleNote

This app is free to download, but you need to pay for some in-app features. Even though it has a simple outline, it offers many features. In addition to the collaboration feature, you can share your notes via link or some offered apps. Moreover, you can publish your notes or post them in WordPress.

Since you have to use your email to sign up, all your notes are automatically stored in a cloud. This is a great thing because you can access them even if you lose or break your phone. Your notes will be saved from loss. Also, this gives you the opportunity to access your notes on more devices.

However, this app doesn’t have the record feature, the draw feature, or the color feature, but you can add tags and add your notes in alphabetical order. There are many options under the settings menu, such as adding a password to your notes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of SimpleNotes

Here’s the list of advantages and disadvantages of Material Notes in short:

Advantages:

• Instantly Synced data
• Cloud storage
• Free version available
• Publishing and sharing features
• User-friendly interface
• Ideal for simple notes taking

Disadvantages:

• Text-Only notes
• No color-coding
• No advanced features

Which Note-Taking App to Choose

We enlisted the top 6 note-taking apps for Android, which we consider as apps that best serve their purpose. There are no major differences between them, so it’s just a matter of preferences and your needs, i.e. how often you will use this app.

Some of these apps have in-app purchases, and if you don’t have a need for those premium purchases, you can use the free version. However, there are apps that are totally free, and still serve the purpose. So, when choosing between note-taking apps, always keep in mind that it must meet your needs. 

Advertisement