Which Note-Taking App is Right for You? A Comparison of Top Four Note-Taking Apps

GoodNotes 5, Notability, OneNote, and CollaNote are all popular note-taking apps that can be used on mobile devices and computers. Each app has its own set of features and capabilities, making it important to choose the right one for your needs. Here's a detailed comparison of these four apps to help you decide which one is right for you.

• GoodNotes 5

GoodNotes 5 is a note-taking app for iOS and iPadOS. It has a wide range of features, including the ability to import documents, create custom notebooks and organize notes with tags and filters. GoodNotes 5 also has a number of customisation options, including the ability to change the background colour and paper type of your notes, as well as a variety of pens and brushes to choose from.

One of the standout features of GoodNotes 5 is its handwriting recognition, which allows you to search for handwritten text within your notes and convert it to typed text. This can be particularly useful for users who take a lot of handwritten notes and need to be able to search and find specific notes quickly. GoodNotes 5 also has a number of features for managing your notes, including the ability to create custom notebooks, tag notes, and use filters to view specific notes.

Who Should Use GoodNotes 5: It's particularly well-suited for users who need a wide range of pens and brushes and a high level of customisation, as well as users who need strong handwriting recognition and search capabilities. If you're a student, researcher or professional who needs to take a lot of handwritten notes, GoodNotes 5 might be the right app for you.

• Notability

Notability is a note-taking app for iOS and macOS. It has a number of features for organising and managing your notes, including the ability to create custom notebooks, import and export notes and record audio while taking notes. Notability also offers a number of customisation choices, such as the ability to change the background colour and paper type of your notes, as well as a selection of pens and brushes.

One of the standout features of Notability is its audio recording and transcription capabilities, which allow you to record lectures, meetings, or other audio and have the audio transcribed into text within your notes. This can be a great time-saver for users who need to take a lot of notes during meetings or lectures. Notability also provides a variety of tools for organising your notes, such as the ability to create custom notebooks, tag notes and utilise filters to view certain notes.

Who Should Use Notability: It's particularly well-suited for users who need a wide range of pens and brushes and a high level of customisation, as well as users who need strong audio recording and transcription capabilities. If you're a student, researcher, or professional who needs to take a lot of handwritten notes and record audio during lectures or meetings, Notability might be the right app for you.

• OneNote

OneNote is a note-taking app from Microsoft that's available on a wide range of platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web. It allows you to take handwritten notes, draw diagrams, and annotate PDFs, as well as insert audio and video recordings, screenshots. OneNote also has a number of features for organising and managing your notes. OneNote's search capabilities are particularly strong, with the ability to search for specific text within your notes, as well as search for notes based on the tags and notebook they're stored in.

One of the standout features of OneNote is its cross-platform availability, which allows you to access your notes from any device with the app installed. This can be particularly useful for users who need to access their notes from multiple devices or platforms. OneNote also has a number of integrations with other tools and services, including the ability to import and export notes, as well as integration with Office 365.

Who Should Use OneNote: OneNote is a great choice for users who need a note-taking app that's available on a wide range of platforms and that can handle a wide range of content types and media. It's particularly well-suited for users who need strong search and organisation capabilities, as well as users who need the convenience of cross-platform availability and integrations with other tools. If you're part of a team or organisation that needs a flexible and versatile note-taking app, OneNote might be the right choice for you.

• CollaNote

CollaNote is a note-taking app for iOS and macOS. It has a number of features for organising and managing your notes, including the ability to create custom notebooks, tag notes and search for specific notes. CollaNote also has a number of customisation options, including the ability to change the background colour and paper type of your notes.

One of the standout features of CollaNote is its collaboration capabilities, which allow you to share notes with others and work on them together in real-time. This can be a great time-saver for users who need to collaborate with others on notes or projects. CollaNote also has a number of integrations with other tools and services, including the ability to import and export notes and integration with popular cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive.

In addition to its collaboration and integration capabilities, CollaNote also has a number of features for managing your notes. It allows you to create custom notebooks, tag notes, and use filters to view specific notes, as well as use the search function to find specific notes quickly.

Who Should Use CollaNote: It's particularly well-suited for users who need strong collaboration and integration capabilities, as well as users who need a high level of customisation. If you're part of a team or organisation that needs a flexible and versatile note-taking app with strong collaboration features, CollaNote might be the right choice for you.

In conclusion, GoodNotes 5, Notability, OneNote, and CollaNote are all powerful and feature-rich note-taking apps that can help you be more productive and organised. By considering your specific needs and evaluating the features and capabilities of each app, you can choose the right one for you. Whether you need a wide range of pens and brushes, strong handwriting recognition, audio recording and transcription, cross-platform availability or strong collaboration and integration capabilities, one of these apps is sure to meet your needs.

TLDR;

• GoodNotes 5 is a note-taking app for iOS and iPadOS that's good for handwritten notes and drawing.

• Notability is a note-taking app for iOS and macOS that's good for handwritten notes and has strong audio recording and transcription capabilities.

• OneNote is a note-taking app that's available on multiple platforms and has strong search and organisation capabilities.

• CollaNote is a note-taking app for iOS and macOS that's good for handwritten notes and has strong collaboration and integration capabilities.