While Apple Notes checks off most of the boxes, it may not fit into everyone’s needs. This is where the best Notes app alternatives for Mac come into the play.
Aside from making the task of note-taking pretty straightforward, these third-party apps also double up as a super handy annotation and writing tool. Besides, they allow creating projects in many formats like text, audio, video, and whatnot.
Though the App Store has several fine options, only a few have walked into our list of the top note-taking apps for Mac. We’ve chosen them based on their effectiveness and how well they work. Dive right in along with me to take a close look at ’em!
Sketch articles on MacRumors.com. Bohemian Coding has announced that its popular design app Sketch is no longer available in the Mac App Store because, after a lengthy decision making process, the. Download thousands of versatile Sketch templates for UX, wireframing, app and website design with an Envato Elements membership. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 2,000,000 Sketch templates, design assets, photos, videos and more. Sketch App is moving away from the Mac App Store to provide faster updates, direct and better customer experience. Bohemian Coding wrote a nice blog post about their decision and transition here. If you purchased Sketch App directly from the Sketch website, you don't need to do anything. Happy designing.
#1. Evernote
Despite the cut-throat competition, “Evernote” remains one of the most appreciable note-taking apps both for macOS and iOS. The highlight of this app is the wide range of tools that provide more flexibility.
The option to make notes in several formats like video, audio, web clippings, sketch ensure you are able to give your thoughts the right shape. With easy-to-format word processor at your disposal, you can write your thoughts elegantly.
You can create an agenda to be discussed in a meeting, write a quick memo and transfer your Evernote notes to Apple notes.
Often forget to do some important tasks? Make a checklist of all the things you have to do. Besides, you will also create presentations to express your thoughts with the desired impact.
Price: Free
Download
#2. Microsoft OneNote
“OneNote” is a complete package. The app lets you capture your ideas in a variety of formats and offer you the needed freedom to keep everything in the perfect sync.
You can tag your notes to find them quickly. Make a list of to-dos and keep track of them so that you are able to do your tasks in time.
The collaboration features works immaculately, allowing you to work with your colleagues. For more security, you will also add an extra shield to your projects to keep them private.
Better still, OneNote for Mac is compatible with a ton of international languages including French, German, Greek, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish and more. So, a language should never become a roadblock to your note-taking.
Price: Free
Download
#3. Notebook
Zoho Corporation is well-known for producing powerful apps. And Notebook does have all the qualities to be highly efficient.
While there is a lot to like in this app, I find “Smart Cards” very adorable. What it basically does is automatically format the contents into specific cards like the recipe, video, and link.
The app provides several predefined note covers to let you design your stories elegantly. If you don’t like the readymade options, you can create a custom cover. Moreover, there is also an option to make public notes using shareable links so that anyone can view them.
With the dark-themed night mode, you will enjoy working till late at night. Plus, the reminders won’t let any of your tasks go out of your notice.
Price: Free
Download
#4. Bear
Should you want to have a top-notch writing-cum note-taking app for your Mac, give a close look to Bear. I’ve used this app for long and always found pretty neat.
The best thing about it is the simple interface coupled with the easy-to-use tools. Therefore, you can write amazing stories and give your wildest thoughts the ideal shape.
Bear has a good library of more than a dozen themes that make it a lot easier to design stories. Features like tagging, archiving and adding tasks to notes enable to take control of your stuff. Furthermore, you can export your projects in multiple formats such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and EPUB.
Lastly, after a free trial of one week, you will have to upgrade to Bear premium’s $1.49 monthly or $14.99 annually plan.
Price: Free
Download
#5. Agenda
If you want to streamline all of your projects and get them ready before the deadline, pick out “Agenda.” One of the notable features of this app is the advanced text editor.
Depending on the specific theme, you can give a befitting look to your notes. It allows you to convert your text into multiple formats like Markdown and HTML. Segregate your files into different categories so that will access them instantly.
The app lets you connect your sticky notes to the events in your personal calendar. As a result, you can plan your meeting perfectly.
Better still, you don’t have to pay any bucks to use all the features of Agenda.
Price: Free
Download
#6. Notability
For annotation and crafting rich notes, “Notability” is one of the better options. With a wide range of fonts, sizes, custom colors at your disposal, you can design your stories with complete peace of mind.
You will be able to import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs to your projects and fine-tune them with more flexibility. Easily convert your stories into PDF to share them with your friends and colleagues.
Make the most of the super handy tools to annotate photos elegantly. Thanks to the automatic iCloud syncing, your tasks automatically sync across your devices.
Additionally, Notability works with multiple cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive.
Sketchy Website
Price: $9.99
Download
#7. Simplenote
There are very few note apps for Mac that look as familiar as Simplenote. Its user interface is pretty clean, and you hardly have to spend any time to master the tools.
One of my favorite feature of this app is focus mode. Times when you want to write with maximum concentration, this feature comes into play really well.
You can use pins and tags to organize your notes. And with Markdown, you will ideally format your projects. To ensure your eyes don’t burn while working in the night, the app comes with the dark mode.
Price: Free
Download
#8. GoodNotes
I have picked out GoodNotes for a couple of main reasons. First, it makes annotating docs really fun. And if you are fond of giving your docs a creative look, this one can be your thing.
You can highlight or strikeout the text in your PDF documents. Easily move, scale and ideally customize the object color. There is also an option to add the bookmarks to your docs.
Courtesy the fast iCloud sync, you will find your notes on all of your devices. You can share your notes with others and also print them. The compatibility with a number of languages like English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese and more make it an evergreen tool.
Price: $7.99
Download
#9. Quip
“Quip” is a lot more than just a simple note app for macOS. To be more precise, this is what you should use to collaborate with your teammates. Thanks to the chat and messaging integration, it helps you work with your colleagues in a fun way.
You can use the app to note down your thoughts faster, create to-do lists, and edit your docs. It also lets you make comprehensive spreadsheets.
Another notable feature of this app is that it allows you to import your address book from several services like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, Google, and iCloud.
You will create insightful charts by using the data from spreadsheets and Salesforce records. The smart slides would not just make your presentation more impressive but also save your time.
Price: Free
Download
#10. BoostNote
If you are a developer, “BoostNote” should be your preferred option. The reason why I say it because the app has the support for code syntax highlighting in over a hundred languages such as Javascript, Python, HTML, CSS and more.
This open source markdown editor offers several tools that allow devs to take notes faster. The formatting features have semi-live previews so that you can quickly check your writing.
Besides, the text is automatically formatted as you type, which speeds up your task and also saves plenty of time. That’s not all, BoostNote works offline as well so that you can work anytime and anywhere.
Price: Free
Download
Bonus
Unclutter
“Unclutter” is really smart! It’s designed to be a multitasker and lets you organize your clipboard data, files, and notes. If you aren’t able to take control of them, give it a chance to sort out the mess.
You can keep an eye on your clipboard history and manage it with ease. Store all of your files at once place and access them quickly. And yes, make sticky notes to never forget to do essential things.
The easy editing tools allow you to make changes conveniently. Due mainly to the quick search feature, you will instantly find a list. Besides, the app can be set up with Dropbox to sync data across the devices.
Price: $13.99
Download
That’s pretty much it! So, this sums up our roundup of the top note apps for Mac.
What’s your favorite?
Now that you have known our favorite note apps, tell us about the ones that can walk into your personal roundup. We’d really appreciate your collection and the valuable feedback.
Take a glance at the following posts as well:
The founder of iGeeksBlog, Dhvanesh, is an Apple aficionado, who cannot stand even a slight innuendo about Apple products. He dons the cap of editor-in-chief to make sure that articles match the quality standard before they are published.
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
- https://www.igeeksblog.com/author/dhvanesh/
There are millions of apps available on Apple’s App Store for iPhones, iPads and iPod touch, ranging from social media platforms to award-winning games. But just because they’re there doesn’t mean you should download them. And while Apple’s App Store team does a good job at keeping shady and malicious apps out of the App Store, there are still plenty of apps that you should think twice before downloading. Here are some examples. Continue reading to browse 7 Sketchy Apps You Should Download with Caution (Or Avoid Completely).
Antivirus Apps
If you use an iOS or iPadOS device, you don’t need an antivirus app. Period. Because of the way that Apple’s mobile operating system is set up and maintained, viruses can’t affect most parts of your system. While iOS vulnerabilities and malware can exist, there’s little that an antivirus app can do about them.
Because of that, many antivirus apps for iOS are disreputable or nonfunctional. And some of them may try to scam you out of money via in-app purchases or subscriptions. If you’re concerned about viruses on your iPhone, don’t be. A little vigilance will do a lot more for your security than any antivirus app on the App Store.
Keyboard Apps
There are plenty of keyboard apps on the App Store that offer varying features to users. But you may want to think twice about downloading any one of them. Because of the level of access keyboard apps may ask for, they can snoop on your data pretty easily.
Avoiding third-party keyboard apps nowadays is especially good advice, since Apple has added highly requested features like a swipe-to-text keyboard and emoji stickers. If all else fails, we recommend that you avoid giving any keyboard Full Access to your phone.
New ‘Feature’ Apps
Your iPhone doesn’t offer x-ray vision, a lie detector, or shake-to-charge functionality. Any app that tells you it can add these features is straight up lying. A good rule of thumb: if it’s not on Apple’s specifications or features list, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is a scam.
For most of us, this seems like an obvious tip. But younger users or the less technically savvy among us may not realize that their “fingerprint heart rate” app doesn’t actually work — and may actually be a threat to their privacy and security. Do yourself a favor and avoid them.
Apps That Connect to Your Social Media
As a social media user, there’s a good chance that, at one point or another, you wish you had more followers or could tell which person unfriended you. But while there are apps out there that claim to offer these features, it’s a good idea to avoid all of them.
For one, many of these apps don’t work thanks to new API restrictions put in place by Apple and social media platforms. Some of these apps can also expose you to malware, steal your data for malicious purposes, post content on your social pages without your knowledge, or steal your profile altogether.
‘Free’ Games or Entertainment Apps
Most games on the App Store are free to play, but often have hidden costs that might not be obvious when you first download. The first thing that comes to mind are in-app purchases — and there’s a good chance that they’ll try to get you to buy “lives” or “tokens” at every opportunity.
But games can also harvest your data and resell them to third parties if you grant them access to your contacts, camera list, location services or other settings. Worst of all are more malicious entertainment apps that sneakily try to get users to buy in-app purchases without their knowledge. While rare, they’re certainly possible.
Utility Apps
Like antivirus apps, there’s no reason for users to download or trust “maintenance” or “utility” apps. That includes apps that claim to speed up your iPhone, clear out memory, increase battery performance or defragment your iPhone’s drive is suspect. Think twice before downloading them.
By default, iPhones do a great job at managing memory and other performance needs without any third-party help. More than that, because they’re sandboxed, third-party apps don’t have access to the system features they’d need to actually speed up performance. Any “boost” in ability is likely just a placebo.
Low or No-Rating Apps
Free Apps For Mac Computer
This probably goes without saying, but you probably shouldn’t download any app that has a low user rating. Those users did the dirty work for you and it’s a good idea to take their advice. But what about apps that don’t have a rating at all?
Sketchy Medical App
In many cases, apps with no star ratings or user reviews are either unpopular or relatively new. Whether or not you trust and download these apps is up to you. But it may be worth holding off and waiting until other users try the app out before installing it on your device.