Group test
THE BEST NOTE-TAKING APPS FOR MAC
Apple may have improved its Notes app, but there are plenty of other options if it’s not the one for you
Reviewed by KENNY HEMPHILL
Image credit: Getty
ON TEST…
> Agenda.
> Bear
> Evernote
> Notability
> Notes
> Simplenote
Why bother looking for another note-taking
app when there’s a perfectly good one built into macOS?
For the same reason you might use a different email client or web browser. While Apple’s Notes has become a very good note-taking app, it’s not perfect. Take a look at the others here and you’ll see that Bear isn’t just beautiful, but has so many of the features you’d find in a writing tool, you can use it as one. Agenda organises notes by date and enables you to create and share projects, while Evernote’s web clipping tool is a class apart from the one in Notes.
Notability takes a different approach in that it focuses on creating notes using multiple media. Sure, you can type notes, but you can also record audio and sync it with your notes, annotate a PDF and deliver a presentation.
If those features are too much, and you don’t want either Notes’ Quick Note or sharing features, Simplenote may be just what you need. If Apple’s Notes isn’t the one for you, one of the others on test here certainly will be.
How we tested
To test each of the apps here, we installed them on our Mac, iPhone and iPad and used them to create notes from scratch. We tested how easy it was to grab content from websites and add them to a note, or to use the content to create a new note. Where other features like audio recording were available, we tested those too.