Review score: 85 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 388 ratings
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A clean, reliable Markdown editor with Dropbox and iCloud support, an extended keyboard, and an actions system. Used for years as a trusted mobile node in personal knowledge management setups. Rarely breaks, sync just works.
Praised
Lightning-fast full-text search across all Dropbox files. The extended keyboard with Markdown buttons speeds up typing.
Complaints
No OneDrive or Google Drive support: only Dropbox and iCloud. A custom iCloud folder is not directly accessible by default. Updates are rare, though the stability compensates for it.
Best for: Developers, researchers, and technical writers building a plain-text knowledge base synced via Dropbox or iCloud.
Review score: 84 out of 100. App Store rating: 5.0★ · 9,167 ratings
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The best meeting recorder in the sample: transcription is accurate, summaries are structured and substantive. Runs in the background without getting in the way. Weaker on mobile than desktop: transcription quality drops in noisy in-person settings. Requires a Google account, which turns some users away.
Praised
The meeting summary is ready immediately after the call ends and includes real action items, not vague generalities. You can add your own notes during recording and they get woven into the final document. Works with multiple languages simultaneously.
Complaints
Struggles with in-person meetings in noisy environments on mobile. Full functionality requires a Google account. The mobile interface is noticeably less responsive than the desktop version.
Best for: Managers, doctors, and consultants who need to be present in a meeting rather than taking notes.
Review score: 82 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.9★ · 46,608 ratings
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NotebookLM solves a problem no classic notebook can: you upload your sources and the AI works strictly within them, without making things up. Students, researchers, and professionals with large document sets call it a game-changer. The app lags behind the web version, and you can only download audio through the browser.
Praised
The AI only answers from uploaded sources and honestly cites where it pulls information from: hallucinations are minimal. The audio overview feature turns dry documents into a lively podcast you can listen to on a walk. Works with PDFs, videos, and notes simultaneously.
Complaints
The mobile app does not let you download generated materials: you have to switch to the website. Audio always comes out as a podcast-style dialogue with no option to get a monologue or lecture format. Sharing with people outside the Google ecosystem barely works.
Best for: Students and researchers who need to quickly absorb a large body of material. Professionals working with a corpus of documents where accuracy and source citations matter.
Rank 4. Review score: 79 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 22,413 ratings
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Noteful has a clean interface, smooth writing, and accurate PDF annotation. Most users who switched from major competitors stay. No color picker, no shape alignment.
Praised: Writing is smooth, PDF annotation is precise, and the ruler scales correctly when zoomed. No forced AI or bloat: just what you need for notes. One-time purchase with no subscription surprises later.
Complaints: The color picker does not work correctly. There are no alignment or snapping tools for shapes. Handwritten text search is not available: you cannot find a note by its content.
Best for: Students and professionals who need a reliable handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation tool without a subscription. Especially suited to those burned by constantly changing terms from major competitors.
Rank 5. Review score: 79 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 7,248 ratings
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A journal with a one-entry-per-day format. Users keep coming back to it for a decade. Keyword search finds entries from any year. Backup only happens once a month: without a manual backup before a phone reset, you can lose several weeks of entries.
Praised: The one-entry-per-date format keeps the habit going: you can see every day you missed. Full-text search finds entries from any year instantly. iCloud sync has worked for years without data loss for most users.
Complaints: Backup only runs once a month: if your phone resets without a manual backup, you can lose weeks of entries. The interface is small and has not been updated for modern screens. You cannot insert a photo directly into the body of an entry.
Best for: People who want to journal every day without complex structure and do not need to sync entries across different services.
Rank 6. Review score: 79 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.9★ · 1,393 ratings
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A note-taking system with built-in spaced repetition: when you create a note, a flashcard for review is created at the same time. The web version and desktop are stable. The mobile app lags behind, with occasional freezes when opening daily notes and sync issues after long desktop sessions. Indispensable for medicine and the hard sciences.
Praised: Notes and flashcards are created simultaneously without extra steps. Built-in spaced repetition beats Anki in interface convenience. Sync between the web version and mobile works in most cases.
Complaints: The mobile app freezes when opening the daily notes section and requires reinstallation. After extended desktop sessions, sync on the phone falls behind.
Best for: Medical and science students who need to take notes and prepare flashcards for exams at the same time.
Rank 7. Review score: 78 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 10,610 ratings
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The best app for instant thought capture with routing to wherever it needs to go. Opens straight to a blank page, runs instantly, and supports scripts and integrations with dozens of services. A tool for people who already know what they want to automate.
Praised: Opens instantly to empty text with no extra taps before you start typing. Actions let you send text to Obsidian, Slack, OmniFocus, or any other service with one tap. Dictation via Apple Watch works reliably.
Complaints: High learning curve: without reading the documentation, most of the app's capabilities stay hidden. Voice input from the iPhone keyboard sometimes stops after a few words. Advanced automation features are only available in the extended version.
Best for: Developers, journalists, and power users who need fast capture with automatic routing to other systems.
Rank 8. Review score: 77 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,857 ratings
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A quick notepad for short notes with color-coded sticky notes. A notification-bar widget lets you scroll through notes without opening the app. Sync between iPad and iPhone works. There is no autosave: you have to tap the checkmark or edits are lost.
Praised: The widget lets you read notes directly from the notification shade without opening the app. Color-coding for priorities. Alarm-based reminders for urgent tasks.
Complaints: No autosave: edits disappear if you do not tap the confirm button. No folders for grouping sticky notes by topic.
Best for: People who want to keep a few current reminders always within reach in a widget and do not need long structured notes.
Rank 9. Review score: 76 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 607 ratings
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An open-source encrypted organizer: end-to-end encryption, cross-platform support, nested notebooks, and tags. A growing alternative for users who care about data privacy.
Praised: End-to-end encryption with full functionality intact. Reliable cross-platform sync between Windows, Linux, and iPhone. Note history and the ability to publish a note via a link.
Complaints: Occasional outages with no sync access: several users reported sync being unavailable for multiple days in a row. A few users lost notes after their extended subscription ended. Navigation between sections is inconsistent.
Best for: Privacy-conscious users and former Evernote subscribers looking for a cross-platform replacement.
Rank 10. Review score: 74 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 126,837 ratings
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One of the most thoughtfully designed task managers in the sample: natural language for date input, instant capture via widget or voice, and smooth performance across all platforms. People with ADHD and cognitive differences call it a lifesaver. The weakest point: the Google Calendar integration lost two-way sync.
Praised: A task can be added in seconds from anywhere: widget, voice, or quick entry with date recognition. Long-term users trust it as the single home for all their commitments: nothing gets lost or forgotten. Recurring tasks and projects are configured flexibly.
Complaints: The Google Calendar integration lost two-way sync after a redesign: tasks from projects do not appear there. Deleting a project destroys all tasks inside it without warning and with no way to recover them. On mobile, recurring reminders are not displayed.
Best for: People with busy lives who need to offload everything from their head into one place and stop holding things mentally. Especially valued by those with ADHD or irregular schedules.
Rank 11. Review score: 74 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 6,836 ratings
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The best plain-text Markdown note-taking tool in the sample. Opens instantly, and the tag system replaces folders while working more flexibly. iCloud sync is reliable. Bear 2.0 removed the convenient toolbar, worsening the iPhone experience.
Praised: The tag system lets you find a note across multiple intersecting topics without creating folders. Works equally fast on iPhone and Mac, and iCloud sync requires no separate account. Markdown renders beautifully without getting in the way while typing.
Complaints: Bear 2.0 removed the compact toolbar: formatting is now awkward on a small screen. Search does not support advanced filters and is slow in large archives. Attachments and PDFs are not supported without the premium subscription.
Best for: Writers, developers, and researchers who need a fast Markdown editor with reliable sync across the Apple ecosystem.
Rank 12. Review score: 74 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 705 ratings
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A freeform notebook with flexible layout: text, drawing, and photos on the same page, a selection tool for moving elements, and export to image and document formats. A favorite tool of architects, educators, and anyone the standard text editor feels too confined for.
Praised: Free placement of text blocks and drawings on a single page with no grid. A selection tool for capturing and moving fragments. Stable operation for many years with no data loss.
Complaints: No cloud sync between devices. The learning curve for new users is noticeable and not all features are obvious. The price of the premium version gives some users pause.
Best for: Designers, educators, and systems architects who need to mix handwriting, diagrams, and photos in one space.
Rank 13. Review score: 73 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 1,899 ratings
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A feature-rich notebook with folders, handwriting input, and formatting. Students praise it for usability on older iPads. Handwriting via finger is only available during a trial period, and several students lost important notes.
Praised: Rich selection of fonts and formatting in the free version. Works well for taking notes on older iPads that other apps do not support. Folders and organization by topic.
Complaints: Handwriting via finger or stylus is only available in the premium version after a short trial. Several students lost important notes while working in the app. PDF export cannot be edited.
Best for: Students and schoolchildren who take notes on an iPad and want a free GoodNotes alternative with standard note organization features.
Rank 14. Review score: 72 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 7,578 ratings
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A beautiful notebook with design customization: themes, fonts, stickers, and pastel backgrounds. Works without registration. Notes are stored on-device only: no cloud backup, and everything is gone if the app is deleted.
Praised: A large library of themes and fonts without forcing you into a subscription. An interface free of intrusive interruptions during use. Separate password-protected notebooks let you keep private notes alongside general ones.
Complaints: Notes are stored on-device only: delete the app or break your phone and everything is gone. No cloud backup or cross-device sync. Some themes move a note to the top of the list every time it is edited.
Best for: Teenagers and young adults who care about a beautiful journal interface and are not worried about long-term storage.
Rank 15. Review score: 72 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,053 ratings
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A deep organizer with nested folders, Markdown support, WebDAV and Dropbox sync, and multi-format export. A longtime favorite for those who want to own their data without a forced cloud subscription.
Praised: Reliable sync via WebDAV and Dropbox, unlimited folder hierarchy, and stable operation over many years. Does not break during updates.
Complaints: Dropbox dependency limits users with three or more devices. Some features (drawing, Fountain) are advertised but work unreliably. Migrating from older versions of the app caused document loss for some users.
Best for: Writers and researchers who need a long-term, reliable knowledge base with a folder structure and no cloud subscription.
Rank 16. Review score: 71 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 5,291 ratings
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A personal journal with a PIN code, mood tracker, and entry templates. The screen blurs when you switch apps. Transferring entries on a phone upgrade is unreliable.
Praised: PIN and Face ID locking with automatic blur when leaving the app. A mood tracker with a timestamp on every entry. Templates help you start writing when you do not know where to begin.
Complaints: Transferring entries to a new phone is unreliable: several users lost their history. Screen orientation is locked to portrait, which is awkward on a tablet. Some features are unavailable without the premium version, and the reasons for the split are not explained.
Best for: People who want a private protected journal space on a single device, especially those who live with curious family members. Not suited for long-term storage with data migration.
Rank 17. Review score: 71 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 2,614 ratings
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A specialized spelling trainer: you create a word list and the app reads the words aloud and accepts your typed answer. The built-in dictionary with speech synthesis covers most needs. The 8-word limit per list in the free version is a problem for older students.
Praised: Built-in speech synthesis pronounces words without needing a parent to record audio. You can add your own words with custom pronunciation. Progress history lets you track improvement over time.
Complaints: The free version is limited to eight words per list: not enough for older students or spelling competition participants. Word lists cannot be shared between different users' devices. In test mode the word is visible on screen, which reduces training effectiveness.
Best for: Parents who want children to practice spelling independently without adult dictation, and participants in spelling competitions.
Rank 18. Review score: 71 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 841 ratings
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A transcription tool for meetings and voice notes with automatic summaries and contextual search across your full history. Valued by students and professionals with packed meeting schedules. Recording sometimes silently cuts out mid-meeting.
Praised: Instant summaries of hour-long meetings, contextual search across all past recordings, background operation while another app is open. Transcription is faster than most alternatives.
Complaints: Recording sometimes silently stops mid-meeting without warning, losing part of the conversation. No tags or folders to organize accumulated recordings. The app occasionally freezes, putting the safety of the recording in doubt.
Best for: Professionals with dense meeting schedules and students who need to capture what is said without manual note-taking.
Rank 19. Review score: 69 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 642 ratings
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A powerful Markdown editor with an action system for automating text operations, iCloud support, and Obsidian compatibility. Long in active development, but over the past year updates have nearly stopped, which worries regular users.
Praised: The action system lets you automate any text operation. Fast iCloud sync. Excellent accessibility for screen reader users.
Complaints: Development has effectively been frozen for over a year. No Dropbox support as a primary storage option. Sync sometimes fails to detect local changes and suggests conflict merges.
Best for: Developers and technical writers working in the Obsidian or plain-text ecosystem who need a mobile editor with automation.
Rank 20. Review score: 68 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.5★ · 2,581 ratings
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A powerful linked-note system in Markdown format with files stored on-device. The desktop version is strong. The mobile version falls short: text input is awkward, the cursor jumps, and iCloud sync is unreliable.
Praised: Full ownership of data as plain text files. A graph of connections between notes for navigating the knowledge base. A massive plugin ecosystem. Works offline.
Complaints: Mobile text input is uncomfortable: the cursor jumps during manual editing and the toolbar disappears. iCloud sync causes a black screen and missing vaults for some users. High barrier to entry: the app is not for anyone unfamiliar with Markdown.
Best for: Researchers, programmers, and writers building a long-term knowledge base on desktop who use the phone only for reading and quick edits.
Rank 21. Review score: 67 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,602 ratings
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A minimalist editor for long-form writing with beautiful typography and a focus mode. The developer responds to reviews promptly. Several users lost all their documents without warning.
Praised: A clean interface with no extraneous elements gives the feeling of writing on paper. A good selection of fonts. The developer responds to feedback and fixes bugs promptly.
Complaints: Several users lost all their documents with no way to recover them. Font changes and toolbar customization are only available in the premium version. The built-in AI pushes itself forward with no way to fully disable it from the interface.
Best for: Authors of long-form writing who value a distraction-free interface and work primarily with short to medium-length texts.
Rank 22. Review score: 66 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 7,852 ratings
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An app for long-form texts and books, not for quick notes. Helps structure a manuscript: ideas separate, chapters separate, word count built in. Not suited for on-the-go capture: no widget, no quick capture.
Praised: Daily and total word count statistics motivate consistent writing. The project-and-ideas structure lets you keep a draft and notes side by side without mixing them. Ghostwriter can continue your text without breaking your style.
Complaints: Large manuscripts of 80,000+ words start showing noticeable lag. There is no quick thought capture: creating a note requires going through several screens. No widget and no integrations with other tools.
Best for: Authors working on long-form texts: novels, screenplays, campaigns. Not designed for everyday notes.
Rank 23. Review score: 65 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 8,487 ratings
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A simple cross-platform notepad that has existed for over a decade and has not lost data for most users in that time. Sync via its own account works between Android and iOS. In the past year or two, complaints about a grey screen on launch have appeared, fixed by reinstalling. No frills, but it reliably holds text notes and lists.
Praised: Sync works between Android and iPhone without data loss when switching devices: several authors confirm this over a 10-year horizon. Opens quickly, easy to find the note you need from the list.
Complaints: Recent updates bring a grey launch screen that only clears with a reinstall. Several users reported complete note loss after cloud sync. Search within notes is absent or weak.
Best for: People who need a reliable text notepad for long lists and notes with no extra features.
Rank 24. Review score: 65 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 1,863 ratings
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A freeform drawing and handwriting notepad where any element can be selected, moved, and scaled. The key strength is a lasso tool for reorganizing page content. No eraser in the traditional sense, only undo. Not suited for iPhone and optimized for iPad.
Praised: A selection tool for free scaling of any element on the page. Smooth input by finger or stylus with no lag. PDF export.
Complaints: No eraser: only undo through the history. Switching colors and tools requires extra steps. On iPhone the functionality is significantly cut back.
Best for: People who make visual notes, mind maps, and sketches on iPad and want to freely reorganize page content after writing.
Rank 25. Review score: 63 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 27,597 ratings
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A beautiful journal with a lock, swappable themes, stickers, and a mood tracker. People who start writing in it come back for years. The main flaw: when switching devices or deleting the app, several users lost years of entries.
Praised: Changing themes and decorations motivates returning to the journal every day. The password lock carries over when switching between Android and iOS. A mood tracker with a graph over time helps spot patterns in how you feel.
Complaints: Data export is unreliable: when moving to another device or after deleting the app, some users lost all entries permanently. The app does not always save the latest edits correctly when closed. Sync between iOS and Android only works in one direction.
Best for: People who want a beautiful personal space for daily journaling or mood tracking. Regular manual backups are important.
Rank 26. Review score: 63 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 877 ratings
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A sticky-note board with multiple desktops, Mac sync, and flexible background and font customization. Long-term users value it for its practicality, but data loss during major updates is a recurring story.
Praised: Multiple named desktops for different topics, custom photo backgrounds, and sync with the desktop app for those who set it up.
Complaints: Several users lost all their notes after an app update. Sync often fails to detect deleted notes on other devices. Managing checkboxes in lists is awkward.
Best for: Organized Apple ecosystem users who want visual sticky notes synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Rank 27. Review score: 62 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 2,434 ratings
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A handwriting app for iPad with Apple Pencil. Pen stabilization and writing quality are better than GoodNotes. Several major updates broke existing notes by retroactively changing how tools looked.
Praised: Pen stabilization produces the most beautiful handwriting among comparable apps. A clean interface with no extra buttons. Diverse pen options: calligraphy, pencil, marker.
Complaints: Major updates broke existing notes several times by retroactively changing tool appearance. Several users lost all data after the app froze. The developer was slow to respond to reports of serious problems.
Best for: iPad students who take handwritten notes and want beautiful writing without a GoodNotes subscription.
Rank 28. Review score: 62 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 977 ratings
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A color-coded notepad with tabs: fast, intuitive, with reminders and categories. Good for everyday lists. Cross-device sync is locked behind the premium version.
Praised: The color category system makes chaos manageable at a glance. Several users report years of use with no data loss.
Complaints: Several cases of complete note loss after updates. Cross-device sync is only available in the premium version. Reminders are unreliable.
Best for: Android users who switched to iPhone and were used to ColorNote, and anyone who wants a simple color-coded organizer for everyday lists.
Rank 29. Review score: 61 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 20,371 ratings
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A customizable journal with a huge selection of stickers, backgrounds, and fonts, plus a tool for cutting stickers from photos. Keeps users engaged through creative decoration. Freezes when the sticker gallery opens, and some users' pages disappeared.
Praised: A sticker-cutting tool that works with any photo and the ability to publish your own templates for other users. A huge library of backgrounds and fonts. The app inspires regular journaling through its aesthetics.
Complaints: The app freezes when the sticker gallery is opened and sometimes crashes at the start of a session. Several users lost pages due to a network error with no autosave. The password recovery interface does not work correctly: switching accounts does not restore previous settings.
Best for: Teenagers and young adults who care about beautiful, creative personal journal design. Not for business notes or long-term storage of important data.
Rank 30. Review score: 60 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 14,291 ratings
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A simple journal with a chronological structure that does not lose entries for most users. Several people have used it for 10 or more years. No text formatting, no iPad support.
Praised: Chronological navigation by page-turning creates the feel of a real journal. Date search works, and an entry's creation date never changes. Several users have kept it for more than 10 years without data loss.
Complaints: No text formatting: no bold, italic, or font size options. No iPad support: the app is optimized only for iPhone. Some users report incorrect page-turning behavior on long entries.
Best for: People who want a simple, durable personal text-only journal with no extra features. Especially suited to those who value chronological navigation.
Rank 31. Review score: 60 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 2,041 ratings
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A professional environment for long-form writing: novels, articles, dissertations. A unified library with instant search and reliable sync between Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Markdown symbols are always visible during editing with no way to switch to clean text mode.
Praised: A single library of all texts with instant content search. Cross-device sync works reliably. Export to PDF, DOCX, and WordPress publishing from one place.
Complaints: Markdown symbols are always visible during editing: there is no clean text mode for comfortable typing. Sync for some users has started failing, losing edits without warning. Grammar checking is tuned for formal academic style and gets in the way when writing fiction.
Best for: Authors of long-form texts on the Apple ecosystem who need a unified manuscript library with reliable sync between Mac and iPad.
Rank 32. Review score: 58 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 26,892 ratings
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A simple and fast notepad that handles everyday lists and short notes well. Users value the speed and clean look. Several people report losing all data after an update, and a change to date logic in an update frustrated long-term users.
Praised: Opens and is ready to type faster than most competitors. A clean, readable interface without clutter. Works across multiple devices without extra setup.
Complaints: Several users lost all accumulated notes after an app update. One update changed the modification date when simply opening a note, breaking the sort order for long-term users. Formatting and attachments are absent, which limits use cases.
Best for: People who want a digital notepad strictly for short notes and lists with no extra features. Not for long-term storage of important data.
Rank 33. Review score: 56 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 23,842 ratings
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A Zoho app with custom notebook covers and cross-platform sync. Cover customization and formatting work. Notes periodically disappear, partially or fully, for different users.
Praised: Custom notebook covers with any photo create a personal feel. Cross-platform support works between iOS and Android without extra steps. Rich text formatting options available in the free version.
Complaints: Content periodically disappears partially or fully: the problem recurs across different users. The interface freezes during navigation, with some users hitting dead ends and unexpected crashes. The company introduced storage limits for existing users without warning.
Best for: Users who care about visual organization through different notebooks with covers and need iOS and Android cross-platform support. Regular manual backups are recommended.
Rank 34. Review score: 56 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 6,825 ratings
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A transcription and summarization tool with extra features: YouTube note-taking, test generation, and podcast-style playback of your notes. Works best for students with ADHD who need multiple formats of the same material. Key problem is opaque limits. Even on expensive tiers there is a monthly minute cap that is never disclosed upfront. Instability at critical moments is a proven pattern.
Praised: Generates a quiz from a lecture in seconds, letting you check comprehension immediately after class. Summarizes YouTube videos directly from a link without downloading. Voice lecture recording and automatic notes work together.
Complaints: Even on expensive tiers there is a monthly transcription cap that is nowhere clearly stated before you hit it. The app breaks during important meetings without warning. Transcription is unreliable for long lectures on iPad.
Best for: Students with ADHD or dyslexia who need to reformat lectures into notes and quizzes with one tap.
Rank 35. Review score: 55 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.5★ · 42,589 ratings
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A simple notepad for quick notes: opens instantly and lets you start typing without intermediate screens. Several users lost all data after an update with no way to recover it.
Praised: Opens instantly and lets you start typing without intermediate screens. A few notes with color coding and simple folders are enough for most everyday needs. Works without a required account.
Complaints: Several users lost all data after an app update with no way to recover it. No text formatting: bold, headings, and lists are unavailable. No content search within notes.
Best for: People who want a digital scrap of paper for notes and lists with no settings or registration. Not suited for long-term storage of valuable data.
Rank 36. Review score: 55 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 1,544 ratings
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A simple notepad with font and paper color choices as a replacement for the default Apple Notes app. Works offline with no cross-device sync. The app is not being updated and is periodically incompatible with new iOS versions. Several users lost fragments of notes with no apparent cause.
Praised: Font selection creates the feel of a real notebook. Simple note navigation via a sidebar. Autosave on close.
Complaints: No cross-device sync. Several users reported losing fragments of note content with no updates to blame. The app is outdated and does not support current iOS versions.
Best for: People looking for a simple offline notepad on a single device with a slightly nicer font than the default Apple app.
Rank 37. Review score: 54 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 13,463 ratings
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A digital version of sticky notes that 3M has made surprisingly useful. Visual boards, note grouping, and scanning paper sticky notes all work well. Reliability is shaky: several users' notes disappeared without warning. Text editing is unintuitive and sync sometimes breaks. Strong where visual organization is needed rather than linear text.
Praised: Scanning paper sticky notes into digital format works instantly. Visual boards with grouping and resizable cards help structure projects. The home screen widget updates in real time.
Complaints: Notes sometimes disappear by entire boards with no way to recover them. Text editing is unclear and awkward. Cross-device sync breaks periodically.
Best for: Visual thinkers who are used to thinking in sticky notes and teams moving physical boards to their phones.
Rank 39. Review score: 52 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 5,951 ratings
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A specialized planner for prayer practices with a schedule, categories, and a card mode. The interface is simple and unobtrusive. Central problem: sync between iPhone and iPad does not work despite being advertised. Some users bought both versions separately for a feature that never worked.
Praised: A card mode where prayer requests scroll by one at a time without the distraction of the full list. The ability to assign days of the week and individual reminders to each entry is cited as the main differentiator from competitors.
Complaints: Sync between devices does not work: documented in dozens of reviews over several years. Entry creation dates are not shown, making it hard to track history. Text in cards is cut off with no line wrapping.
Best for: People who keep a structured prayer journal on a single device and do not expect to switch between iPhone and iPad.
Rank 40. Review score: 52 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.5★ · 1,903 ratings
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A desktop widget notepad featuring Sanrio characters. Lets you keep one note visible directly on your phone screen. Limitation: only one note at a time, and the background color does not show in the widget.
Praised: A widget with favorite characters always in view. Daily spins of a capsule machine to unlock new designs. No forced content size limits.
Complaints: Only one note for the whole app: you cannot keep separate reminders for different tasks. Background color and decoration settings do not appear in the home screen widget. Maximum note length is 1000 characters.
Best for: Sanrio fans who want one visible reminder note on their phone screen with cute styling.
Rank 41. Review score: 51 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.4★ · 411 ratings
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An aesthetically pleasing digital journal with stickers, custom covers, and calendar integration. A favorite among people who keep personal journals. Entries become inaccessible after updates, and text scrolls down forcibly while typing.
Praised: A huge sticker library and custom page covers. New decor can be earned by watching short videos without a mandatory purchase. Calendar integration for planning directly in the journal.
Complaints: Entries disappear or become inaccessible after updates. Text scrolls down forcibly while typing, making it impossible to see what you are writing. Image insertion without compression does not work.
Best for: Teenagers and young adults for whom the aesthetics of a personal journal with decorations and customization matter more than reliable storage.
Rank 42. Review score: 50 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 17,169 ratings
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A drawing app with an infinite canvas and symmetry mode. A solid starting point for those looking for a drawing app with axis symmetry. After updates, the fill bucket stopped working correctly and unsaved data is lost when the app freezes.
Praised: The symmetry function with a configurable number of axes is available in the free version. An infinite canvas does not limit work size. Works without registration: download and draw.
Complaints: After some updates the fill bucket stopped working correctly: it fills the whole canvas instead of a shape. The app freezes when using the symmetry tool, and unsaved data is lost. Controls are small and awkward on a small screen.
Best for: Beginning artists and children who need a free digital sketching tool without a subscription. Professionals and serious project users should look elsewhere.
Rank 43. Review score: 48 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 28,955 ratings
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Google Keep wins on instant capture: sticky note, list, voice memo in one tap. Works well for short, disposable reminders. But search misses content and is slow, label-based organization is primitive, and some users' notes periodically disappear or fail to sync between devices.
Praised: Voice memos with automatic transcription directly in the interface. Instant capture via a lock screen widget. Integration with other Google services works without extra setup.
Complaints: Search misses note content and runs with a delay. Structure is only through color labels: no nesting or folders, and with many notes things turn to chaos. Several users report notes periodically disappearing without explanation.
Best for: Google ecosystem users who need to quickly catch a thought or make a list and are fine forgetting about it within a week. Not the best choice for long-term storage of important notes.
Rank 44. Review score: 48 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,318 ratings
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A sticky-note board for visual thinkers: color cards on a cork wall, easy repositioning and resizing. The core works well, but the app has broken navigation several times after updates, and while most users appreciate the simplicity, reliability of storage raises real concerns.
Praised: Instant card creation with no extra steps, visual spatial arrangement of notes, colors and simplicity. Exactly what list-based apps lack.
Complaints: Notes disappear after updates with no way to recover them. Navigation between pages has changed for the worse several times. No cross-device sync.
Best for: Visual thinkers who need a digital cork board for quick ideas, lists, and reminders on one screen.
Rank 45. Review score: 46 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 4,906 ratings
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A simple color-coded notepad with mood selection. Stable for years, but a series of updates broke manual sorting. Data disappeared for several users after updates with no way to recover it.
Praised: Color-coded notes and speed. Mood selection when creating an entry is cited by several users as an unexpectedly useful detail.
Complaints: Notes disappear after updates: documented by multiple users with years of history. Manual sorting was removed in one update without warning. No cross-device sync, and accidental deletion happens without a confirmation prompt or undo.
Best for: People who want a color-coded organizer for short notes on a single device and are willing to accept the risk of data loss during updates.
Rank 46. Review score: 45 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 13,465 ratings
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CollaNote with a generous handwriting toolkit and PDF annotation. A series of updates introduced a page limit without warning and added bugs to basic features. Students who had used the app for years found themselves with restricted access in the middle of an academic semester.
Praised: Smooth writing with Apple Pencil and a wide toolset in the free version. The developer historically responded quickly to user requests. PDF annotation with import worked reliably before recent updates.
Complaints: A 10-page limit was introduced without warning: users discovered it mid-semester. Annotations on PDFs shift position when the file is reopened. Voice translation switches on by itself even after being disabled in settings.
Best for: Students willing to keep an eye on changing terms and pay for premium if the app stabilizes. Currently a risk for those who depend on it daily.
Rank 47. Review score: 45 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 339 ratings
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A gamified sticky-note notepad with a fridge instead of a board: magnets, background changes, and mini-games for earning coins. Makes note-keeping fun, but data is tied to the device and is lost when switching phones without account migration.
Praised: The game-like atmosphere makes daily notes enjoyable. Earned coins unlock new magnets and themes without real spending.
Complaints: Data does not migrate between phones through an account: several users lost everything when switching devices. No screen rotation on tablet. No cross-device sync.
Best for: Users who want to make note-taking enjoyable and game-like without needing serious storage for important data.
Rank 48. Review score: 44 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 44,415 ratings
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A beautiful app for handwritten journals with pen pressure that beats most competitors. Stability lets it down: pages disappear when working with stickers and photos, and iCloud sync is unreliable.
Praised: The pen reproduces pressure more accurately than most competitors, creating the feel of real paper. Templates for engineering tasks, bullet journaling, and habit trackers are all in one place. Navigation between journals is intuitive after a short learning period.
Complaints: iCloud sync is unpredictable: entries appear and disappear after switching devices. The app freezes when working with stickers and photos, sometimes erasing entire pages. After updates, some users lost all data with no way to recover it.
Best for: People who want a beautiful digital journal for personal writing and are not storing critically important data there.
Rank 49. Review score: 44 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 5,038 ratings
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A cross-platform journal with a web version, geotagging, photos, and search. One of the few where you can open entries from a browser. Several users lost years of entries after updates with no recovery available.
Praised: Cross-platform support (Android, iOS, Mac, web) with sync that works under normal conditions. An 'on this day' feature and the ability to attach photos, videos, and a geotag to each entry.
Complaints: Several users lost years of entries after updates with no way to recover them. Support responds with a week or more of delay. When the premium subscription ends, some features stop working.
Best for: People who journal across multiple devices and want browser access. Manual export backups are critical: do not count on the built-in backup.
Rank 50. Review score: 44 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 484 ratings
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A widget app for color-coded sticky notes on the lock screen and home screen. Simple and attractive, but basic text formatting is absent, help is only available in Japanese, and the widget periodically stops displaying.
Praised: Color-coded widgets with sticky notes on the lock screen or home screen are instantly visible without opening the app. Rich background options.
Complaints: No text formatting inside a note: only one font and one size for the whole card. Instructions and help are in Japanese only. The widget stops updating after some system updates.
Best for: Users who need one or two visible reminders right on their phone screen without complex structure.
Rank 51. Review score: 43 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 6,626 ratings
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Sticky notes on the home screen with color and font customization. The widget periodically stops updating and shows stale data. No note search.
Praised: A color-coded home screen widget showing multiple notes at once: that is the main reason people download it. Colors and fonts can be customized in the free version without extra restrictions.
Complaints: The widget stops updating and shows stale data. The only fix is reinstalling. No note search. Reminder notifications cannot be turned off separately from useful reminders.
Best for: People who need one or two reminders on their home screen and are willing to pay a subscription for that feature.
Rank 52. Review score: 42 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,048,312 ratings
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Once a benchmark multi-platform tool, it has degraded: sync breaks regularly, search does not show progress, and the mobile version is generations behind the desktop. People with 10-20 years of history write that their patience has run out.
Praised: The notebook-section-page hierarchy lets you store years of varied material in one place. Real-time collaborative editing works without friction. Switching between handwriting and typed text on the same page is rare and valued.
Complaints: Sync hangs and conflicts: users lose recent edits and are forced to resolve collisions manually. Search does not index parts of content and shows no progress indicator. On Mac the app is effectively non-functional for a noticeable portion of users.
Best for: Microsoft 365 ecosystem users who need a shared knowledge base with colleagues on Windows. A solo user on Apple devices is better off looking elsewhere.
Rank 53. Review score: 42 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 2,692 ratings
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A simple password-protected notepad for storing passwords and personal notes. It does one thing: locks notes behind a password. No cross-device sync, no formatting, notes stay on a single phone. Some users lost data after updates.
Praised: Instant access without extra steps, reliable password lock, and alphabetical and chronological note sorting.
Complaints: No cross-device sync: switching phones means losing your data. Several users reported notes disappearing after updates with no way to recover them.
Best for: People who store passwords and personal data on a single device and do not plan to switch to another phone.
Rank 54. Review score: 41 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.1★ · 7,197 ratings
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A beautiful drawing and handwriting app for iPad with an analog feel for pen pressure. The eraser freezes and fails to erase until the app is restarted. Pages periodically disappear. Needs greater stability for serious work.
Praised: The feel of analog tools is reproduced more accurately than in most competitors. An infinite canvas with no page breaks is convenient for diagrams and maps. Quick switching of custom pens via a side panel.
Complaints: The eraser freezes and does not erase until the app is restarted. Pages sometimes disappear and only reappear when switching from another device. Cross-device sync between iPhone and iPad has failed for several users.
Best for: Artists and math teachers on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil who are willing to pay a subscription and tolerate instability.
Rank 55. Review score: 41 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.6★ · 5,585 ratings
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A handwriting app with Apple Pencil featuring a rich template set and smooth writing. Upgrading from Noteshelf 2 was a disaster for part of the audience: inaccessible notes, lost scanned pages, and broken export. New users without migration baggage are more often satisfied, but instability persists even for them.
Praised: Pencil writing quality is called the best among competitors: smoother than GoodNotes. Linked schedules and a wide choice of covers and templates are praised by regular users.
Complaints: Migration from the previous version breaks access to old notes and loses scanned pages. Export is unreliable. Several users lost important work documents with no way to recover them. The floating toolbar gets in the way of writing.
Best for: People starting fresh who want a beautiful handwritten journal on iPad. Migrating from Noteshelf 2 is risky without backing up all content first.
Rank 56. Review score: 38 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 53,757 ratings
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Handwriting converts to text faster and more accurately than most competitors, and the iPad does not overheat during extended sessions. Several users lost all data after an update and iCloud recovery did not work.
Praised: Handwriting-to-text conversion works faster and more accurately than most competitors. The interface does not overheat the iPad even during multi-hour sessions. Page and cover customization is broader than the market average.
Complaints: Data disappears: several users lost all notes after an update with no recovery via iCloud. A splash screen on every launch is annoying. Template tools are more limited than they used to be.
Best for: Students willing to pay for a lifetime license for smooth handwriting input on iPad. Those who value data storage reliability should look at other options.
Rank 57. Review score: 38 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 13,047 ratings
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A simple password-locked notepad that solves one task: keeping notes away from prying eyes. The basic functionality works. But notes are stored locally only with no cloud backup: switching phones means losing everything. A vulnerability via Apple devices allows bypassing the password. Reliability as a storage tool raises serious concerns.
Praised: A password at entry plus a security question provide a basic layer of privacy without extra setup. Minimalist interface, works without registration.
Complaints: Data is stored on-device only: reinstalling or switching phones loses everything. Several users reported complete note loss. Content search barely works.
Best for: People who want to hide a couple of notes from family members but are not storing anything valuable.
Rank 58. Review score: 38 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 6,268 ratings
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An ultra-simple notepad with no formatting, no cloud, and no sync. Opens instantly and stays out of the way while you type. Main limitation: notes are stored on-device only. Switching phones means losing everything. Several users report notes vanishing without any apparent reason.
Praised: Speed of opening and absence of visual noise: people appreciate that the app does not try to be smarter than the user. Color category tagging and a lock screen widget are mentioned regularly.
Complaints: Notes do not sync between devices and cannot be recovered after a phone change. Several users lost data without warning. Autocorrect is aggressive and makes mistakes on correctly spelled words.
Best for: People who need to jot down a thought right now and do not store things for long. Not suited for those who switch devices or care about note preservation.
Rank 59. Review score: 32 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.5★ · 904 ratings
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An aesthetically pleasing journal with dated entries and attached photos. Visually appealing interface. Long entries cannot be scrolled: anything that does not fit on screen is inaccessible.
Praised: A visually appealing interface, chronological entry history by date, and the ability to embed photos directly in an entry.
Complaints: Long entries cannot be scrolled: anything that does not fit on the screen is inaccessible to read. Formatting in the free version is limited to one font and one color. The lock in the app name requires the premium version.
Best for: Teenagers and young adults who want a beautiful digital journal with photos and are willing to accept the free version's limitations.
Rank 60. Review score: 28 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.5★ · 2,476 ratings
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A color-folder notepad with gesture controls, effectively abandoned by the developer since 2018. Dropbox sync wiped all data for many users with no way to recover it.
Praised: Intuitive gestures: swiping to cross out a line in a shopping list. Color folders for visual organization. Convenient for lists and daily tasks.
Complaints: Dropbox sync wiped notes for many users with no way to recover them. The developer has not responded to reports for years. The app has not been updated since 2018 and is incompatible with modern iOS versions.
Best for: No one: the app is abandoned and data in it is at risk. Historically suited those who kept color-coded shopping and to-do lists.
Rank 61. Review score: 22 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.4★ · 8,819 ratings
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A journal with a cute visual style aimed at children. Technically weak: the screen does not scroll while typing, so the cursor slides under the keyboard. Not considered a serious note-taking tool.
Praised: A cute visual style with themed covers helps children want to keep a journal. Basic text input works without registration. A calendar highlights days when entries were made.
Complaints: The screen does not scroll while typing, sending the cursor under the keyboard: you cannot see what you are writing. Accidental note deletion happens without a confirmation prompt. No content search.
Best for: Children aged 8-12 who want a pretty journal without strict privacy requirements.
Rank 62. Review score: 22 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.3★ · 1,935 ratings
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A visually appealing journal for teenagers. Includes voice memos and a variety of fonts. For some users, entries do not save after closing the app.
Praised: A variety of fonts and page styles. Voice memos as an alternative to text input. A simple interface that children find easy to understand.
Complaints: For some users, entries do not save after closing the app: everything written disappears. No search across entries. Photos cannot be inserted into an entry.
Best for: Teenagers who want to keep a personal journal on their phone and are willing to pay for a lock, or parents buying the app for a child.
Rank 63. Review score: 19 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.1★ · 2,351 ratings
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A color-coded notepad in the style of ColorNote for Android, ported to iOS. Several updates wiped all user notes without warning. In January 2026 another update silently erased data for many users by enabling auto-delete. Support does not respond.
Praised: Color-coded notes for fast navigation. Simple interface without extra steps. Convenient for shopping lists and everyday tasks.
Complaints: Several waves of data loss after updates: font turned white on a white background, notes multiplied or disappeared entirely. The developer has not responded to complaints for years.
Best for: No one: storing important data in this app is dangerous. Only suitable for disposable temporary notes with no value.
Rank 64. Review score: 14 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 1,963 ratings
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A voice memo app with AI transcription and summarization. Works unreliably: long recordings are cut off or fail to transcribe entirely. Several users bought lifetime access, after which the developer renamed the tier and stopped honoring the purchase. Support does not respond.
Praised: When it works correctly: transcription and a brief meeting summary are ready quickly. Useful for short notes and lectures in a foreign language.
Complaints: Recordings longer than 30 minutes regularly disappear or fail to transcribe. The app switches the transcription language to Spanish or another language on its own. Lifetime access purchases stop working after tiers are renamed.
Best for: No one in its current state. In theory it could suit students and journalists for short voice notes if it worked reliably.
Rank 65. Review score: 8 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.2★ · 706 ratings
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A companion app for the Moleskine smart pen. Since 2025 sync has effectively been shut off, support has been silent for months, and promised update dates keep slipping. Users who bought the physical notebooks cannot access their notes.
Praised: The concept of digitizing handwriting in real time is appealing, and in the rare cases when it worked properly users marveled at the accuracy of recognition.
Complaints: Sync with the pen has not worked since early 2025. Data is inaccessible without the cloud. Tech support does not respond for months at a time. The app crashes when the pen is connected.
Best for: No one at this point. The ecosystem is effectively non-functional.
About scores
Two scores — two sources
They help compare apps, but they don’t replace checking your own job.
Review score · up to 100
The stored score from inApp research on review texts. It rates the app overall in the archive, not the reliability of any one feature.
Store rating · up to 5
The rating from the app’s page when the data was collected. The current rating and version may differ.
In the archived sample for this topic: 65 apps and 23,328 reviews read. That is the total size of the research, not the number of reviews per app.
A gap between the scores doesn’t prove manipulation. The calculation date and the full scoring method aren’t in the mobile archive. Compare the job descriptions and the source quotes, and check the terms in the current version.
