10 Best Note-Taking Tools in 2026

Updated: February 2026

Note-taking and personal knowledge management

Key Takeaways

  • Obsidian is our #1 pick for note-taking in 2026, scoring 90/100.
  • We analyzed 111 note-taking tools to create this ranking.
  • 9 tools offer free plans, perfect for getting started.
  • Average editorial score: 87/100 - high-quality category.
1
Obsidian logo

Obsidian

Private and flexible note-taking

90/100
Freemium

Obsidian is a knowledge base that works on local Markdown files. Link notes together to build a personal wiki. Graph view visualizes connections between ideas. Hundreds of plugins extend functionality. Your notes stay in plain text files you own. The second brain that lives on your device, not someone else's server.

2
Pieces logo

Pieces

Long-term memory for your whole workstream, powered by AI to boost developer productivity.

89/100
Freemium

Pieces is an AI-enabled productivity tool designed to increase developer efficiency and effectiveness by providing a "long-term memory" for their entire workstream. It automatically captures and organizes everything a developer works on – code, documents, chats, and more – across various applications and the operating system itself. This creates a rich, contextual memory that developers can easily access and query to recall past work, understand context, and pick up where they left off. The product is primarily for developers and development teams, aiming to eliminate the need to remember every detail and reduce context switching. Pieces integrates with popular developer tools like VS Code and GitHub Copilot, and offers features like AI-powered code snippet management (save, enrich, transform, share, search), a personal AI Copilot that understands individual workflow, and a secure, private-by-design approach where data is processed on-device. It helps with research, meetings, deep work, and collaboration by preserving context and flow. Key benefits include enhanced productivity, reduced mental load, improved recall of past work, and seamless integration of AI assistance directly into the developer's workflow. The system is built with privacy in mind, running on-device with optional cloud synchronization, ensuring users maintain control over their data.

3
Elephas logo

Elephas

AI-powered personal knowledge assistant for Mac, iPhone & iPad, built on your own data.

89/100
Freemium4.4 community score

Elephas is an AI-powered personal knowledge assistant designed for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. It helps individuals and professionals organize, search, and interact with their own scattered knowledge base, including documents, notes, and web content. By creating "Super Brains" from imported files like PDFs, Word docs, Notion pages, Obsidian notes, and Zoom transcripts, users can ask natural language questions and receive instant answers with citations to their original documents. The tool is ideal for executives, consultants, researchers, and healthcare professionals who need to quickly recall information, generate reports, or create presentations based on their accumulated expertise. Elephas emphasizes privacy with local storage and offline mode options, ensuring user data remains private. Its "Super Command" feature allows users to access AI capabilities like writing, summarizing, and saving to their Brain from any app on their Mac, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity.

4
Fathom logo

Fathom

AI notetaker that summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.

88/100
Free

Fathom is an AI notetaker that automatically transcribes, summarizes, and extracts action items from your virtual meetings. It aims to eliminate the need for manual note-taking, allowing users to stay fully present during conversations. The tool provides shockingly accurate transcripts, instant summaries, and action items, which are delivered directly to your inbox. Fathom integrates seamlessly with popular communication and productivity tools like Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, and Asana, automatically syncing meeting notes, insights, and action items. It also features an "Ask Fathom" capability, allowing users to search meeting content and get customizable AI summaries tailored to their team's workflow. This helps teams move work forward faster by reducing time spent on searching and follow-up. Fathom is designed for various teams including sales, marketing, operations, HR, and product & engineering, helping them improve collaboration, track progress, and gain actionable insights from every meeting.

5
Notion AI logo

Notion AI

AI writing in Notion

86/100
Paid

Notion AI brings artificial intelligence directly into Notion's workspace. Summarize notes, generate first drafts, and brainstorm ideas without leaving your docs. Translate content and fix grammar automatically. Extract action items from meeting notes. Q&A answers questions about your workspace content. AI that works where you already work, making every page smarter.

6
Apple Notes logo

Apple Notes

Free note-taking for Apple users

86/100
Free4.2 community score

Apple Notes is a free note-taking application built into all Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The app syncs seamlessly across devices via iCloud, making it easy to capture and access notes anywhere within the Apple ecosystem. The app supports rich content including text, checklists, images, scanned documents, web links, handwritten notes, and audio recordings with live transcription. Recent updates added Markdown support, tags for organization, collaborative sharing, and powerful search across all notes. Apple Intelligence features enable AI-powered text rewriting and image generation. Notes includes a built-in document scanner, secure note locking with Face ID or password, and Quick Notes for capturing ideas without leaving your current app. The app can even solve math problems written directly in notes.

7
Bear logo

Bear

Beautiful markdown notes app for Apple devices

86/100
Freemium

Bear is a notes app for people who appreciate beautiful design and markdown simplicity. Write notes, tag them for organization, and access them across your Apple devices with iCloud sync. The editor is pleasant to write in. Tags nest for hierarchical organization. Export handles multiple formats when you need to get data out. Mac and iOS users who want focused, elegant note-taking without Notion's complexity or Evernote's clutter choose Bear for its refined simplicity.

8
Arc logo

Arc

A better way to use the internet

86/100
Free

Arc is a browser that reimagines how you use the web. Organize tabs into spaces for different contexts like work and personal. Easels let you capture and annotate parts of websites. Features include split view, automatic tab archiving, and a beautiful sidebar interface. Built-in tools replace many extensions. Arc learns how you browse and adapts. A fresh take on the browser from The Browser Company.

9
Craft logo

Craft

Beautiful document editor

85/100
Freemium

Craft is a beautiful document and note-taking app designed for Apple devices. Native macOS and iOS experience with real-time sync across devices. Rich formatting, nested pages, and backlinks organize your thoughts. AI assistant helps you write and brainstorm. Export to multiple formats including PDF and Markdown. Share pages as websites. For those who want the elegance of Apple design in their note-taking.

10
Craft logo

Craft

Beautiful documents and notes

85/100
Freemium

Craft is a beautiful document and note-taking app designed for Apple devices. Native macOS and iOS experience with real-time sync across devices. Rich formatting, nested pages, and backlinks organize your thoughts. AI assistant helps you write and brainstorm. Export to multiple formats including PDF and Markdown. Share pages as websites. For those who want Apple-quality design in their notes.

Best Note-Taking For

What is Note-Taking Software?

Note-taking and personal knowledge management

According to our analysis of 10+ tools, the note-taking software market offers solutions for teams of all sizes, from solo professionals to enterprise organizations. The best note-taking tools in 2026 combine powerful features with intuitive interfaces.

Common Features of Note-Taking Software

Automation

Automate repetitive note-taking tasks to save time

Collaboration

Work together with team members in real-time

Analytics & Reporting

Track progress and measure performance

Security

Protect sensitive data with enterprise-grade security

Who Uses Note-Taking Software?

Note-Taking software is used by a wide range of professionals and organizations:

  • Small businesses looking to streamline operations and compete with larger companies
  • Enterprise teams needing scalable solutions for complex note-taking needs
  • Freelancers and consultants managing multiple clients and projects
  • Startups seeking cost-effective tools that can grow with them

How to Choose the Right Note-Taking Software

When evaluating note-taking tools, consider these key factors:

  1. Identify your specific needs. What problems are you trying to solve? List your must-have features versus nice-to-haves.
  2. Consider your budget. 9 tools in our top 10 offer free plans, including Obsidian and Pieces.
  3. Evaluate ease of use. A powerful tool is useless if your team won't adopt it. Look for intuitive interfaces and good onboarding.
  4. Check integrations. Ensure the tool works with your existing tech stack (CRM, communication tools, etc.).
  5. Read real user reviews. Our community reviews provide honest feedback from actual users.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best note-taking software in 2026?

Based on our analysis of features, user reviews, and overall value, Obsidian ranks as the #1 note-taking tool in 2026 with a score of 90/100. Other top-rated options include Pieces and Elephas.

Are there free note-taking tools available?

Yes! Obsidian, Pieces, Elephas offer free plans. In total, 9 of the top 10 note-taking tools have free or freemium pricing options.

How do you rank note-taking tools?

Our rankings are based on multiple factors: editorial analysis of features and usability (40%), community reviews and ratings (30%), pricing value (15%), and integration capabilities (15%). We regularly update rankings as tools evolve and new reviews come in.

What should I look for in note-taking software?

Key factors to consider include: core features that match your workflow, ease of use and learning curve, pricing that fits your budget, quality of customer support, integrations with your existing tools, and scalability as your needs grow.

Our Ranking Methodology

At Toolradar, we combine editorial expertise with community insights to rank note-taking tools:

40%
Editorial Analysis
Features, UX, innovation
30%
User Reviews
Real feedback from verified users
15%
Pricing Value
Cost vs. features offered
15%
Integrations
Ecosystem compatibility

Rankings are updated regularly as we receive new reviews and as tools release updates. Last updated: February 2026.

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