Best Note-Taking Apps for Mac in 2026: 10 Apps Ranked

Last verified 4 October 2026. The best note-taking app for a Mac is Apple Notes for most people: it is free, built in, syncs through iCloud and exports to Markdown. If you want notes stored as plain Markdown files you own, choose Obsidian (free) or Bear, whose iCloud sync costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year in US dollars. Below are 10 Mac note apps we checked against each vendor's own pages this week, ranked on what matters on a Mac: native or cross-platform, how sync works, offline use, Markdown, handwriting with an iPad or iPhone, and what you pay.

Toolradar data: of the 189 note-taking tools in our catalog, 40 are completely free and another 116 are freemium. That catalog covers every platform, so only a fraction run well on a Mac.

Quick Comparison

Our picks: the best note-taking apps for Mac, ranked

1. Apple Notes

Apple Notes is the default for a reason. It is free with your Apple Account, which includes 5 GB of iCloud storage, and your notes are available on every Apple device and at iCloud.com. Apple's guide lists drawing in a note with the Markup palette, audio recording with live transcripts, inline math, highlight styles, and drag-and-drop for photos, videos and PDFs. Notes exports as PDF or Markdown, and it imports Markdown, text, RTF, HTML and Evernote ENEX files.

For handwriting, Continuity Sketch lets you choose File, Insert from iPhone or iPad, Add Sketch, then draw on the iPhone or iPad (with Apple Pencil on iPad) and have it land in the note on your Mac. Both devices need the same Apple Account, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. It is Apple only, apart from the web version.

Pick it if you live in the Apple ecosystem and want notes that just work, with nothing to install and nothing to pay.

2. Bear

Bear is the polished Apple-only choice: Mac, iPhone and iPad apps with tags, wiki links, backlinks and a Markdown-based editor. It has won an Apple Design Award. Free is local only; iCloud sync across devices, extra themes, more export formats and OCR search inside photos and PDFs are Pro features. Pro costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 7-day trial, in US dollars, and Bear says the yearly saving varies with your country's currency and taxes.

Sync goes through your own iCloud, and Bear says it cannot see your notes. You can also sketch inside a note with an Apple Pencil or a finger.

Pick it if you want a beautiful, fast Markdown-style notebook, you only use Apple devices, and you are fine paying for sync.

3. Obsidian

Obsidian is free with no sign-up, and its macOS download is a universal build for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Your notes live as Markdown files in a folder you control, and the same app runs on Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. Optional add-ons are Obsidian Sync at $4 a month billed annually ($5 billed monthly), with end-to-end encryption and version history, and Publish at $8 a month billed annually. Prices are in US dollars.

No subscription is required, and Obsidian says you do not have to pay for commercial use either; a $50-a-year commercial license is optional. The cost is setup time: it is a toolkit rather than a finished notebook.

Pick it if you want your notes in plain files you can open anywhere, and you will tinker with plugins and structure.

4. Craft

Craft is a writing and notes app with Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android and Vision Pro versions, and it has been named Mac App of the Year. Everything syncs across iPhone, iPad, Mac and web. Free is meant for occasional use: up to 1,500 blocks, 1 GB of storage, a 25 MB media upload limit and 7 days of version history. Plus removes the limits and extends history to 30 days, at 6.40 euros a month billed yearly or 10 euros billed monthly. Craft says prices differ by country.

Pick it if you want a good-looking notes-and-docs app that is easy to share, and a hosted service suits you.

5. Reflect

Reflect has changed shape: Reflect Open is an open-source app built around daily notes, backlinks and local Markdown files, and the Mac app is free with no subscription. Notes live in a folder you pick, and you sync through iCloud Drive or Git. Optional AI features use your own API key, and Reflect says requests go straight to your provider and are billed by them. The iPhone and iPad app is a paid subscription, priced in the App Store, and paying Reflect Classic subscribers get a year of the mobile app free.

Pick it if you want a free, local-first Mac notebook with backlinks and daily notes, and you are happy with iCloud Drive or Git for sync.

6. NotePlan

NotePlan combines notes, tasks and your calendar in one place, stored as plain-text Markdown that is available online and offline. It has Mac, iPhone and iPad apps plus a web version. NotePlan costs $8.33 a month billed annually ($99 a year) or $12 a month, in US dollars, with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan and 3 days on monthly.

Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly notes tie planning to writing. At $99 a year it costs more than Bear or Obsidian Sync, so it earns its place only if you want planning built into your notes.

Pick it if you plan your days from your notes and want tasks and calendar in the same app.

7. Agenda

Agenda is a Mac and iOS app that organizes notes on a timeline and links them to calendar events, so you can prepare notes for a meeting before it happens and keep them as a record afterward. Its site says Agenda is free with no time limits, with Premium features as an optional upgrade, and it requires macOS 12, iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or later. Agenda's site does not list a Premium price, so check the App Store listing before you commit.

Notes sync through your own iCloud or Dropbox, and Agenda says that means neither it nor anyone else has access to them. You can export notes as PDF, RTF or Markdown, and on iPad you can write with Apple Pencil.

Pick it if your notes revolve around meetings and projects, and you want them tied to your calendar.

8. Notion

Notion is a workspace more than a notebook, and its desktop page offers both a universal macOS build and an Apple Silicon one. Free is 0 euros for individuals, with 7 days of page history and uploads up to 5 MB. Plus is 9.50 euros a month billed yearly or 11.50 euros billed monthly, with unlimited uploads and 30 days of history.

Offline use is the Mac catch. On Free you choose pages to download for offline use; on paid plans, recent and favorite pages download automatically. Notion stores pages and databases in its cloud rather than as files.

Pick it if you want notes, databases and shared team pages in one place, and you are usually online.

9. Microsoft OneNote

OneNote is free to download for Mac, including from the Mac App Store as a standalone app, with no Microsoft 365 subscription needed. It requires a Microsoft account and syncs through OneDrive, whose free tier includes 5 GB. If you lose your connection, you keep working in a cached local copy and it syncs when you reconnect.

Microsoft says the free Mac app may have some features limited, and that a subscription adds extras such as Stickers. On a Mac, notebooks live in the cloud: Microsoft names the Windows desktop app as the only version that supports local notebook storage.

Pick it if you share notebooks with Windows users or already live in Microsoft 365.

10. Joplin

Joplin is open source and free, with apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS and a terminal app. It supports Rich Text and Markdown editors, plugins and themes, a web clipper, and end-to-end encryption. You can sync through Dropbox, OneDrive or Joplin Cloud. Joplin Cloud is based in France; its Basic plan includes 2 GB of storage and costs 2.99 euros a month or 2.40 euros a month billed yearly (28.69 euros a year).

Pick it if you want open-source, encrypted notes that sync through a service you already pay for.

How to choose a Mac note-taking app

Decide between Apple-only and cross-platform. Apple Notes, Bear, Reflect, NotePlan and Agenda run only on Apple hardware, apart from web access for Apple Notes and NotePlan. Obsidian, Craft, OneNote and Joplin also run on Windows and Android, so they suit a mixed household or a Windows work laptop. On Apple Silicon, Obsidian ships a universal macOS build and Notion offers an Apple Silicon build.

Look at how sync works. Apple Notes and Bear use your iCloud, and Agenda uses iCloud or Dropbox. Reflect uses iCloud Drive or Git. Obsidian, Notion, Craft and Joplin Cloud use their own services. Bear is the one to watch, because iCloud sync is the Pro feature.

Choose files or a database. Obsidian, Reflect, NotePlan and Bear's Markdown approach keep your notes portable. Notion and Craft are easier for teams, but you export to leave. For free options across platforms, see our guide to the best free note-taking apps.

Plan for handwriting. If you sketch on an iPad or iPhone, Apple Notes is the smoothest through Continuity Sketch; Bear supports inline sketches drawn with an Apple Pencil or a finger; and Agenda supports Apple Pencil on iPad. If handwriting is your main workflow, read our guide to note-taking apps for iPad.

Check offline behavior. Obsidian and Reflect keep everything in local folders. OneNote caches locally and Notion's free tier needs you to pick pages for offline use.

FAQ

What is the best free note-taking app for Mac?

Apple Notes is the best free choice for most people. Obsidian, Reflect (on Mac) and Joplin are free too and keep your notes in open formats, and OneNote is free if you accept a Microsoft account.

Which note-taking app is best for Markdown on a Mac?

Obsidian is the strongest if you want plain Markdown files in your own folder. Reflect and NotePlan also store Markdown, and Bear is Markdown-based. Apple Notes can export to Markdown.

Does Apple Notes support handwriting from an iPad?

Yes. Continuity Sketch lets you insert a sketch drawn on an iPhone or iPad, with Apple Pencil on iPad, into a note on your Mac, provided both devices use the same Apple Account with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.

Is Bear worth paying for on a Mac?

Bear is free for local notes, but iCloud sync, extra themes and OCR search are Pro. At $29.99 a year in US dollars it is worth it if you use more than one Apple device. If you use only your Mac, the free version works.

Is Evernote still worth using on a Mac?

Only if its limits fit how you work. Evernote's free plan is limited to 50 notes, 1 notebook and 1 device. Starter, at 79.90 euros a year on annual billing, allows up to 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks and 3 devices, and unlimited notes start with Advanced at 199.99 euros a year.

Which Mac note app has the best sync?

Apple Notes through iCloud is the simplest. Obsidian Sync is the strongest for Markdown, with end-to-end encryption and version history. Bear and Reflect use your iCloud.

Bottom line

Start with Apple Notes: it is free, already on your Mac, and syncs with your iPhone and iPad. Move to Obsidian when you want notes as plain files you own, or to Bear if you want a polished Apple-only notebook and will pay $29.99 a year for iCloud sync. Pick Craft or Notion only if you share pages with others, and keep Reflect or Joplin in mind if free and open source matters most.