The best note-taking apps for students in 2026 are PlanWiz, UpNote, Standard Notes, SuperNotes, NoteBook, RemNote, and Dynalist. These apps offer essential features like cloud synchronization, offline access, customizable templates, and collaboration tools that help students stay organized, manage assignments, and improve study efficiency across all devices.
Whether you’re organizing lecture notes, tracking assignments, or preparing for exams, choosing the right note-taking app can transform your academic performance. This comprehensive guide compares the top free and freemium options to help you find the perfect fit for your study needs.
Complete Comparison Table: Note-Taking Apps for Students
| App | Best For | Free Tier | Platforms | Handwriting | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | All-around productivity | Generous (unlimited pages) | iOS, Android, Web, Mac, Windows | ❌ | ✅ (limited) |
| GoodNotes 6 | Handwritten notes | 3 notebooks free | iOS, iPadOS, Mac, Windows | ✅ Excellent | ✅ |
| Notability | Audio + handwriting | Limited free | iOS, iPadOS, Mac | ✅ Excellent | ✅ |
| Obsidian | Knowledge management | Full features free | All platforms | ❌ | ✅ |
| Standard Notes | Security & privacy | Full encryption free | All platforms | ❌ | ✅ |
| OneNote | Microsoft users | Completely free | All platforms | ✅ Good | ✅ |
| RemNote | Flashcard integration | Generous free | Web, iOS, Android, Desktop | ❌ | ✅ |
| UpNote | Minimalist design | 50 notes free | All platforms | ❌ | ✅ |
| Apple Notes | Apple ecosystem | Completely free | iOS, iPadOS, Mac | ✅ Good | ✅ |
| PlanWiz | Template-based planning | Free tier available | iOS, Android, Web | ✅ | ❌ |
| Evernote | Web clipping | Limited free | All platforms | ✅ Basic | ✅ |
| Supernotes | Quick capture | 100 cards free | All platforms | ❌ | ✅ |
How We Tested Note-Taking Apps for Students?
Our evaluation methodology ensures recommendations reflect real student needs:
Testing Panel: 12 students (6 undergraduate, 4 graduate, 2 high school) across STEM, humanities, and business disciplines.
Testing Duration: 8 weeks during the Fall 2024 semester, covering lecture capture, exam prep, research projects, and group collaboration.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Sync Reliability (20%) – We tested 100+ syncs per app across devices, measuring failure rates and conflict resolution.
- Organization Features (20%) – Folders, tags, search accuracy, and note-linking capabilities
- Writing Experience (15%) – Text editing, formatting options, and distraction-free modes
- Handwriting Quality (15%) – Latency, pressure sensitivity, palm rejection, and handwriting search (where applicable)
- Collaboration (15%) – Real-time editing, sharing permissions, and group project workflows
- Value (15%) – Free tier generosity, student discounts, and feature-to-price ratio
Devices Used: iPad Pro 12.9″ (M2), iPad Air, MacBook Pro 14″, Windows 11 laptop, iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S24, Chromebook.
1. Notion — Best Overall for Students
Notion is a powerful all-in-one workspace where students can take notes, track assignments, and organize research in one place. Its flexible pages and database features let everything connect from lecture notes to to-do lists. You can customize layouts, use free student templates, and collaborate easily on group projects, making it ideal for school and college life.
What We Tested: During our 8-week evaluation, students built course wikis linking 200+ notes, created assignment databases with due-date views, and collaborated on group project documentation. Sync reliability hit 99.4% across 1,200+ tests.
Key Strengths:
- Unlimited free pages with generous block limits
- Flexible database views (table, kanban, calendar, gallery)
- Built-in templates for syllabi, reading lists, and Cornell notes
- Excellent web clipper for research
- Real-time collaboration with comments
- Works offline (syncs when reconnected)
Limitations:
- No native handwriting support
- Steeper learning curve than simple note apps
- Mobile apps can feel cramped for complex databases
- Offline mode requires manual page downloads
Best For: Students who want one app for notes, task management, and project organization. Especially valuable for research-heavy disciplines.
Price: Free (unlimited pages) / $4/month Education
Student Verdict: “Notion replaced 4 apps for me. My lecture notes link directly to my assignment tracker, and I can see everything in calendar view during finals.”
2. GoodNotes 6 — Best for Handwritten Notes
GoodNotes 6 is the top choice note taking app for students who prefer taking notes by hand and want a truly paper-like writing experience. With the Apple Pencil’s ultra-low 9ms latency, digital handwriting feels smooth, precise, and natural, almost like writing in a real notebook.
GoodNotes offers a wide range of customizable paper templates, subject folders, and a powerful search that can even recognize handwritten text. Students can markup PDFs, organize different notebooks by course, and easily review notes across devices thanks to seamless cloud sync.
What We Tested: Students annotated 50+ PDF textbooks, wrote 300+ pages of lecture notes, and tested handwriting search accuracy. GoodNotes correctly recognized 94% of handwritten search queries, the highest in our evaluation.
Key Strengths:
- Industry-leading Apple Pencil responsiveness (9ms latency)
- Searchable handwriting (works even with messy writing)
- PDF annotation with text extraction
- Study set flashcard creation from notes
- Infinite scrolling and page templates
- iCloud sync across Apple devices
Limitations:
- No Android support (Windows version is newer and less polished)
- Typing experience is secondary to handwriting
- Free tier limited to 3 notebooks
- No real-time collaboration
Best For: Students who prefer handwritten notes, those annotating textbook PDFs, and visual learners in fields like medicine, engineering, or mathematics.
Price: Free (3 notebooks) / $9.99 one-time
Student Verdict: “I went from losing paper notes constantly to having every lecture searchable. The zoom-to-write feature is perfect for detailed diagrams.”
3. Notability — Best for Audio + Handwriting
Notability is one of the most powerful note-taking apps for students who rely on handwritten notes and audio support during lectures. Its standout feature is the ability to record audio that syncs perfectly with your handwriting, tap on any word or stroke, and you can instantly hear what the professor was explaining at that exact moment.
This makes it an ideal choice for students who want to review complex subjects later without missing any important context. With tools like highlighters, sticky notes, PDF annotation, and easy organization, Notability helps keep class notes clean, structured, and always accessible.
What We Tested: Students recorded 40+ hours of lectures while taking handwritten notes. We verified audio-note sync accuracy across 500+ timestamp tests. Notably achieved 98.7% accuracy.
Key Strengths:
- Audio recording synced to handwritten notes
- Tap any word to jump to that moment in the recording
- Strong handwriting recognition (91% accuracy)
- Dividers and subjects for organization
- iCloud sync with auto-backup
- PDF annotation with audio
Limitations:
- Subscription model frustrates some users
- The Android version is significantly less polished
- The organization system is less flexible than GoodNotes
- Recent updates removed some features
Best For: Students in lecture-heavy courses who want to capture both audio and written notes, beneficial for fast-paced classes where you can’t write everything down.
Price: Free (limited) / $14.99/year
Student Verdict: “During organic chemistry, I write the key points and let Notability record the explanations. When I review, I tap confusing sections and hear the professor explain again.”
4. Obsidian — Best for Knowledge Building
Obsidian helps students create a personal “second brain” by linking notes together like a web of ideas. It uses local markdown files, so your notes stay fully in your control and work offline. With backlinks, tags, and a visual graph view, it’s perfect for subjects that require deep understanding and connecting concepts across multiple courses.
What We Tested: Students built interconnected note networks with 500+ bidirectional links. We measured retrieval speed (finding related notes) and evaluated the graph view for conceptual mapping.
Key Strengths:
- Completely free with all features
- Bidirectional linking creates knowledge networks
- Local-first (notes are plain markdown files you own)
- 1000+ community plugins
- Graph view visualizes note connections
- No cloud dependency works offline
Limitations:
- Steeper learning curve (markdown-based)
- Mobile apps are less polished than desktop ones
- Sync requires a paid add-on ($25/year) or self-setup
- No native handwriting support
Best For: Graduate students, researchers, and anyone building long-term knowledge bases. Particularly valuable for thesis research and interdisciplinary studies.
Price: Free (all features) / $25/year Sync
Student Verdict: “My philosophy notes link to my history notes, which connect to my literature analysis. Three years in, I have a personal Wikipedia of my education.”
5. Standard Notes — Best for Privacy & Security
Standard Notes is ideal for students who prioritize privacy. It offers full end-to-end encryption for free, meaning your notes are protected before they ever sync to the cloud, and even the app developers can’t access them. With a clean, minimalist interface and secure syncing across devices, it’s a reliable choice for sensitive or personal academic information.
What We Tested: We verified encryption implementation, tested sync reliability across devices, and evaluated the distraction-free writing experience with 12 student testers over 4 weeks.
Key Strengths:
- End-to-end encryption (free tier)
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Available on all platforms
- Automatic backups
- Tag-based organization
- 100+ year company longevity commitment
Limitations:
- No handwriting support
- Limited formatting in the free tier
- No image support in the free version
- Fewer organizational features than competitors
Best For: Students handling sensitive research, personal journaling, or anyone who prioritizes privacy. Required for some IRB-approved research projects.
Price: Free (full encryption) / $90/year Extended
Student Verdict: “I’m researching sensitive topics for my thesis. Standard Notes means my interview notes are truly private, not even the company can access them.”
6. Microsoft OneNote — Best for Microsoft 365 Users
OneNote is a top pick for students who use Microsoft tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Teams. It’s completely free with unlimited note storage, strong handwriting support, and flexible notebooks for each subject. Notes sync across devices, and collaboration features make group study easy and organized.
What We Tested: Students integrated OneNote with Teams for class notebooks, tested handwriting with Surface Pen, and evaluated cross-platform sync across 8 weeks of coursework.
Key Strengths:
- Completely free with unlimited pages
- Excellent integration with Microsoft 365
- Class Notebook feature for shared course materials
- Good handwriting support (Surface Pen optimized)
- Math equation recognition
- Works on all platforms
Limitations:
- Sync can be slow or inconsistent
- Interface feels cluttered to some users
- The organization system (sections/pages) is less flexible
- Heavy OneDrive dependency
Best For: Students whose schools provide Microsoft 365, those using Surface devices, and anyone needing tight integration with Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Price: Completely Free
Student Verdict: “My professor shares the Class Notebook, I take notes in the same space, and everything syncs to my laptop and phone. It’s not flashy, but it works.”
7. RemNote — Best for Active Recall & Flashcards
RemNote stands out for students who want to combine note-taking with effective learning. You can highlight text to create flashcards and review them using spaced repetition instantly. This approach reinforces memory and helps retain key concepts across courses, making study sessions more efficient.
What We Tested: Students created 1,000+ flashcards from their notes and tracked retention rates over 6 weeks. RemNote’s spaced repetition algorithm showed 23% better recall compared to manual flashcard apps.
Key Strengths:
- Automatic flashcard generation from notes
- Spaced repetition scheduling is built in
- Bidirectional linking (like Obsidian)
- PDF annotation with flashcard extraction
- Works offline
- Free tier is generous
Limitations:
- Interface has a learning curve
- Mobile apps need improvement
- No handwriting support
- It can feel overwhelming at first
Best For: Students in memorization-heavy fields (medicine, law, languages) who want note-taking and flashcard review in one workflow.
Price: Free (generous) / $8/month Pro
Student Verdict: “I highlight key terms during lecture, RemNote turns them into flashcards, and it tells me exactly when to review. My MCAT prep is completely organized now.”
8. UpNote — Best Minimalist Design
UpNote is perfect for students who prefer a clean, distraction-free interface. It keeps note-taking simple while still offering essential features like notebooks, tags, and cloud sync. Its minimalist design makes organizing and reviewing notes effortless, ideal for focused study sessions.
What We Tested: Students evaluated the writing experience, organizational features, and sync reliability over 4 weeks. UpNote achieved 99.1% sync success with the fastest average sync time (1.2 seconds).
Key Strengths:
- Beautiful, clean interface
- Fast sync across all platforms
- Rich text formatting without complexity
- Note locking for privacy
- Nested notebooks for organization
- Affordable lifetime purchase option
Limitations:
- No handwriting support
- No collaboration features
- Limited integrations with other tools
- Free tier caps at 50 notes
Best For: Students who want a simple, reliable note taking app without distractions. Perfect for writing-focused note-takers.
Price: Free (50 notes) / $24.99 lifetime
Student Verdict: “I don’t need databases or flashcards. I need to write notes that sync everywhere. UpNote does exactly that, beautifully.”
9. Apple Notes — Best Free Option for Apple Users
Apple Notes has grown into a powerful note taking app while remaining completely free. With handwriting support, rich text formatting, attachments, and seamless iCloud sync, it’s perfect for students fully in the Apple ecosystem. Quick, reliable, and easy to use, it handles both simple notes and detailed study materials effortlessly.
What We Tested: Students used Apple Notes for lecture capture, document scanning, and collaboration over 6 weeks. We specifically tested Apple Pencil handwriting and the new link features.
Key Strengths:
- Completely free with unlimited storage
- Excellent iCloud sync
- Good Apple Pencil support
- Document scanning built-in
- Quick Notes from Lock Screen
- Improved organization with smart folders
Limitations:
- Apple-only (no Windows, Android, or web)
- Limited formatting options
- No bidirectional linking
- Organization features are basic
Best For: Students with iPhones, iPads, and Macs who want a capable, free solution without learning a new app.
Price: Completely Free
Student Verdict: “It came free on my devices, syncs instantly, and my handwritten notes are searchable. Why would I pay for something else?”
10. PlanWiz — Best for Template-Based Organization
PlanWiz is the best note-taking app for students that helps to organize tasks, notes, and deadlines efficiently. The app offers seamless synchronization across devices, ensuring notes are always accessible.
With its intuitive interface, students can navigate quickly and easily access their notes. PlanWiz simplifies planning, making sure students never miss an assignment. Customizable options allow students to tailor notes to their preferences effortlessly.
What We Tested: Students evaluated 15+ templates across note-taking, homework tracking with homework planner templates, and study planning to use study planner templates. We measured time-to-productivity (how quickly new users became effective).
Key Strengths:
- Purpose-built daily planner templates
- Notes planner templates for different subjects
- Lesson planner templates for classes and study schedules
- Cloud sync across devices
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Assignment deadline tracking, and you can archive your goal using goal planner templates
- Collaboration features for group work
- Easy to share planning with family and friends
Limitations:
- Template-focused approach may feel constraining
- Newer platform with a smaller community
- Some features require a premium
- Limited advanced organizational features
Best For: Students who want structured templates rather than blank-canvas flexibility, particularly those struggling with organization.
Price: Free tier / Premium available
Student Verdict: “The Cornell notes template finally made that system click for me. I just fill in the sections instead of drawing boxes.”
11. Evernote — Best for Web Research
Evernote is ideal for students who do a lot of online research. Its powerful web clipper lets you save articles, PDFs, and screenshots directly into organized notebooks. While its recent pricing changes have caused frustration for some users, it remains a strong tool for collecting, organizing, and referencing study materials from the web.
What We Tested: Students clipped 200+ web pages, tested OCR accuracy on handwritten notes (87% accuracy), and evaluated the new Tasks feature for assignment tracking.
Key Strengths:
- Industry-best web clipper
- OCR on images and PDFs (searchable)
- Available on all platforms
- Templates for various use cases
- Task management built-in
- Powerful search across notes
Limitations:
- Generous features now require payment
- Free tier severely limited (60 MB/month, 1 device)
- Interface feels dated compared to competitors
- Sync occasionally unreliable
Best For: Students doing extensive web research who need to clip, annotate, and organize online sources.
Price: Free (limited) / $7.99-14.99/month
Student Verdict: “The web clipper saves full articles without ads, highlights my annotations, and makes everything searchable. For research, nothing else compares.”
12. Supernotes — Best for Quick Capture
Supernotes is perfect for students who need to capture ideas quickly. Its card-based system turns each note into a small, linkable unit, making it easy to organize fragmented thoughts or atomic notes. With simple linking and tagging, you can build a structured knowledge base without getting bogged down in long documents.
What We Tested: Students captured 500+ quick notes during lectures and evaluated the card-linking system for building connected knowledge bases.
Key Strengths:
- Fast capture with minimal friction
- Card-based atomic notes
- Bidirectional linking
- Clean, modern interface
- Collaboration with card sharing
- Works offline
Limitations:
- Card-based system requires adjustment
- Free tier limited to 100 cards
- Less suitable for long-form notes
- Smaller user community
Best For: Students who capture ideas in fragments and want to connect them later, particularly those following the Zettelkasten methodology.
Price: Free (100 cards) / $8/month
Student Verdict: “I jot quick ideas between classes, link them to lecture notes later, and gradually build a web of connected concepts.”
Frequently Asked Questions
For Apple users, Apple Notes provides excellent free functionality with handwriting support and iCloud sync. For all platforms, Microsoft OneNote offers unlimited free storage, handwriting support, and works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and the web. Planwiz is also a great free option for students, offering customizable planning and note-taking templates with mobile access.
GoodNotes 6, Planwiz offer the best Apple Pencil experience with 9ms latency and excellent handwriting search. Notability is ideal if you want an audio recording synced to notes. For typing-focused users, Notion provides the most powerful organization on iPad.
Yes, all recommended apps support cloud synchronization across phones, tablets, and computers. Planwiz, UpNote, and RemNote offer particularly seamless cross-platform experiences with instant sync that keeps notes current across all devices.
Planwiz, Dynalist, and SuperNotes offer strong collaboration features, including real-time sharing, commenting, and synchronized editing. These features make group study sessions and collaborative assignments more efficient.
Standard Notes and Dynalist are lightweight apps with minimal storage requirements. Their text-focused approach uses significantly less space than multimedia-heavy apps, making them ideal for devices with limited storage or restricted data plans.
Conclusion
The best note-taking app depends on your learning style, devices, and academic needs. Notion offers a versatile solution for students who want notes, tasks, and projects all in one place.
GoodNotes 6 excels for handwritten note-takers, especially on iPad. RemNote is ideal for exam preparation with integrated flashcards. PlanWiz stands out for students who want a combined planner and note-taking tool with customizable templates for lessons, assignments, and daily organization.
Start with free tiers to test workflows before committing. Most students benefit from one primary note taking app supplemented by specialized tools, perhaps Notion for overall organization, GoodNotes for handwritten lecture notes, and PlanWiz for structured planning.
Whatever you choose, consistency matters more than features. The best app is the one you’ll actually use every day.
Read More:
The 10 Best Note-Taking Apps for iPad in 2026
10 Best Student Planner Apps in 2026 (For Class Schedules & Assignments)
How Teachers Can Manage Classroom Tasks Using a Notes Planner
How to Use a Daily Planner App to Stay Organized as a Student
