The Best Note-Taking Apps For College Students

Best-Note-Taking-Apps
Florencia Basavilbaso

Florencia Basavilbaso

Content Writer At Gradehacker

If you’re a student trying to sort out your study time, forget about sticky notes ’cause we have some of the best note-taking apps for you to take advantage of.

Taking notes can help you remember important information and stay organized. Many different note-taking tools are available, so it can be difficult to determine which one is right for you.

But the good thing is that at Gradehacker, the non-traditional adult student #1 resource, we have many years of experience helping students upgrade their study methods and achieve more.

So, whether you’re looking for an app with powerful features or one that offers a simple interface, this guide will provide you with excellent note-taking apps on the market today.

Best Note-Taking Apps- girl taking notes- first photo

Benefits of Using Note-Taking Apps

When it comes to organizing information and keeping track of important details, these resources have become an essential organizational tool in our digital age.

But If you’re uncertain about using note-taking apps, here are four notable benefits that may convince you to give them a try:

1. Enhanced Organization:

Note-taking apps provide a centralized and systematic approach to managing your notes.

You can create different categories, set labels, and even search for specific keywords or phrases, making it incredibly easy to find and revisit your notes whenever you need them.

2. Easy Accessibility:

One of the most significant advantages of using these apps is the ability to access your notes from anywhere and at any time.

By syncing your notes across multiple devices, you can seamlessly switch between your smartphone, tablet, or computer, ensuring you have your information readily available no matter where you are.

3. Collaborative Features:

Many offer collaborative features allowing you to share your quick notes with others.

Whether you’re working on a group project, researching with colleagues, or simply want to share ideas with friends, these apps make collaboration ten times easier.

You can grant access to specific individuals, assign tasks or deadlines, and even comment on each other’s notes.

4. Cross-platform Integration:

These apps often integrate with other digital tools and platforms, making them even more versatile. You can link your notes to your calendar, helping you stay organized by associating notes with specific dates or events.

Some apps also allow you to attach files, such as paper documents or images, directly to your notes.

This integration makes having all your information in one place easier, increasing efficiency and minimizing the need to switch between multiple applications.

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What Are The Best Note-Taking Apps For Students?

With these apps, you can conveniently put down your thoughts, ideas, and reminders at any time and access them across various devices.

You’ll be able to save time and stay organized in our fast-paced, digital world. So why not give them a try and experience the advantages for yourself?

In case you want to start exploring this option, here are the best note-taking apps for you:

Many qualities make Notion special besides being one of the most used note-taking apps out there. It’s trusted by big companies like Curlogoy, Pixar, and Loom, and it has gained a reputation for its reliability and user-friendly interface.

But it’s really Notion’s task management capabilities that make them stand out from the rest.

With this app, you can:

Its intuitive interface allows you to prioritize and organize tasks with ease. You can set deadlines, add reminders, and even collaborate with your team in real time.

Notion Pros and Cons

And if you’d like to know more about how this app works, we have a Notion in-depth review ready for you!

Evernote is a popular and versatile note-taking application allowing users to capture, organize, and synchronize quick notes across multiple devices.

It was launched in 2008 and has become one of the go-to solutions for individuals and professionals looking to digitize their note-taking process.

Users create and store different and effective notes, including:

The app provides a user-friendly interface and features to help users stay organized and find information quickly with keywords or tags

Another advantage of Evernote is its synchronization feature, which ensures that all notes are automatically updated and accessible across all devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. 

This app has been recommended by business magazines such as Forbes, Inc, Entrepreneur, Bussiness.com, and Well + Good. And if you’d like to find out more about them, we have a full Evernote review that will answer all of your questions!

Evernote Pros and Cons

best note taking apps- evernote

Penbook is a digital notebook app that focuses on providing a pen and paper-like experience when you put down notes on devices. 

It’s the go-to option if you are a visual learner.

You’ll be able to use different types of virtual pens and brushes to:

Whether you’re using a stylus or your finger, Penbook offers a smooth and natural writing experience, ideal if you have sticky notes all over the place since it will make you organize better.

One of the key features of Penbook is its versatility.

It offers various paper styles, such as ruled, grid, and plain, so users can choose the one that suits their needs and supports importing PDF files to use your existing documents.

Penbook Pros and Cons

best note taking apps- penbook

This is a popular note-taking app that allows users to handwrite, type, and annotate notes on their devices.

This versatile app offers various features and tools designed to enhance the note-taking experience. You can organize notes in folders and sync all your devices. 

One of the main highlights of GoodNotes is its impressive handwriting recognition technology. The app can convert handwritten notes into typed text, making it easier to search and organize your notes.

It also offers a wide range of digital pens, highlighters, and markers that mimic the tactile feel of using real writing instruments.

GoodNotes supports PDF annotation, which means you can import and markup files directly. This is especially helpful for students and professionals who need to edit, highlight, or add comments to PDF documents.

GoodNotes Pros and Cons

best note taking apps- goodnotes

Notability is a popular note-taking application for iOS devices developed by Ginger Labs.

It offers a wide range of features and capabilities that make it stand out as one of the best options for note-taking digitally.

Similar to the other tools we talked about, one great feature of this app is its versatility. Users can type, handwrite, record audio, present, and share notes.

You’ll be able to highlight text, draw shapes, underline, and create diagrams. These tools are particularly useful for students, professionals, and anyone who requires precise note-taking and organization.

Notability Pros and Cons

best online learning apps- notability- homepage

This note-taking application was developed by Zoho Corporation. It’s designed to help users capture and organize their ideas, thoughts, and important information in a digital format.

Here users can create and manage different types of notes, such as text, audio notes, checklists, doodles, and more.

One of its standout features is its visually appealing and intuitive interface. The app allows users to organize their ideas into notebooks, which act as containers for related content.

Users can easily create new notebooks, rename them, and arrange them in a customizable way to suit their specific needs.

Zoho Notebook also offers a range of formatting options to enhance the appearance and readability of digital notes.

Zoho Notebook Pros and Cons

best online learning apps- zoho notebook- homepage

Stay Organized With The Best Note-Taking Apps

These apps can help you get further with your productivity, creativity and always have your ideas nearby with you!

Even if you are a fan of sticky notes, this is a great alternative to have as a backup and be more spontaneous with all the ideas and information you’ll need for your study time. 

We hope you have found the right apps to enhance your learning process.

Remember you also count on our assistance to help you through any part of your journey, whether that is essay writing, discussion posts, or your entire class!

And if you like to see how technology can be a great ally for your college experience, check our blog posts where we talk about them:

Florencia Basavilbaso

Florencia Basavilbaso

Florencia Basavilbaso is a content creator passioned for writing, music, films, and the arts. At Gradehacker, she helps to improve non-traditional students life’s by finding and providing the most useful information, so they can always progress. You can find her on LinkedIn.