To improve learning and work efficiency, many people use tablets with note-taking apps to organize documents and assignments. However, with so many note-taking apps on the market, how do you choose the right one for you? Don’t worry, today we’ve compiled a list of 6 note-taking apps that are free to use and easy to use in 2025. In addition to highlighting their key features, we’ll also list the pros and cons of each app. We believe that whether you’re a student or a working professional, you’ll be able to find a suitable note-taking tool among them.
Notability
My current go-to note-taking tool is Notability, available for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Besides supporting iCloud syncing, it also works with Apple Pencil and keyboard input. Notability boasts comprehensive file management and categorization features, and allows you to create themes based on note type, easily switching between classroom, meeting, and personal notes.
Notability’s biggest feature is its synchronized audio and note recording; you can record audio while writing notes and play back the recording by clicking on content. It also supports PDF annotation, multimedia insertion, and other applications. While the free version of Notability is quite comprehensive, there are some limitations to be aware of. For example, users can only create one theme to manage notes; to use more personalized templates or the latest AI tools, you need to upgrade to a paid subscription.
Advantages and disadvantages of Notability
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
GoodNotes 6
GoodNotes 6, originally only available to Apple users, has recently been successfully launched on the Android platform! This note-taking app emphasizes a realistic notebook-style handwriting experience,
offering notebook-like formatting and layout, and is highly intuitive whether using a stylus or keyboard. GoodNotes 6 supports a variety of note management functions, allowing users to create unlimited levels of folders and tag categories, support PDF annotation, insert images and search text, and has a built-in intelligent handwriting recognition function that can convert handwritten content into editable text.
It’s important to note that the free version of GoodNotes 6 only offers a maximum of 3 notebooks. If you want to create more notebooks or experience full note-taking features such as AI tools (which can assist in organizing notes or quickly generate key summaries), you’ll need a paid subscription plan. Paid plans are available in buy-out and subscription options. Alternatively, you can delete older note pages to maintain the maximum of 3 notebooks, allowing you to continue using the free version.
Goodnote 6: Advantages and Disadvantages
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
OneNote
OneNote is a free note-taking app from Microsoft, available for both Apple and Android systems. Besides its powerful note-taking management features, it also offers automatic backup via OneDrive cloud storage, enabling cross-platform synchronization and allowing you to access your data anytime, anywhere without fear of file loss. It supports stylus and keyboard input and allows you to freely insert images, audio recordings, PDFs, and other content.
Furthermore, OneNote features a hierarchical page design, allowing for free drag-and-drop content layout. It includes built-in handwriting recognition and search functions, quickly recognizing even handwritten text to easily find previously recorded information. It can be used in conjunction with Microsoft 365 and Office applications such as PowerPoint and Word, providing seamless synchronization. For users accustomed to using Office, pairing OneNote with their note-taking tools will undoubtedly be more convenient and user-friendly.
OneNote’s advantages and disadvantages
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
Apple’s Boundless Notes
If you’re an Apple user, don’t forget to check out Apple Notes on your iPhone or iPad! As an advanced version of Apple’s Notes app, Apple Notes is free to use and offers an open whiteboard note-taking tool. With an infinitely expandable canvas, you can freely handwrite, draw, insert images, notes, and links to easily create personalized notes or plans, making it perfect for creative brainstorming, team collaboration, or other purposes. Apple Notes
supports Apple Pencil and keyboard input, and can also be used with Apple Pencil Pro’s squeeze function for advanced operations. It also supports iCloud data syncing and real-time editing and sharing among multiple users. Additionally, we previously shared a tutorial, “How to Chat Online with Friends Using the Apple Notes App? 4 Steps to Understand ,” which you can refer to if you want to utilize Apple Notes’ collaborative features for online chatting with friends.
However, compared to the note-taking tools mentioned earlier, Apple’s Borderless Notes is indeed more limited in functionality. The experience is more like a large drawing sheet and memo pad. It is very convenient for writing down whatever you want to record, but it is weaker in terms of organizing and arranging traditional documents and files.
Apple’s Borderless Notebook: Advantages and Disadvantages
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
Samsung Notes
Samsung Notes is a note-taking app developed by Samsung, available for Samsung phones and tablets. Windows users can download it from the Microsoft Store . This note-taking tool allows direct annotation on PDFs and easily creates notes including drawings, voice recordings, and mathematical calculations. It offers a flexible and convenient user experience and even integrates with applications such as PDF, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint, making it highly recommended for Samsung users.
As Samsung continues to develop Galaxy AI tools, Samsung Notes also incorporates a wealth of Galaxy AI features, including a “doodle-to-image” function for hand-drawn images and a “mathematical problem-solving tool” that automatically calculates handwritten mathematical formulas. Furthermore, it upgrades the existing audio note-taking functionality to offer advanced AI operations such as speech-to-text and text summarization, making it extremely convenient for organizing meeting minutes afterward.
Samsung Notes pros and cons
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
Notebook LM
Google’s newly launched NotebookLM is a smart note-taking tool that emphasizes AI collaboration. It’s available on both Android and Apple devices, primarily offering a web version and an app. NotebookLM’s biggest highlight is its ability to integrate various data sources, including PDFs, Google Docs, and web links. Then, it uses Gemini for AI collaborative analysis, quickly completing tasks such as highlighting key points, writing notes, generating outlines, and providing voice summaries. It can even ask questions about the content or automatically generate drafts and presentations.
Unlike typical pure note-taking apps, NotebookLM is better suited for users who need to read large amounts of data, analyze it, and compile content. It can integrate multiple documents into a single project for cross-data analysis, seamlessly integrating note-taking, reading, and content processing. The “Voice Summary” feature turns text summaries into podcasts , automatically generating a two-person dialogue format that reads the content aloud in a lively way. Downloads are also available for offline listening.
Currently, NotebookLM supports Traditional Chinese operation and content generation and is completely free; all you need is a Google account to start using it. If you frequently need to research, write reports, or organize content, then NotebookLM is definitely an AI note-taking assistant worth trying.
Notebook LM Advantages and Disadvantages
| advantage | shortcoming |
|
|
