10 Best Note-Taking Apps & Digital Notebooks [2025]

They excel at different things. Notion is better for: teams, databases, all-in-one workspace, beautiful interface, and collaboration. Obsidian is better for: privacy (local files), speed, customization (plugins), ownership of your data, and working offline. Choose Notion if you want an all-in-one collaborative workspace. Choose Obsidian if you want complete control over your data and a personal knowledge base.

Evernote was the dominant note-taking app for years but faced competition from Notion, Obsidian, and others. It went through ownership changes and pricing increases that frustrated users. While still functional and improving, many users have migrated to alternatives. It remains good for web clipping and OCR, but consider modern alternatives unless you're heavily invested in Evernote's ecosystem.

Markdown (plain text with formatting) is future-proof, portable, and works with version control. It's preferred by developers and writers. Rich text (like Word/Google Docs) is more visual and easier for non-technical users. For long-term knowledge management, Markdown is safer - your notes will always be readable. Tools like Obsidian, Logseq, and Bear use Markdown. Notion uses blocks (proprietary but exportable to Markdown).

Only if you're deeply committed to bidirectional linking and daily notes workflow. Roam pioneered networked note-taking but now faces free alternatives (Logseq, Obsidian) with similar features. Roam's advantages: web-based (no app install), fast development, active community. However, $15/month is expensive compared to free alternatives. Try Logseq or Obsidian first - switch to Roam only if you need features they don't offer.

Migration is possible but painful. Most apps export to Markdown or plain text. Notion provides export tools. Evernote exports to .enex files (can convert). The more proprietary features you use (databases, special formatting), the harder migration becomes. Best practice: Use standard formats (Markdown) and avoid vendor lock-in. Keep important notes in portable formats from the start.

For Apple users: Apple Notes (excellent and free). For cross-platform: Notion free tier (unlimited pages), Obsidian (free for personal use), or Logseq (open-source). Microsoft OneNote is fully free with unlimited storage. Simplenote is free and simple. All of these are genuinely good - choose based on features you need, not price. The best free app is the one you'll actually use.

Don't over-organize. Common approaches: 1) PARA (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archive), 2) Zettelkasten (atomic notes with links), 3) Simple tags/folders. The key is actually using your notes, not creating perfect organization. Start simple, let structure emerge from use. Search is powerful - don't spend hours organizing what you can find in seconds. Better: Take fewer, better notes than hoard everything.

For team knowledge: Yes, use the same tool (Notion, Confluence, or shared OneNote). For personal notes: No, individuals can use whatever works for them. Many teams use hybrid: Notion for shared documentation and wikis, personal choice for individual notes. Don't force everyone onto one tool for everything - standardize shared knowledge, allow personal preference for individual notes.

Bidirectional linking automatically creates connections between notes that reference each other. If Note A links to Note B, Note B shows it's linked from Note A. It's powerful for building networked knowledge (Roam, Obsidian, Logseq). However, most people don't need it - regular folders and tags work fine. Consider it if you're: a researcher connecting ideas, building a knowledge base, or doing lots of cross-referencing. Otherwise, simple organization is sufficient.

Set time limits. Schedule specific note-taking time (e.g., 30 min daily), then move to actual work. Avoid: endlessly reorganizing, switching apps, collecting notes you'll never read. Focus on: taking actionable notes, reviewing regularly, actually using what you capture. Ask yourself: does this note help me do better work? If not, skip it. Quality over quantity. Use DeskBreak to enforce time limits on note-taking sessions.