Best Note Taking App for Students in 2026: 9 Apps Compared

Notion is our pick for most students who type their notes, because it handles class notes, assignment trackers, reading lists, and revision schedules in one workspace. You can build a page per subject, link related notes, and share a group project page without switching apps. The free plan is generous for personal use, and students can often get extra benefits through education offers.

The downside is setup time. Notion is flexible, which means a blank page can feel overwhelming until you pick a simple template and stick with it. Handwriting is not its strength, so tablet note-takers should pair it with a handwriting app or choose a different main tool. For typed organisation, though, few apps match it.

Obsidian stores notes as plain-text files on your device and links them together, which suits research-heavy students who want to connect ideas across subjects. You can build a web of notes for a thesis, link lecture notes to readings, and search everything fast. The core app is free for personal use, and your notes stay readable even if you stop using the app.

Cloud sync is a paid extra, so you need another sync method if you work across devices, and the plugin system can tempt you into endless tweaking. Keep the setup simple: a few folders, daily notes, and links between key ideas. For students who value ownership and long-term access, Obsidian is hard to beat.

GoodNotes is the classic digital notebook for tablet students. You write by hand, organise notes into notebooks and folders, annotate PDFs, and search your handwriting later. The Essential plan at $11.99 per year covers unlimited notebooks and core tools, while a Pro tier adds collaboration and AI features, and an optional AI Pass adds more AI use.

The free tier limits you to a few notebooks, so test it with one subject first. GoodNotes works best with a stylus, and its strength is the feeling of paper with the benefit of search and backup. If your lectures involve diagrams, equations, or annotated slides, this is our top handwriting pick.

Notability stands out for live lectures because it records audio and links it to what you wrote at that moment. Tap a diagram later and you hear the explanation from that point in the lecture, which is invaluable for revision. It also handles PDF markup well and keeps the interface light, so you can focus on listening rather than formatting.

The free Starter plan is limited, and the Plus plan at $19.99 per year is the sweet spot for most students, while Pro adds wider AI transcription and study tools at a much higher price. If audio replay matters to you, Notability wins over GoodNotes. If you mainly need organised notebooks, GoodNotes may suit you better.

OneNote gives you notebooks, sections, and pages on a freeform canvas, so you can type, draw, paste images, and clip web pages in one place. It works on Windows, Mac, mobile, and web, and it integrates with Microsoft 365 if your school uses it. For students who want a free app that handles both ink and text, OneNote is the most complete free option.

The canvas freedom can become messy without a clear folder habit, and sync runs through OneDrive, so you need a Microsoft account and storage space. Still, the price is right, and the feature set covers lectures, assignments, and group notes. Start here if you want a free, cross-platform notebook.

Evernote built its name on capturing anything: web pages, PDFs, photos, and typed notes, all searchable in one place. For research students who clip many sources, that search is still a strength, and notebooks, tags, and tasks help keep a large archive organised. It works across desktop and mobile, so your clips follow you.

The drawback for students is price. At $14.99 per month, Evernote costs far more than the free rivals here, and the free options have narrowed over time. It makes sense only if web clipping and search are your main workflow and you will use it daily. Most students will get more value from Notion or OneNote for free.

Apple Notes is easy to overlook because it comes free with every iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but for Apple-only students it covers a lot. You can type, sketch with Apple Pencil, scan documents, lock sensitive notes, and sync through iCloud. Shared notes work well for group work within the Apple ecosystem.

It is not the best tool for a large linked research project, and it has no Android or Windows app, so mixed-device students will hit limits. If you live in the Apple world and want zero setup, Apple Notes plus a dedicated revision app can carry you through a semester without paying anything.

Google Keep is a capture inbox, not a full notebook. You jot a quick note, set a reminder, pin an idea, and move on, which suits to-do lists, short revision prompts, and ideas you will expand elsewhere. It syncs through your Google account and works on web and mobile, so it is always close at hand.

Do not try to run a semester in Keep alone. Long notes, PDFs, and structured revision need a fuller app from this list. Use Keep as the front door for quick thoughts, then move the important ones into Notion, OneNote, or Obsidian at the end of the day.

RemNote is built for exam revision. You write notes in outline form, mark key facts as flashcards, and the app schedules them for spaced repetition. That loop from note to test to review is exactly what many students need, and it beats re-reading notes passively. The free plan covers the core workflow, with a Pro tier adding more features.

The outline style takes getting used to, and handwriting is not its strength, so it suits typed revision more than lecture sketching. If exams are your main pressure, RemNote is our pick for the study phase, even if you take lecture notes elsewhere and import the key points here.