- IBM Software systems and applications are designed to solve the most challenging needs of organizations large and small, across all industries, worldwide.
- Simplenote’s selling point is its clear, simple user interface, making it easy to keep track of notes. It is available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux, with data synced automatically.
You’ll find plenty of note-taking apps for every taste and task on a Mac. Lots of the good ones offer an extended feature set – up to the point of allowing you to write a novel in a single note. But many of us simply don’t expect such omnipotence from a notepad – just to jot down an instant short note often is quite enough.
The good old Evernote with its plethora of features has become too complex for an average user. Those who prefer to simply drop quick notes on the fly have other nice apps they can opt for. The only question: which exact one to choose?
So, if you wish to upgrade your note-taking experience, here is your top-5 list of the selected most beloved apps in terms of simple and quick note making.
Unclutter
The first reliable note-taking application for Mac is Apple Notes. Since Apple Notes is.
Unclutter’s Notes must be the fastest way to jot down a note on a Mac. One mouse gesture and you’re already typing your idea, to-do task, a phone number, or anything else.
Unclutter has no sophisticated features like media files support, handwriting, notebooks, etc. At the same time, it’s incredibly simple and convenient – which is ideal for plain quick note-taking. Truly minimalistic approach.
Interestingly, you may drag the Notes panel out of the Unclutter window and place it anywhere on the Desktop (it’ll stick atop other windows). Voilà – now you have it as a Post-it note.
App developer Ginger Labs recently launched a companion app for the Mac ($10; OS X 10.9 or later), where you can sync your notes via iCloud across devices. If you're not a Mac user, you can still. Apple Notes, also known simply as Notes, is the default application found on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Its interface is very consistent with the rest of the company’s native applications. With a simple and minimalist interface you could have more than enough without having to download absolutely anything.
Other app’s abilities include quick full-text search, all screens availability, auto-sync across all your Macs.
On top of that, Notes is only one of three tools in Unclutter. The other two are Clipboard and Files – what makes Unclutter a great complex (still, simple in use) productivity app.
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Verdict: Being very fast and simple, Unclutter gives you as much as you need to simply churn out notes. Plus, its neat macOS-integrated interface to sweeten your experience. And even lack of more-than-basic features won’t be an issue if you’re actually looking for instant effortless note-taking.
Ghostnote
This one may not be quite so popular and often-used – but it definitely doesn’t make it less worth our attention. Ghostnote specializes in Post-it notes and todos on Mac. But it’s far from a typical notes making app because of its unique approach – being context based.
At first, Ghostnote may appear to be somehow complicated, but after a look at their website or 2-minute explanatory video, it should all become clear.
With this powerful tool, you can annotate virtually everything on your Mac: files, folders, apps, URLs and the list goes on. Thus, Ghostnote should be a great choice for those who need to make lots of comments and remarks during their workflow (coders, editors, etc).
Applications For Mac Os X
Moreover, the app has its own browser to view and manage your notes from one place; there you can also write classic notes and todos.
This desktop notepad has quite a bunch of things to amaze you with. And its fresh major upgrade only adds points to this app as a member of our top-list.
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Verdict: Ghostnote is quite different from most of Mac notebook apps in terms of how it works. Its main idea is in contextual notes and todos with which you can annotate all kinds of stuff on a Mac. It will take some time to grasp how all of it works, but once you get it, you’ll have a powerful notepad at your disposal.
Simplenote
As its name implies, Simplenote is for making simple notes. Pretty straight-forward. At the same time, the app provides you with all the essentials you’d want from a decent Mac notepad.
Some cool features you get in Simplenote include tags (which are like folders), collaboration (adding an email of someone to work on a note with) and markdown formatting. These allow easy note finding, sharing and visual enhancing.
Another nice thing to have is the app’s history tracking. Thanks to it, you can easily “go back in time” to the preferred version of your latest notes.
Its interface quite resembles the one you have in your native Notes app. Although, it looks refined and simplified at the same time. It’s like if you take Apple Notes, remove all extra, add some nice-to-have features (e.g. tags, markdown) with a pinch of elegance – done.
What’s more, Simplenote is available on literally every today’s platform. Thus, your notes are automatically synced across all your devices.
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Verdict: Simplenote is unobtrusive and intuitively clear. Tags, collaboration, markdown, history – all to keep your note-taking process smooth, comfy and simple. This memo app is an ideal solution for ordinary users who don’t want to spend a penny and still get a nice basic notepad for any kind of device.
Google Keep
Sticky notes from uncle Google. Keep’s minimalistic colorful design cheers you up right from the first look at it. It is basically a wall of stickies – like the one you might have somewhere in your apartment.
You can actually do quite a lot of stuff in Google Keep. That includes everything from checklists and reminders to drawing and adding pictures. Labels, collaboration, keyboard shortcuts – goes without saying.
Keep also has some advanced features (you might never use though 😁): Google services integration, voice input, OCR scanner (recognition of image text). Still, for some users those would be a competitive edge when choosing a notepad.
In order to get this talented app, you just have to download a free Chrome extension or you can use it in a regular Chrome tab.
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Verdict: Google Keep may not be the fastest-accessed or best macOS integrated sticky notes app but it’s certainly worth taking look at. In addition, some of its pro features may really surprise you. The fact remains: Google tends to make a lot of useful free stuff – and Keep is no exception.
Apple Notes
Actually, your system Notes app is not that bad as well. It has some basic formatting, checklists, folders, coworking with others… well, even locking notes with a password is possible. Besides, you can add various attachments to your notes.
Apple Notes syncs across your other Apple devices. And obviously, no need to download it as it’s already there, by default. 😊
Right, you won’t see any eye-charming designs or extraordinary solutions – it is dead simple and it just works. So, do not completely reject this option right away. That’s all we’re saying.
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Verdict: If you don’t need your notebook app to be right at hand, look beautiful and have any extra features, stay with Apple’s Notes.
…But why would you search for the best notes apps for Mac after all?
To sum up
We hope our top-5 picks will help you in that uneasy struggle to find your best way to take notes on Mac. We have deliberately omitted notebook apps like Evernote or Bear. The reason is our focus on choosing the best apps for taking notes fast and with minimal effort.
Trying to sum up this article in a few words, we would get the following:
Unclutter – a neat and handy triple productivity tool with instant note-taking.
Ghostnote as the best app for contextual notes.
Simplenote is obviously for simplicity lovers.
Google Keep must be a top choice as a sticky notes app.
And if you are satisfied with plain basic note-taking and don’t want to look any further, you should probably stick with your native Apple Notes.
Notes User Guide
You can write notes and change the formatting in a note—for example, change the font size or alignment, or make text bold. If you use upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac, you can also apply paragraph styles, add checklists, and specify the paragraph style that’s used when you start typing a new note.
Write a new note
Ask Siri. Say something like: “Create a note.” Learn more about Siri.
In the Notes app on your Mac, in the sidebar, click the folder where you want to put the note.
Click the New Note button in the toolbar (or use the Touch Bar).
Type your note. You can use typing suggestions, if available.
The first line of the note becomes the note’s title. You can change how the first line is formatted in Notes preferences.
Edit a note
Ask Siri. Say something like: “Add ‘milk’ to my note.” Learn more about Siri.
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view. To find it quickly, search for notes.
In the note text, select the text you want to edit, or click where you want to add text, then make your changes.
Copy and paste text
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view.
To copy and paste text, do any of the following:
Copy all the text in a note: Click anywhere in the note text, choose Edit > Select All (or Command-A), then choose Edit > Copy (or Command-C).
Paste text: Choose Edit > Paste (or Command-V).
While some formatting is retained when you paste, the original font and color may not be retained.
Paste text using the surrounding style: Choose Edit > Paste and Match Style.
The style information is ignored from the clipboard and the text is pasted with the surrounding styles applied.
Paste text using the original style: Choose Edit > Paste and Retain Style.
The style information stays with the copied text and the text is pasted with the original style applied.
You can also use Universal Clipboard to copy text, images, photos, and video on one Apple device, then paste the content on another Apple device.
Add or change a list
In addition to checklists, you can add bulleted, dashed, and numbered lists to notes. If you’re using upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac, you can also turn existing lines of text into a list.
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view.
To add or change a list, do any of the following:
Add a list: Click at the beginning of a line, then do one of the following:
Type an asterisk followed by a space.
Type a hyphen followed by a space.
Type a number and period followed by a space.
Click the Format button , then choose Bulleted List, Dashed List, or Numbered List. (You can also use the Touch Bar.)
Add to a list: Click at the end of a list item, then press Return.
End a list (and add a new paragraph): Click at the end of the last line item, then press Return twice.
Increase list level: Click a line in the list, then press Tab.
Decrease list level: Click a line in the list, then press Shift-Tab.
Tip: If you want to insert a tab character in a list item, click where you want to insert the tab, then press Option-Tab.
Add a line break (soft return) to a list item: Press Control-Return at the end of a list item to start a new line without starting a new list item.
Move a list item up (or down) in the list: Press Control-Command-Up Arrow (or Control-Command-Down Arrow).
Add or change a checklist
Note: To add a checklist or turn existing lines into a checklist, you must be using upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac.
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view.
To add or change a checklist, do any of the following:
Add a checklist: Click at the beginning of a line, then click the Checklist button (or use the Touch Bar).
After you make a checklist, click the circles to mark items as complete. To automatically move checklist items to the bottom of the list as they are checked, select “Automatically sort checked items” in the Notes preferences.
Convert paragraphs into a checklist: Select the lines you want to turn into a checklist, then click the Checklist button .
Add to a checklist: Click at the end of checklist item, then press Return.
Reorder items a checklist: Drag a checklist item to a new location.
Tip: You can also move a list item up (or down) in the list—just press Control-Command-Up Arrow (or Control-Command-Down Arrow).
End a checklist (and add a new paragraph): Click at the end of the last checklist item, then press Return twice.
Add a line break (soft return) to a checklist: Press Control-Return at the end of a checklist to start a new line without starting a new checklist item.
Check or uncheck all items: Choose Format > More > Check All or Uncheck All.
You can also Command-click any checklist item. If any item is unchecked, all items are checked (and vice versa).
Format text
You can apply a style—such as heading or body—to quickly format a paragraph.
Note: To use paragraph styles, you must be using upgraded iCloud notes or notes stored on your Mac.
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view.
To format text, do any of the following:
Change the formatting of selected text (such as changing a phrase to bold): Select some text, choose Format > Font, then choose an option (or use the Touch Bar).
Change text alignment: Click anywhere in the text you want to change, choose Format > Text, then choose an option.
Change text font, strikethrough, size, and more: Select some text, Control-click the text and choose Font > Show Fonts, then use the Fonts window to make changes.
Apply a paragraph style to a paragraph: Click anywhere in the text you want to format, click the Format button , then choose a style.
Change the default title paragraph style: Choose Notes > Preferences, click the “New notes start with” pop-up menu, then choose an option.
Add links
In the Notes app on your Mac, click a note in the notes list or double-click a note in gallery view, then choose Edit > Substitutions > Smart Links (a checkmark shows it’s on).
Do one of the following:
Type a URL, and it becomes a link automatically.
Select the text to change to a link, choose Edit > Add Link, then type or paste the URL.
To edit, remove, or open a link, Control-click the link, then choose an option.
You can see suggested spellings for words, add frequently used words or terms to a dictionary, or choose dictionaries for specific languages. See Check spelling and grammar.
Best Note Taking App For Mac
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