While Apple Notes checks off most of the boxes, it may not fit into everyone's needs. This is where the best Notes app alternatives for Mac come into the play.
10 Great iOS And Mac Apps To Help You Survive College. By Alex Heath. 4:30. This app won the Mobile App Showdown at CES 2013, and for good reason. MyScript Calculator calculates math. Every student needs a good note-taking system. The human brain, after all, can only store and retain so much information. There's nothing wrong with relying solely on pen and paper (and if that's. Here are the pros and cons. Why the MacBook Air Is a Good Student Laptop. Great Value (for a Mac): Most students and their families aren't sweating $100 bills while they bask in the sun.If you.
Aside from making the task of note-taking pretty straightforward, these third-party apps also double up as a super handy annotation and writing tool. Besides, they allow creating projects in many formats like text, audio, video, and whatnot.
Though the App Store has several fine options, only a few have walked into our list of the top note-taking apps for Mac. We've chosen them based on their effectiveness and how well they work. Dive right in along with me to take a close look at 'em!
#1. Evernote
Despite the cut-throat competition, 'Evernote' remains one of the most appreciable note-taking apps both for macOS and iOS. The highlight of this app is the wide range of tools that provide more flexibility.
The option to make notes in several formats like video, audio, web clippings, sketch ensure you are able to give your thoughts the right shape. With easy-to-format word processor at your disposal, you can write your thoughts elegantly.
You can create an agenda to be discussed in a meeting, write a quick memo and transfer your Evernote notes to Apple notes.
Often forget to do some important tasks? Make a checklist of all the things you have to do. Besides, you will also create presentations to express your thoughts with the desired impact.
Price: Free
Download
#2. Microsoft OneNote
'OneNote' is a complete package. The app lets you capture your ideas in a variety of formats and offer you the needed freedom to keep everything in the perfect sync.
You can tag your notes to find them quickly. Make a list of to-dos and keep track of them so that you are able to do your tasks in time.
The collaboration features works immaculately, allowing you to work with your colleagues. For more security, you will also add an extra shield to your projects to keep them private.
Better still, OneNote for Mac is compatible with a ton of international languages including French, German, Greek, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish and more. So, a language should never become a roadblock to your note-taking.
Price: Free
Download
#3. Notebook
Zoho Corporation is well-known for producing powerful apps. And Notebook does have all the qualities to be highly efficient.
While there is a lot to like in this app, I find 'Smart Cards' very adorable. What it basically does is automatically format the contents into specific cards like the recipe, video, and link.
The app provides several predefined note covers to let you design your stories elegantly. If you don't like the readymade options, you can create a custom cover. Moreover, there is also an option to make public notes using shareable links so that anyone can view them.
With the dark-themed night mode, you will enjoy working till late at night. Plus, the reminders won't let any of your tasks go out of your notice.
Price: Free
Download
#4. Bear
Should you want to have a top-notch writing-cum note-taking app for your Mac, give a close look to Bear. I've used this app for long and always found pretty neat.
The best thing about it is the simple interface coupled with the easy-to-use tools. Therefore, you can write amazing stories and give your wildest thoughts the ideal shape.
Bear has a good library of more than a dozen themes that make it a lot easier to design stories. Features like tagging, archiving and adding tasks to notes enable to take control of your stuff. Furthermore, you can export your projects in multiple formats such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and EPUB.
Lastly, after a free trial of one week, you will have to upgrade to Bear premium's $1.49 monthly or $14.99 annually plan.
Price: Free
Download
#5. Agenda
If you want to streamline all of your projects and get them ready before the deadline, pick out 'Agenda.' One of the notable features of this app is the advanced text editor.
Depending on the specific theme, you can give a befitting look to your notes. It allows you to convert your text into multiple formats like Markdown and HTML. Segregate your files into different categories so that will access them instantly.
The app lets you connect your sticky notes to the events in your personal calendar. As a result, you can plan your meeting perfectly.
Better still, you don't have to pay any bucks to use all the features of Agenda.
Price: Free
Download
#6. Notability
For annotation and crafting rich notes, 'Notability' is one of the better options. With a wide range of fonts, sizes, custom colors at your disposal, you can design your stories with complete peace of mind.
You will be able to import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs to your projects and fine-tune them with more flexibility. Easily convert your stories into PDF to share them with your friends and colleagues.
Make the most of the super handy tools to annotate photos elegantly. Thanks to the automatic iCloud syncing, your tasks automatically sync across your devices.
Additionally, Notability works with multiple cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive.
Price: $9.99
Download Ratatouille game.
#7. Simplenote
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Better still, OneNote for Mac is compatible with a ton of international languages including French, German, Greek, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish and more. So, a language should never become a roadblock to your note-taking.
Price: Free
Download
#3. Notebook
Zoho Corporation is well-known for producing powerful apps. And Notebook does have all the qualities to be highly efficient.
While there is a lot to like in this app, I find 'Smart Cards' very adorable. What it basically does is automatically format the contents into specific cards like the recipe, video, and link.
The app provides several predefined note covers to let you design your stories elegantly. If you don't like the readymade options, you can create a custom cover. Moreover, there is also an option to make public notes using shareable links so that anyone can view them.
With the dark-themed night mode, you will enjoy working till late at night. Plus, the reminders won't let any of your tasks go out of your notice.
Price: Free
Download
#4. Bear
Should you want to have a top-notch writing-cum note-taking app for your Mac, give a close look to Bear. I've used this app for long and always found pretty neat.
The best thing about it is the simple interface coupled with the easy-to-use tools. Therefore, you can write amazing stories and give your wildest thoughts the ideal shape.
Bear has a good library of more than a dozen themes that make it a lot easier to design stories. Features like tagging, archiving and adding tasks to notes enable to take control of your stuff. Furthermore, you can export your projects in multiple formats such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, MD, JPG, and EPUB.
Lastly, after a free trial of one week, you will have to upgrade to Bear premium's $1.49 monthly or $14.99 annually plan.
Price: Free
Download
#5. Agenda
If you want to streamline all of your projects and get them ready before the deadline, pick out 'Agenda.' One of the notable features of this app is the advanced text editor.
Depending on the specific theme, you can give a befitting look to your notes. It allows you to convert your text into multiple formats like Markdown and HTML. Segregate your files into different categories so that will access them instantly.
The app lets you connect your sticky notes to the events in your personal calendar. As a result, you can plan your meeting perfectly.
Better still, you don't have to pay any bucks to use all the features of Agenda.
Price: Free
Download
#6. Notability
For annotation and crafting rich notes, 'Notability' is one of the better options. With a wide range of fonts, sizes, custom colors at your disposal, you can design your stories with complete peace of mind.
You will be able to import PDFs, DOCs, PPTs, images, GIFs to your projects and fine-tune them with more flexibility. Easily convert your stories into PDF to share them with your friends and colleagues.
Make the most of the super handy tools to annotate photos elegantly. Thanks to the automatic iCloud syncing, your tasks automatically sync across your devices.
Additionally, Notability works with multiple cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive.
Price: $9.99
Download Ratatouille game.
#7. Simplenote
Cool commands on mac. There are very few note apps for Mac that look as familiar as Simplenote. Its user interface is pretty clean, and you hardly have to spend any time to master the tools.
One of my favorite feature of this app is focus mode. Times when you want to write with maximum concentration, this feature comes into play really well.
You can use pins and tags to organize your notes. And with Markdown, you will ideally format your projects. To ensure your eyes don't burn while working in the night, the app comes with the dark mode.
Price: Free
Download
#8. GoodNotes
I have picked out GoodNotes for a couple of main reasons. First, it makes annotating docs really fun. And if you are fond of giving your docs a creative look, this one can be your thing.
You can highlight or strikeout the text in your PDF documents. Easily move, scale and ideally customize the object color. There is also an option to add the bookmarks to your docs.
Courtesy the fast iCloud sync, you will find your notes on all of your devices. You can share your notes with others and also print them. The compatibility with a number of languages like English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese and more make it an evergreen tool.
Price: $7.99
Download
#9. Quip
How to install front license plate bracket honda odyssey. 'Quip' is a lot more than just a simple note app for macOS. To be more precise, this is what you should use to collaborate with your teammates. Thanks to the chat and messaging integration, it helps you work with your colleagues in a fun way.
You can use the app to note down your thoughts faster, create to-do lists, and edit your docs. It also lets you make comprehensive spreadsheets.
Another notable feature of this app is that it allows you to import your address book from several services like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Microsoft Outlook, Google, and iCloud.
You will create insightful charts by using the data from spreadsheets and Salesforce records. The smart slides would not just make your presentation more impressive but also save your time.
Price: Free
Download
#10. BoostNote
If you are a developer, 'BoostNote' should be your preferred option. The reason why I say it because the app has the support for code syntax highlighting in over a hundred languages such as Javascript, Python, HTML, CSS and more.
This open source markdown editor offers several tools that allow devs to take notes faster. The formatting features have semi-live previews so that you can quickly check your writing.
Besides, the text is automatically formatted as you type, which speeds up your task and also saves plenty of time. That's not all, BoostNote works offline as well so that you can work anytime and anywhere.
Price: Free
Download
Bonus
Unclutter
'Unclutter' is really smart! It's designed to be a multitasker and lets you organize your clipboard data, files, and notes. If you aren't able to take control of them, give it a chance to sort out the mess.
You can keep an eye on your clipboard history and manage it with ease. Store all of your files at once place and access them quickly. And yes, make sticky notes to never forget to do essential things.
The easy editing tools allow you to make changes conveniently. Due mainly to the quick search feature, you will instantly find a list. Besides, the app can be set up with Dropbox to sync data across the devices.
Price: $13.99
Download
That's pretty much it! So, this sums up our roundup of the top note apps for Mac.
What's your favorite?
Now that you have known our favorite note apps, tell us about the ones that can walk into your personal roundup. We'd really appreciate your collection and the valuable feedback.
Take a glance at the following posts as well:
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College students have to be productive. In trying to manage all my schoolwork, clubs, fraternity, and side projects, I'm constantly searching for programs and apps for productivity, note-taking, security, and even music. After trying dozens of them and seeing which ones most of my friends use, I've filtered out the ones that I've found the most helpful. Here's a list of programs (not including the ones you get from MIT for free) that you should download and test out in your first few weeks of college. I've been using all the programs listed below for at least the past year and can attest to how well they work.
Note Taking: Evernote
Take down notes from any of your devices and sync across all of them. It doesn't feel too powerful at first but once you have a lot stored on Evernote, it becomes immensely helpful. When researching someone, I can search for them in my notes and instantly see every book, article, and magazine I've read that mentions them. I use Evernote to organize my academic life, keeping my class and book notes together. I also use it as an idea journal, continuously adding and developing new blog posts or business ideas.
Available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone/iPad
Alternatives: Microsoft OneNote, Google Keep
Streaming Music: Spotify
I recently switched from Google Play Music to Spofity because, although Google Play Music served my needs and was super easy to use, all of my friends were on Spotify. A huge part of Spotify is being able to make and share collaborative playlists. I can easily get entire playlists of song recommendations by friends and I can share my own great playlists. If you're a student, you also get Spotify Premium at the discounted rate of $4.99.
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone/iPad
Alternatives: Apple Music, Google Play Music
Sleeping Better: f.lux
Using your laptop late at night? The blue glowing light from your screen can trick your brain into thinking it's daytime, messing up your internal sleep clock. f.lux changes the color of your computer's display throughout the day – light during daytime and warm during nighttime – to keep your eyes from strain and help you get better sleep.
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and iPhone/iPad
Time Tracker: Toggl
One way to kill procrastination is to find out how much time you spend on everything you do. Use this app to track your day and see how much you actually spend. I used it and found out that I had a 70 hour work week (just the weekdays) but that one of my classes was taking up more than twice as much time as my other classes. This helped me strategize which class to cut, as well as to clearly see when I was wasting time on distractions. Time tracking is mentioned in 10 Effective Strategies to Fight Procrastination by Addicted2Success.
It's a web app, no need to download anything. Also available as an app for Android and iPhone/iPad
To-Do: Wunderlist
Make to-do lists with Wunderlist's clean interface and sync them with your devices. Sort them in folders, mark important ones, and check them off when you finish. You can even layer to-do lists inside individual items. I have a folder for each class and then folders for places to visit, books to read, movies to watch, and my bucket list. It's a web app, no need to download anything.
Also available as an app for Android and iPhone/iPad
Alternatives: Any.DO, Clear, Google Tasks
Blocking Ads: Adblock Plus
Block tracking, malware domains, banners, pop-ups and video ads. It doesn't block certain ads like the ones at the beginning of YouTube videos but it does block all the sketchy banner and pop-up ads that come up on the side.
Available for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer.
Also available on Android and iPhone/iPad
Image Editing: GIMP
A free and open source raster image editor. Raster means it uses pixels as opposed to vector images which use geometrical primitives. GIMP is a popular free alternative to Photoshop and I started using it when my Photoshop trial expired. It's great for photoshopping things and making web graphics which I do a lot for my blog.
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Vector Image Editing: Inkscape
Free and open source vector image editor. Vector images are represented by geometrical primitives so that they can be scaled up or down without ever getting pixely, making them perfect when you want to make a design for anything that's larger than your computer screen. I use this a lot for the jobs I do in graphic design, as well as for designing shirts for my fraternity or large banners for my events.
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
eBook Library: Amazon Kindle
Good Mac Apps For College Students Email
Store any ebooks purchased on Amazon and sync them across all of your devices. Huge library of books, and many are offered for free. The books are ePub format so the paragraphs adapt to your screen for a comfortable read. You can highlight in different colors, bookmark pages, write notes, and then view all of your highlights and notes on a separate page. You can download your books onto your devices to read them offline. You can also store your own PDF's. I love this app as I can carry my entire book library, including textbooks, everywhere I go. You don't need to purchase a Kindle, just get the app.
Available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone/iPad
Alternatives: Google Play Books
Syncing Text Messages with Computer: MightyText
If you have an iPhone, Apple syncs your messages, letting you text from your Macbook. I wanted to do this for my Android, so I got MightyText, which syncs my messages and lets me text from my Windows computer and works just as well.
Available only for Android phones and tablets. However, it's a web app so you can connect your Android phone to Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Tracking Stolen Devices: Prey
Download Prey onto your laptop or phone and it'll automatically upload your device's location every 20 minutes as long as it's powered on and connected to the internet. You can take webcam screenshots, set off alerts, change the password, wipe the data, all remotely from any browser. Free to use for up to three devices.
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone/iPad
Cloud Storage: Dropbox
Storing all your files on the cloud is beneficial in two ways. 1) Your files are backed up online in case your laptop breaks. 2) You can sync your files and access them across your devices. When I want to transfer photos to my computer, I simply upload it to Dropbox from my phone. They're also backed up that way in case I ever lose my phone. You can also share folders with others for collaborative projects. *MIT students get unlimited Dropbox storage space.
Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone/iPad
Alternatives: Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, SugarSync. I use all of them for slightly different purposes.
Office Suite: Google Docs
While not as powerful as paid Microsoft Office (which is given to MIT students for free), Google Docs is much more flexible and can be accessed entirely online. You can also download a client to edit offline. Google Docs is also great for collaboration on projects, as you can have multiple people edit a document at the same time and see everyone's edits as they're made. Your documents also sync with Google Drive and are stored online. Google Docs for word documents, Google Sheets for spreadsheets, and Google Slides for presentations.
College Student Mac Discount
It's a web app so no software download required. Also available for Android and iPhone/iPad Alternatives: LibreOffice, Microsoft Office (paid).
What programs or apps have been the most useful for you? Let us know in the comments below.
