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Best Free Note-Taking Apps
Published 8/29/2026
16 of the 16 note-taking tools in our directory offer a genuine free plan (100%). Here is what each one actually includes, checked against the vendor's own pricing page.
We track 16 note-taking tools in the OfficeToolGuide directory. Of those, 16 (100%) offer a real free plan — not a trial that expires, but a tier you can keep using indefinitely.
Every entry below was checked against the vendor's own official pricing page rather than a third-party roundup. Where a free plan carries a meaningful limit, that limit is stated explicitly instead of being glossed over.
The free options
Amplenote
Notes tightly merged with task management and a built-in calendar, aimed at people who want one tool for notes + GTD-style task workflows.
Free plan includes: Free (Personal) plan covers notes, tasks, and calendar with a 5MB file-upload cap and is licensed for non-commercial use only, with no direct customer support; Pro ($5.84/mo annual) and higher tiers add larger uploads, encrypted vault notes, and publishing.
Anytype
Local-first, privacy-focused, offline-capable object/graph-based notes with optional peer-to-peer or self-hosted sync, positioned as a decentralized Notion alternative.
Free plan includes: Marketed as 'free to start' with local-first, offline-capable notes and object-based knowledge management; specific numeric free-tier caps (storage/network limits) were not confirmed from the fetched page content, and paid tiers add extra network storage/collaboration.
Bear
Beautifully designed Markdown note-taking for Apple devices (Mac/iPhone/iPad) with tag-based organization.
Free plan includes: Free version gives local notes, document scanning, and limited export formats (TXT/Markdown/TextBundle/RTF) with 3 themes; iCloud sync, PDF/image OCR search, and extra export formats require Bear Pro ($2.99/mo or $29.99/yr after a 7-day trial).
Capacities
Structured, object-type-based personal knowledge management (notes tied to custom object types like books, people, projects) rather than freeform pages.
Free plan includes: Free (Basic) plan includes unlimited spaces/objects/blocks, device sync, custom object types, import/export, and offline support, with media storage capped at 5GB (100MB/month uploads beyond that); Pro ($9.99/mo) adds AI assistant, task management, and unlimited uploads.
Craft
Visually polished, document-style note-taking with strong native Mac/iOS design and flexible page layouts.
Free plan includes: Free plan caps content at roughly 1,500 blocks across all documents, 1GB storage, 15 monthly AI credits, and 7-day version history; Plus ($6.40-8/mo) removes the block/storage caps.
Evernote
Classic cross-platform note capture with strong web-clipping, PDF/document search, and long-standing organization features (notebooks, tags).
Free plan includes: Free tier capped at 50 notes, 1 notebook, 5 'spaces', 20 tags, 200 attachments, 1GB storage, and sync to a single device.
Joplin
Privacy-focused, open-source Markdown note-taking with end-to-end encrypted sync options and full data ownership.
Free plan includes: Fully free and open-source on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and terminal, with no feature paywall; only the optional hosted Joplin Cloud sync service is paid (free alternatives like Dropbox/OneDrive sync are supported instead).
Open source — no paid tier to upgrade into, and self-hostable.
Logseq
Outliner-style networked note-taking with daily journals, backlinks, and a plugin ecosystem, popular for PKM/Zettelkasten workflows.
Free plan includes: The privacy-first, open-source outliner app itself is free to use locally with local Markdown/Org files; an optional paid Logseq Sync add-on exists for cloud sync (exact current price not confirmed on the homepage).
Open source — no paid tier to upgrade into, and self-hostable.
Milanote
Visual, board/canvas-style note-taking and moodboarding for creative and project-planning work rather than linear text notes.
Free plan includes: Free plan (no time limit) allows up to 100 notes/images/links and 10 file uploads, with unlimited shared boards; Professional ($9.99/mo billed annually) removes those content and upload caps.
Notesnook
Open-source-leaning, end-to-end encrypted note-taking as a privacy-focused Evernote alternative.
Free plan includes: Free plan gives unlimited notes on unlimited devices with end-to-end encryption, but caps monthly file storage at 50MB (10MB per file), up to 50 notebooks, and 10 active reminders.
Notion
All-in-one docs/wiki/database workspace good for both personal notes and team knowledge bases, with AI features on paid tiers.
Free plan includes: Individuals get unlimited pages/blocks for personal use, up to 10 guests, file uploads capped at 5MB each, and 7-day page/version history; team workspaces on the free plan have limited collaborative blocks.
Obsidian
Power-user, local-Markdown-file knowledge base with linked notes, backlinks, and a large community plugin ecosystem.
Free plan includes: The core local-first Markdown app is completely free for personal use with no feature limits or sign-up required; optional paid add-ons are Sync (~$4-5/mo) and Publish (~$8-10/mo), plus optional Catalyst/Commercial licenses.
RemNote
Note-taking combined with spaced-repetition flashcards, aimed at students and researchers who want notes and active recall in one tool.
Free plan includes: Free plan allows unlimited notes and synced devices but caps advanced study features to 3 annotated PDFs, 5 image-occlusion cards, 1 handwritten document, 2 knowledge bases, and 100 AI credits/month.
Simplenote
Ultra-minimal, distraction-free plain-text note syncing across all platforms, when you want simplicity over features.
Free plan includes: Entirely free with no paid tier — apps, cross-device sync, note sharing, and version backups are all included at no cost.
Standard Notes
Security/privacy-first note-taking with strong end-to-end encryption as the core selling point.
Free plan includes: Free plan includes end-to-end encrypted, unlimited-device plain-text notes, offline access, tags, password protection, 2FA, and daily encrypted backups; rich text/Markdown editors, spreadsheets, extended history, and cloud file storage require paid plans ($90/yr Productivity or $120/yr Professional).
Tana
AI-native, structured/outliner-based notes with supertags and meeting-transcript features, aimed at power users building a personal knowledge system.
Free plan includes: Free plan includes 5 hosted meetings/month with AI transcripts, 1 connected calendar, 50 AI queries, and full view/edit access to content; Pro ($20/user/mo early-bird) removes most of those caps and adds unlimited meetings and integrations.
How to read this list
This is not a ranking. Tools are listed alphabetically because "best" depends entirely on what you are trying to do — a free plan that is generous for a solo user is often the wrong fit for a ten-person team, and vice versa. Read the free-plan limits, not the position in the list.
Pricing and free-plan terms change without notice. We re-check these against official sources on a schedule, but always confirm on the vendor's own pricing page before committing a team to a tool.
No vendor pays to appear in this directory, and none of the links above are affiliate links.