When it comes to staying organized, having the right note-taking app for your Android device is crucial. The right app can help you take notes and easily find them later, regardless of your location or device. But with so many options available in the Google Play Store, finding the best app for you can be challenging.
After spending a significant amount of time exploring the top contenders for note-taking on Android, I’ve identified the best apps in five core categories:
A “best for most people” tier, with a happy-medium balance of features and usability.
A “best fully featured” division, with a focus on apps that provide a more robust set of functions for those who need it.
A “best flexible” recommendation, with an app that goes beyond basic note-taking and offers endless malleability.
A “best for voice memos” classification that focuses on spoken memos and the use of AI to summarize your thoughts.
And a “best no-frills” class, for those seeking the utmost in simplicity.
Here, section by section, are the best note-taking apps for Android.
The best Android note-taking app for most peopleGoogle Keep (free)
Google’s note-taking app has come a long way since its awkward 2013 debut. These days, Keep is a well-rounded yet exceptionally intuitive offering with many compelling elements, particularly for anyone invested in the Google ecosystem (as many Android users tend to be).
Simplicity is a key part of Keep’s appeal — because the reality is that most folks don’t need a complex, multilayered note-taking tool with oodles of superfluous features. Most of us just want a simple and effective place to jot down thoughts, ideas, and lists in a way that’ll make them effortless to access at a moment’s notice.
And that’s precisely where Keep excels: Open the app and tap the plus icon in its lower-right corner — or set up Keep’s excellent Android widget on your home screen (by long-pressing any blank area of your home screen and selecting the “Widgets” option that appears) — and you’re off to the races. You can type using your onscreen keyboard, write using your finger or a stylus, speak (and then save both an audio file and a plain-text transcription of your ramblings), or snap a photo of a document or anything else and let Google pull the text out of the picture for you.
Keep’s main screen is a delightfully manageable collection of your most recent notes. Changing a note’s position is as easy as dragging and dropping it or tapping a pin icon to ensure it stays at the top. You can color-code notes, if you want, and give them labels for subject-specific browsing. And, of course, you can use the search box at the top to quickly find notes by keywords…