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Best Note Taking Apps for iPhone (2026)

40 apps ranked S through F · · Ranked by AppTierList, computed, never sold · JSON

Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDF is the top-ranked of 40 note taking apps on iPhone, at S tier with 4.7/5 from 463,195 ratings.

  1. 1
    Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDFS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 463,195 ratings · score 99
  2. 2
    Notability: AI Notes & PlannerS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 458,105 ratings · score 98
  3. 3
    Microsoft OneNoteS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 1,068,807 ratings · score 97
  4. 4
    NotesS
    Free · ★ 4.8 · 656,669 ratings · score 96
  5. 5
    Freenotes®: AI Notes TakingS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 63,368 ratings · score 95

What belongs in this list

Write and keep notes on the phone and find them again later.

Not here: Voice recording with no note organization alone; A to-do list alone; Meeting transcription alone; Study flashcards alone; A notes template or wallpaper pack alone

More lists: Best Meeting Note-Taking Apps

How we pick

For this list we ask the App Store the same searches a person would, in several countries, and keep every app it returns. A model reads each app's listing and rejects the ones that only mention the use case. Every app that stays is scored out of 100 from four parts, each 0 to 100 and averaged with no weights: its App Store rating, how many people rated it, where the App Store itself ranks it for this list's searches, and how recently its current version shipped. An app showing Apple's Editors' Choice badge gets a fifth part of 100, which can only lift its score. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier. Read the full method →

S
GoodnotesNotabilityMicrosoftNotesFreenotes®Google KeepMyScript NotesNotefulEvernote
A
CoconoteCollaNotePenbookAgendaDaily NotesVoicenotesNotes+Notebook - AI Notes, NotepadBearEasyNotesNoteshelfKilonotes-No…
B
HyNoteElement NoteNotepad: Easy Notes & MemosTLDLPostySticky NotesNotes WriterNotepad - Simple Notes & MemoSticky Notes: Free Note TakingFlowExplain
C
QuickNotes Xn+otesWorkflowyNotebook - Diary & Journal AppInkpad NotepadProdraftsColored NoteStandard Notes
D
None at D yet
F
None at F yet

Compare every app

  1. 1
    Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDFS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 463,195 ratings · score 99 · best in class
  2. 2
    Notability: AI Notes & PlannerS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 458,105 ratings · score 98 · best in class
  3. 3
    Microsoft OneNoteS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 1,068,807 ratings · score 97 · best in class
  4. 4
    NotesS
    Free · ★ 4.8 · 656,669 ratings · score 96 · best in class
  5. 5
    Freenotes®: AI Notes TakingS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 63,368 ratings · score 95 · best in class
  6. 6
    Google Keep - Notes and listsS
    Free · ★ 4.6 · 29,004 ratings · score 93 · best in class
  7. 7
    MyScript Notes: AI HandwritingS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 38,659 ratings · score 93 · best in class
  8. 8
    Noteful: Notes & PDF MarkupS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 24,049 ratings · score 93 · best in class
  9. 9
    Evernote: AI Notes & NotebookS
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.4 · 77,930 ratings · score 92 · best in class
  10. 10
    Coconote - AI Note TakerA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 17,208 ratings · score 91 · excellent
  11. 11
    CollaNote: Notes & PDF MarkupA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 13,858 ratings · score 91 · excellent
  12. 12
    Penbook: Paper Planner & NotesA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 45,537 ratings · score 91 · excellent
  13. 13
    Agenda: Notes meets CalendarA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 3,684 ratings · score 90 · excellent
  14. 14
    Daily Notes Planner 2A
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 333 ratings · score 90 · excellent
  15. 15
    Voicenotes AI Notes & MeetingsA
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 7,153 ratings · score 90 · excellent
  16. 16
    Notes+ : Notes for PencilA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 3,169 ratings · score 89 · excellent
  17. 17
    Notebook - AI Notes, NotepadA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 23,850 ratings · score 88 · excellent
  18. 18
    Bear - Markdown NotesA
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 6,868 ratings · score 88 · excellent
  19. 19
    EasyNotes: Notes, Memo & ListsA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 4,048 ratings · score 88 · excellent
  20. 20
    Noteshelf: AI Notes & PDFA
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 7,039 ratings · score 88 · excellent
  21. 21
    Kilonotes-Notes & Mark up PDFA
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 4,963 ratings · score 85 · excellent
  22. 22
    HyNote: AI Note Taker, SummaryB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 7,649 ratings · score 83 · good
  23. 23
    Element NoteB
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 2,616 ratings · score 83 · good
  24. 24
    Notepad: Easy Notes & MemosB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 28,570 ratings · score 82 · good
  25. 25
    TLDL: AI Lecture Note TakerB
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 7,110 ratings · score 81 · good
  26. 26
    Sticky Notes - PostyB
    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 26 ratings · score 81 · good
  27. 27
    Sticky Notes & Color WidgetB
    Free download · ★ 4.6 · 6,634 ratings · score 80 · good
  28. 28
    Notes Writer: PDF, Voice, AIB
    Free download · ★ 4.5 · 7,326 ratings · score 80 · good
  29. 29
    Notepad - Simple Notes & MemoB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.8 · 6,642 ratings · score 79 · good
  30. 30
    Sticky Notes: Free Note TakingB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.4 · 5,965 ratings · score 77 · good
  31. 31
    Flow: Note Taking & SketchbookB
    Free download · ★ 4.1 · 7,234 ratings · score 77 · good
  32. 32
    Explain Everything WhiteboardB
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 8,883 ratings · score 74 · good · provisional
  33. 33
    QuickNotes X: Notes, AI & PDFC
    Free download · ★ 4.3 · 3,766 ratings · score 74 · situational
  34. 34
    n+otesC
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 45,408 ratings · score 71 · situational
  35. 35
    Workflowy: Note, List, OutlineC
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 8,237 ratings · score 69 · situational · provisional
  36. 36
    Notebook - Diary & Journal AppC
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 14,316 ratings · score 69 · situational · provisional
  37. 37
    Inkpad Notepad - Notes - To doC
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.6 · 8,627 ratings · score 68 · situational · provisional
  38. 38
    Prodrafts - Infinite NotesC
    Free download · ★ 4.8 · 3,873 ratings · score 68 · situational · provisional
  39. 39
    Colored NoteC
    Free download · ★ 4.7 · 5,005 ratings · score 68 · situational · provisional
  40. 40
    Standard NotesC
    Free + IAP · ★ 4.7 · 3,762 ratings · score 68 · situational · provisional

Beyond the top 40

19 more, not ranked yet

  1. Notes Writer Browser: Nautilus
  2. Secure Notepad
  3. Simple Notepad -BestNote-
  4. Noted: Record & AI Transcribe
  5. Obsidian - Connected Notes
  6. Simplenote
  7. Sticky Notes Widget
  8. Note Lock~Lock your Tales Safe
  9. Notepad - handy quickly memo
  10. MarginNote 3
  11. SuperNote Notes Recorder+Photo
  12. Secure Notepad Pro
  13. Notes, Notepad & Memo - UpWord
  14. mimi - Cute notes
  15. SuperNote Notes Recorder&Photo
  16. abcNotes - Sticky Note Madness
  17. Quicky Sticky Notes
  18. Notes for Apple Watch
  19. Recall - Memory Keeper

New in the last 30 days

Questions people ask

What is the best note taking app for iPhone?
Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDF, S tier, ranked #1 of 40, rated 4.7 by 463,195 people.
Which note taking apps are free?
40 of 40 are free to download: Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDF (S), Notability: AI Notes & Planner (S), Microsoft OneNote (S), Notes (S) and more. 20 of them sell in-app purchases. 2 report no in-app purchases.
Which note taking app has the best App Store rating?
Workflowy: Note, List, Outline at 4.8 from 8,237 ratings.
How many note taking apps reach S or A tier?
21 of 40. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. The list's leader is S if it scores 80 or more. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. An app already in a tier keeps its place while the tier is at most 2 apps over a quarter; past that, only the apps over that margin go down, lowest score first. Equal scores share a tier, and no app has a better tier than an app ranked above it. An app keeps its tier until its score passes the band edge by more than 1 point, or a full tier or the order above moves it. Only the top 40 of a list get a tier.

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