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# My Thoughts on Note-Taking Apps 📝
- URL: https://www.livain.com/blog/my-thoughts-on-note-taking-apps/
- Published: 2023-06-23T19:43:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-31T12:40:23.000Z
- Description: From Notion to Apple Notes to Evernote, I've tried 'em all. While they each have strengths, none of them is my ultimate note-taking app. It's not just about the coolest features, it's about what works best for you.
- Author: Remco Livain
- Tags: Productivity

Hello there, digital professionals, productivity geeks, and just about anyone stuck to their computer most of the day! I wanted to share a few insights on a topic I find myself constantly thinking about: note-taking apps. After going through a 'Goldilocks' trial of Evernote, OneNote, Notion, Obsidian, and even Apple Notes, I found that none of them is the perfect fit for my needs.

**Update — August 2026:* Three years and one AI wave later, my ranking changed for a reason I didn’t see coming. New section at the end.*

## Notion's Double-Edged Sword

Notion wooed me with its promising database features and near-instant syncing. Yet, despite its shiny functionalities, I found it less reliable as a note-taking app. When I needed it most, it seemed to hiccup and fail me. Functionality is great, but stability is the game-changer in the realm of note-taking apps.

## The Trusty Apple Notes

After my misadventure with Notion, I circled back to a simpler tool — Apple Notes. It's a stable, straightforward platform that works across all my devices. It might not have all the bells and whistles, but it certainly gets the job done.

> Pick your fighter. [pic.twitter.com/Guzs5lxrL2](https://t.co/Guzs5lxrL2?ref=livain.com)— Francesco D'Alessio (@FrancescoD\_Ales) [June 23, 2023](https://twitter.com/FrancescoD%5FAles/status/1672233747058417671?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=livain.com)

## Evernote: Love and Fear

Evernote holds a special place in my heart. It has always been a solid option. But here's the catch — the uncertainty of its future holds me back. The threat of the company going bankrupt and the risk of losing all my data is a gamble I'm not willing to take.

## Making Sense of the Madness

In conclusion, while each of these apps has its strengths, none stands out as the ultimate choice for me. Every time I see a tweet asking about the best note-taking app, my answer is none of the above. It's a complex dance of features, stability, and trust. The journey to finding 'the one' continues.

The world of note-taking apps can be a whirlwind, especially for us digital professionals who are online 24-7\. Hopefully, my experience will help shed some light on your quest for the perfect app. Remember, it's not just about the coolest features — it's about what works best for you.

## The 2026 re-rank: capture beats organize

Everything above was written when the job of a notes app was to store and organize. That job quietly disappeared. In 2026 my notes are raw material — they get picked up, summarized, turned into drafts and posts by AI tooling downstream. Organizing lost its value; capture won completely.

Which settles my old dilemma in Apple Notes’ favour. The messy pile I apologized for turned out to be the right architecture: zero friction in, and the sorting happens later, by machine. Notion’s structure — the thing I admired and feared — is exactly what I no longer need to build by hand.

The through-line from this post runs to [publishing straight from a notes folder](https://www.livain.com/blog/blogging-from-your-notes-app-my-deep-dive-into-quotion/), [journaling in Apple’s Journal app](https://www.livain.com/blog/embracing-the-digital-diary-my-journey-with-the-new-apple-journal-app/), and the mental model that ties it together: [working memory is not a hard drive](https://www.livain.com/blog/a-context-window-is-working-memory-not-a-hard-drive/). Capture everything; keep almost nothing in your head.