Good Note Taking Apps For Mac

If you are looking for some good note taking apps other than the default Notes app that comes with your Mac the list below has you covered. These are apps that will enhance your note taking experience on Mac. They will enable you to instantly capture your thoughts and record your notes in both audio and textual formats. You’ll find plenty of note-taking apps for every taste and task on a Mac. Lots of the good ones offer an extended feature set – up to the point of allowing you to write a novel in a single note. But many of us simply don’t expect such omnipotence from a notepad – just to jot down an instant short note often is quite enough. The good old Evernote with its plethora of features has become. Joplin: Joplin is a free and open-source note-taking app available on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. It lets you create multiple types of notes, reminders, and alarms, all of which can be.

If you are working in a multinational firm, you, no doubt, know the problem of sharing documents and images of new projects with the staff of the other branches of your company. Working with notepad is not feasible as you cannot include pictures with the text, and you also have no control over the formatting. It is the same with word processing documents as well.

If the recipient has an older version of Microsoft Word, they will not be able to open documents created on the latest version. The problem increases when other staff members use computers running on different operating systems such as Windows and Macintosh.

In such a scenario, your best option is to opt for a note-taking application, such as portable document files (PDF), which works fine on both platforms.

What Makes for A Good PDF Note-Taking Application?

A good PDF note-taking application should support both Desktop and Mobile devices (iOS and Android-based operating systems) so that you can also open and edit the files while on the move. However, some other PDF note-takers do well on whatever platform(s) they support (only Desktops, only Windows or only Macs) as the case may be.

The choice to make also depends on what you need. For instance, you may want to have a PDF note-taking software just for your Windows Desktop alone or one that can function on both Mac & Windows operating systems.

In addition to the above, a good PDF note-taking application should have the following qualities:

  • It should be able to work on documents of various types (invoices, books, magazines, recipes, contracts, business cards and more)
  • It should be compatible with various scanners (HP, Canon, and others)
  • It should be able to modify and convert documents to other types of file formats
  • It should be equipped with all the necessary PDF tools to split, delete, re-arrange, combine, merge, compress, correct texts, extract images and texts, bookmark, sign and secure any PDF document
  • It should have easy and fast file retrieval process
  • It should support many languages
  • You should be able to share and access your documents from SharePoint, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more
  • Of course, you should be able to read all your PDFs, books, and magazines with their in-built e-readers.

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About This PDF Annotator Review

In this review, I shall be discussing some of the best PDF note-taking apps. It will help you figure out which is the best PDF annotation app for Android, iPad, Mac, and Windows. You require an annotator to be able to comment or to add text or diagrams to an existing document.

I shall review certain note-taking software as well as document markup software using parameters like their ability to join two PDFs, duplicate PDF files, export, and import PDF files, delete notes, study notes, edit and manipulate PDFs, and much more.

You will learn more about great Mac PDF Annotators, including those that allow you to annotate PDF on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, etc.

Good note taking apps for mac download

Although you can easily find many PDF readers and writers available online, not all of them have robust functionalities. I shall only include the best notes apps and the leading toolkits to annotate images and texts.

After going through this review, you will also be able to easily determine which of the following is suitable for mobile users. For instance, the app that allows you to perform iPad PDF annotations quickly and efficiently. During the review, I shall point out which tool you should opt for when you are searching for the best PDF notes app for iPad.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Android

PDFelement

(Android, iPhone, Mac & Windows)

If you are searching for a professional-level Windows 10 PDF editor, check this application from Wondershare. While you can find other feature-rich Windows PDF editors, most of them are complicated to use. On the contrary, PDFelement is the easiest program to edit PDF.

Converts PDFs to Word (And Vice Versa)

The editor converts PDFs to text, RTF, HTML pages, PPT, EPUB, Word, and Excel formats as well as creates them from text files, HTML, and image formats.

Extract Data from PDFs And Others

It also supports permission-based restrictions, password encryption, data extraction, form creation, text editing, and annotation.

You will be pleasantly surprised by its uncluttered and easy to navigate interface. It allows you to gain control of your PDF files like never before.

Easily Create, Analyze & Distribute PDF Forms

I loved its ability to create and distribute PDF forms reliably. Use it to create and distribute forms easily, combine the collected forms for analysis, and then export the collected data in a spreadsheet.

Support for All Devices

You can use this software to edit PDF on Windows as well as on Apple-based operating systems. It is, in fact, the best PDF annotator for Android too. You can depend on this app to combine, make notes on PDF, and much more.

The vendor offers a trial version, which allows you to download, install, and evaluate the software before purchasing it. I have tried several other PDF applications and have concluded that PDFelement is among the best PDF editing software you'll ever come across.

Plans

The company has different plans on offer for both home users and businesses. They've got cheap plans on the standard and pro versions for both the Windows and Mac. The vendor offers special discounts ever so often on their home page. I recommend the pro version as it has many additional features such as:

• Add Bates numbering
• Extract data from PDF forms
• Create and edit form fields
• Optimize and compress documents
• Convert scanned paper into editable PDFs
• Optical character recognition
• Add digital signature
• Archive with PDF/A format
• Redact sensitive information
• Batch process documents

These are in addition to other features available on the standard version such as:

• Convert PDF files
• Secure and sign PDF files
• Fill out PDF forms
• Create PDF files
• Edit text and images in PDF files
• Export PDFs to PowerPoint, Excel, or Word
• Annotate and comment on PDF files

The vendor also offers a “Team” plan, which gives you the flexibility to provision, track, as well as manage licensing across groups and teams.

Students and faculty can take advantage of the “Education” plan, which provides a discount of 50% on the “Standard” and “Pro” version.

Remember, the prices include the leasing of the software. Opt for the “Perpetual” license if you want to own this amazing app to write on PDF, which is also the best PDF annotation app for Android.

Best PDF Note Taking Software for iPad

PDF Expert

(Mac, iPad & iPhone)

If you are the owner of a Mac and are wondering how to annotate a PDF, try PDF Expert today. This application is also available for the iPad and the iPhone and is the best PDF app for iPad.

PDF Expert's main focus on only Apple devices is, basically, what differentiates it from PDFelement (which also extends its support to Android & Windows devices)

Developed by Readdle, this software was first debuted on the iPad in 2010. It is, without any doubt, the best PDF annotation app for iPad, which allows you to mark up PDF files professionally.

Great for All Apple Devices

The best part is that the latest version (7) is available free of cost for the iPhone and the iPad. You can use it as a PDF annotator on the Mac operating system as well as annotate PDF on iOS.

The vendor offers a trial version, but you cannot use it to extract, delete or add pages, merge documents, password protect your PDF documents, or be able to sign them. You will need the paid version to be able to do all these. The vendor charges $79.99 for the pro version of PDF Expert, which gives you one license for three Macs. You can avail of a special offer if you are a student or a professor.

As there is a free download of this software, you can put it to the test by trying this iPad textbook app for taking notes and making iOS PDF annotations

Convert Texts And Image Documents to PDF

I was delighted by the capability of the program to annotate PDF on the iPad. Version 7 allows you to convert PowerPoint, Excel, and Word (or Apple Slides, Sheets, and Pages) documents to PDF format.

You can also use this software to convert images into PDF documents, be they imported from local storage, Photos library, or even connected cloud service. This feature is quite handy when you take a screenshot and want to insert them into a document.

The “reduce file size” feature allows you to shrink large PDF documents into lossless, high, medium, or low quality before sharing them.

Select Your Frequently Used Tools And Make Them Readily Available

When you purchase the Pro subscription, you get the option to customize which group of tools will show up across the top of the screen on the toolbar.

As this application is only available for the Mac and iOS platforms, you need another document annotation software if your computer has the Windows operating system installed. However, if you are looking for an excellent PDF annotator for iPad, go for PDF Expert.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Mac

Movavi PDF Editor

(Mac & Windows)

If you are still using the free version of Adobe PDF reader, you might be well aware of its limitations. The PDF editor from Movavi is a worthwhile option if you are searching for a note-taking app for the Mac platform. It offers you all the features needed for managing and processing PDF documents.

You can use it to create PDF documents from scratch. It is one of the few PDF viewer and editor that offers three different PDF editing modes (object editing, text editing, as well as 4-in-1 page arrangement).

E-Signature Solutions

It comes with electronic signature solutions and ready to use legal-size form templates. It boasts of a single click file export as well as print output. You can depend on this easy-to-use application to create individual elements for presenting finished materials.

You need not worry about security as this software keeps the personal information of the user safe at all times.

Extract And Rearrange PDF Pages

Its powerful editing mode permits you to rotate, remove, and rearrange individual pages within a PDF file. Use this application to extract individual pages from PDF documents or to convert images to PDF files.

The cheap subscription charges for a yearly or lifetime license makes it one of the most affordable note-taking apps for the Macintosh platform. The vendor also offers a Windows version of this software.

It is so easy to use that you can master it in a couple of hours.

Convert ‘from PDF' And ‘to PDF'

The latest version of this application can convert a PDF file into HTML, PNG/JPEG image, TXT, and EPUB eBook format, as well as into a DOC file. It can also convert Microsoft Office files (PPTX, XSLX, and DOCX) and bitmap images into PDF format.

Free to Try

Why don't you download the trial version and install it to check its awesome features? I am sure you will go for the paid application after having played with the trial version. This PDF annotator for Mac and Windows allows you to annotate PDF files quickly and effortlessly.

The app costs $29.95 per year for a one-year subscription for a single PC, $39.95 for a lifetime license for a single PC, and $99.95 for a lifetime license for three PCs. The price is the same for both Mac and Windows-based PCs.

Consider this software if you are looking for the best PDF annotator for Mac or Windows. Once you try Movavi, you will agree that it is best for taking notes in PDF on both Mac and Windows devices. You will never have to purchase another software to share notes. You can use this app to markup PDF as well.

Cisdem PDF Manager Ultimate

(Mac)

It is the ultimate tool for those searching for a comprehensive PDF solution. It allows users to view/organize PDF files, annotate and edit them, split, merge, extract and compress images and text.

Draw, Comment, Underline, Highlight, And More

Any PDF annotator review would be incomplete without mentioning this Mac note taker. This app allows you to add signatures, add notes, comments, text, as well as shapes. Underline, cross-out, or highlight text as well as draw a line or an arrow for more effective collaboration.

Convert And Extract Images from PDFs

Use this tool to batch convert PDF files to formats such as HTML, eBook, EPUB, Pages, text, Microsoft PPT, Excel, and Word. You can use it for the extraction of images too. The OCR technology of this app permits you to convert scanned images and PDFs to the formats mentioned above, as well as to Keynote and PPT.

Language Text Detection

The OCR engine recognizes text documents in 49 different languages, which include English, Italian, German, and French.

Protect PDF Documents with Password

Password protect your PDF files to prevent others from opening the file. Use the “owner password” option to prevent copying, editing, and printing of generated PDF files.

You can also use this tool to merge, split, compress, as well as extract PDF files. Use this awesome program to write on PDF files.

Good Note Taking Apps For Mac

Priced at $69.99 per piece, you can also download a trial version of this PDF writing software from the website of the vendor.

Best PDF Note-Taking App for Windows

Perfect PDF

(Windows)

Offered by Soft Xpansions, this tool allows you to edit, create, as well as manage portable document files and other electronic documents. It is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses as well as for use at home.

Use this document markup software to edit your PDF documents professionally as well as annotate PDF files.

The main features of this software include signing PDFs, creating complex forms, as well as designing documents.

Easily Create And Edit the Contents of PDF Pages

Perfect PDF is a powerful yet, easy-to-use page editor, which allows you to edit all the contents of a page, not just the images and text. Apart from this, you can also create completely new documents.

Use its powerful features to create PDF files, PDF documents, make a detailed comparison between two pages, and convert your PDF files to PDF/A-1, A-2, and A-3.

Good Note Taking Apps For Macbook

Add Free-Hand Drawings And Annotations to PDFs

It boasts of batch processing, allows you to add comments on your documents, including text marking, free-handed drawing, stamp, annotations, appendixes, and bookmarks. The PC note-taking tool also can split PDF files and create interactive form fields.

There are 4 packages to choose from:

• Customized pack (single-user license)
• Family pack (three user licenses)
• Office pack (ten user licenses)
• Company pack starts from 10 users, and the prices are quoted on request

It is the ideal software for taking PDF notes and annotating PDFs. Go through the instructions to understand how to take notes on a PDF and how to study notes. This tool is in my list of the best PDF markup apps.

Epubor WordMate

(Windows)

Note Taking Apps For Laptop

I have already discussed applications that you can use to create and edit eBooks. Most of them support editing and converting PDF files too. However, WordMate is a standalone eBook writer and editor.

Take PDF Notes in MS Word

As all of you know, creating and formatting an eBook is a laborious and time-consuming task. However, you can easily create professional eBooks with the help of this application if you know how to use Microsoft Word.

This tool is an add-on for MS Word, which allows you to create professional eBooks from within Word. You can convert a Word data file into eBook templates in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB formats and then post them on Google Play, Kobo, Nook, Apple iBooks, and Amazon Kindle.

Great for Creating And Editing eBooks

Additionally, this eBook editor and writer allows you to create new eBooks as well as modify them from other file formats. There is a wide range of supported files, either created or imported.

You can also use this add-on for reading eBooks. As an eBook reader, this nifty tool reads many formats such as HTML, TXT, PRC, MOBI, EPUB, AWZ3, and AZW.

This software incorporates enhancing and editing eBooks, publishing them, developing, and reading eBooks. Unfortunately, it is only available for the Windows operating system.

Using Epubor is Simple

Using this plug-in is quite simple. Compose and format your document in MS Word and then add eBook metadata such as ISBN, cover, author, and title with WordMate and then click “Publish,” “Build PDF,” or “Build Mobi” to get a professional AZW, PDF, or MOBI format eBook.

The output quality is awesome without any loss in formatting and retains images and fonts you had edited through Word. It is very easy to use, and anybody who has working knowledge about Microsoft Word can quickly create a stunning and professional eBook with WordMate.

You can rest assured that you will find a suitable Windows PDF writer on the list. You can either download and evaluate a trial version or make a purchase. Get hold of this studying tool today, which is better than the online quick notes for books.

Readiris

(Windows & Mac)

Why waste time searching for PDF notes editor for the PC when you can depend on Readiris? It provides you with one of the best ways to edit PDF and allows you to sign, protect, annotate, split, highlight PDF, as well as aggregate your PDFs.

Transform Physical Documents to Electronic

It also allows you to edit, convert, merge PDF, and transform your physical documents into a wide variety of digital formats.

It is available for Mac and Windows operating systems.

You can download the trial version from the vendor's website or buy this PDF software for PC. It is among the best PDF note-takers and document mark-up software. You can use it to annotate PDFs too.

The price of this program is:

• $49 for Rediris PDF 17
• $99 for Rediris Pro 17
• $199 for Rediris Corporate 17

All of the above programs come with comprehensive tutorials that teach you (depending on their supported operating system):

• How to write on PDFs
• How to draw on PDF files
• How to add notes and markup a PDF
• And More

Conclusion

You can also draw on PDF online. However, the quality of the resultant file is nowhere near the quality of the files the abovementioned programs generate.

Now that you have read this PDF reader and writer review, you can easily determine which is the appropriate PDF program to manage and manipulate PDF files, based on your needs.

Remember, writing on PDF is simple when done with the perfect PDF editor app. Read the above review to find out the best PDF markup tool for note-taking. Most of them work on the tablet too. Start taking notes with your PDF software of choice.

Bored of note taking in traditional way , so here you can take a look at the latest note -taking method . Here we list out the Best Note taking apps for PC and Smartphone .

At work, you will surely need to note down bullet points or you will need to note important tasks and other activities to be done. Since these days everyone uses computers and android phones, use of pen and paper has been reduced. So, in these computers and smart phones, where can you note down your important work easily? I am sure that you all might have come across various note-taking apps for computers and smart phones. These apps make it easier for you to remember your tasks and responsibilities.

Contents

Good Note Taking Apps For Mac
  • 1 Best Note taking apps of the year

Best Note taking apps of the year

You will never miss out to complete any work if you have noted all the points in your phone or computer. Now let us see what all note-taking apps are available these days to use in computers and smart phones. The note-taking apps mentioned below are some of the best cross-platform apps that make your work quick.

Now of you ever want to note down anything you don’t have to look for pen and paper use these Best Note-taking apps for Android , iPhone and PC to take easy notes .

Best Note taking apps for Windows

If you want to make quick notes in your windows system you can now do it with the comfort of windows note taking apps .

  1. Quip
  2. Cortana
  3. Simple Note
  4. Microsoft OneNote
  5. Evernote
  6. Sticky Notes
  7. Notepad
  8. Scrble

Read Also : Best free office software for Computer & Smartphone

Best Note taking apps for Mac

Below given is the list of best note taking apps for Mac .

  1. Evernote
  2. Microsoft OneNote
  3. Simple Note
  4. Bear
  5. Google Keep
  6. Zoho

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Best Note taking apps for iPhone / iPad – iOS note taking apps

Like the above seen note taking softwares for windows and Mac , here is the list of note taking apps for iOS users .

  1. Apple Notes
  2. Bear
  3. Simple Note

Best Note taking apps for Android

  1. ColorNote
  2. OneNote
  3. Google Keep
  4. EverNote
  5. SimpleNote
  6. LectureNotes
  7. Omni Notes

Finally given above is the exclusive list of note taking apps for Android users .

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Best Note taking apps for Windows , Mac , Android & iPhone / iPad

1) OneNote

OneNote is one of the best note taking apps with a number of features and majority of them are for free. Since OneNote comes from Microsoft, it integrates with Office tools like Ms Word, Excel etc. Thus, the tool becomes more powerful for you to use. In this note-taking app, you can write, type and draw images related to the notes in your own way.

Another advantage of using OneNote is that, you can easily capture an image to add in the notes. You will not have to crop the image and waste your valuable time. OneNote will automatically crop the image you have selected to fit in the notes. Moreover, you can easily take the notes and refer for your future use. OneNote is compatible with both computers and smartphones.

2) EverNote

This is the next note-taking app for your computers and android phones which is very powerful. EverNote can organize all your notes very efficientlyand it has a cloud storage space of 60MB to store your data online. Like OneNote App, you can add images to this note as well. But an extra feature of attaching the pages of a website is also available with EverNote App.

This note-taking app is perfect for students since it can store any kind of data with any size and content. EverNote App is free for anyone to use but it only has a few features and it only provides a few of them to the user.

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3) WorkFlowy

Workflowy note-taking app works fully offline and it is also fast. It also gives an instant access to the notes you have saved without searching for it from a number o tabs in your browser. This app is very simple and it only has a very minimal interface. When you are creating a note and if you want to highlight or mark any points that are really important, you can do so with the help of hash tags.

You can zoom in or zoom out the notes to read and also navigating this app is very easy. You can just use the mouse pointer to zoom in and zoom out the notes you have added. With this Workflowy App, you can share the notes with others at your office. You also have the option of hiding the notes and add to archive with just one click.

4) Google Keep

With features like location reminder, alerts on pre-select times, Google Keep is our next choice of note-taking app which is hooked up to Google services. This app is compatible with IOS, Web, Android, Windows and Mac and has card based notes. Like Evernote and Onenote, you can add images along with the notes you jot down.

Google Keep App can transcribe the notes you type or write. It has the feature to record even your handwriting. The notes you type will be recorded in the form of messages with its memo feature. You can also synchronize your notes from one device to another with the help of nifty OCR in Google Keep. Apart from these features, you get access to colour codes and attributes to make your notes look unique from the rest.

Read Also : Google Datally App to Control Mobile Data & WiFi Finder

5) Standard Notes

You can access this note-taking app online with widget support and it comes with 100% privacy and AES – 265 encryption. The best highlight of using Standard Note is that you can access the notes you have created 5 years back. Isn’t that great? You can recheck all the important notes again if you require. Standard Notes app is the only one note-taking app which has an end to end privacy. Thus, this app sounds suitable for both office and personal work. Standard notes App is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, Web and Mac.

To make your notes look more attractive, you get access to different themes that are changeable and it also allows you to add power extensions. You will never have to worry about losing any notes you have made in Standard Notes. This app is encryption protected with a secret key and no one can decrypt the notes. Only thing you have to remember always is the secret key. Without this, no one can retrieve the data.

6) Dropbox Paper

This app is a product of Dropbox in which you can work with your team. Dropbox Paper is another note-taking app that supports themes and is integrated to Dropbox. It also offers great collaboration tools. Usually, everyone uses Dropbox to save files in the cloud storage. The main advantage of using Dropbox Paper is, it gives a flexible workspace for the user to make notes easily.

This app is very simple since it has a very minimal design aids. You can type your data or copy and paste the link of YouTube or you can even tweet using this Dropbox Paper note-taking app. If you are working in Dropbox as a team or with any of your team member, you can easily make notes with them, share comments and even embed images. For any kind of creative work, this app is one of the best choices. This note-taking app called Dropbox Paper is free to use if you are an account holder of Dropbox.

All these above mentioned note-taking apps are compatible with both computers and smart phones. You can use it from anywhere you want. Anybody can use these apps in their computers or in android phones. Read about each app and learn the advantages and disadvantages and choose the best app that suits your need. So, do not wait. Make use of these amazing note-taking apps to make your work easier and hassle-free.