Whether you are a student juggling multiple classes, a busy professional managing projects, or a casual user who loves to capture ideas and thoughts, having a reliable and efficient note-taking tool is more crucial than ever. But with countless note-taking tools out there, picking up a suitable solution can be challenging. Here is where my ultimate checklist comes in.

In this post, I will walk you through the essential factors to consider so that you can make an informed decision about which note-taking app will best meet your needs, so that you can easily elevate your note-taking game.

9 Cross-platform availability

Cross-platform availability is the first thing you should consider when you shop for a new note-taking tool. In most cases, I advise going with an app that’s available on all the major desktop and mobile platforms. After all, you would still want to be able to access all your notes when you switch from Windows to Mac or vice versa.

You can also prioritize note-taking tools that offer native solutions instead of web or electron-based half-hearted apps. Native apps always offer a better experience than web apps.

8 Core organization method

Note organization is another important factor to consider. After a while, your digital sanctuary will be filled with hundreds of notes. You need to have effective organization in place to avoid chaos. For example, Evernote, Apple Notes, Bear, and more support a tag-based (#hashtag) organization where you can type #finance, #idea, #quotes, and more to categorize your notes.

OneNote has a familiar hierarchy where you can create notebooks, add sections, and create new pages within. Each note-taking app has a different method to structure your digital space. You should pick one that best suits your note-taking style.

7 Support for templates

Do you plan to jot down meeting notes, daily reflections, or class notes with your digital solution? Instead of repeating the same headers across all your relevant notes, you can create a template and reuse it to save time. Only a handful of note-taking apps support templates, and it’s essential to spot one that offers built-in relevant templates which can save you time in the long run.

6 Web extension

If you are a student, researcher, or a power note-taker, you must pick a solution that offers web extension on major desktop browsers like Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. After all, when you do a lot of research and reading on the web, you often come across valuable information that you want to save in your personal digital space.

With a capable web extension, you can simply summon up your favorite app, crop a specific part from the post, and save it to your notebook in no time.

5 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities

Do you plan to store a lot of handwritten notes and files in your digital note-taking app? You need to make sure that your digital tool is equipped with OCR capabilities. It basically turns your handwritten notes, sketches, and diagrams into searchable and editable text. If extracting text from images and converting PDFs to editable text is high on your priority list, make sure to shortlist an app that supports OCR.

4 Inking tools

If you are a student and plan to take a lot of class and lecture notes with your tablet or Windows convertible, go for a note-taking tool that has drawing or inking tools built-in. Such inking tools with OCR functions can be a productive combo for your workflow.

3 Sharing and collaboration

Do you often share your meeting notes, brainstorm ideas, and discuss projects with your team members? You need to shortlist a note-taking solution that supports seamless sharing and real-time collaboration.

2 Privacy and security

If you often keep private and confidential notes, consider selecting a note-taking system that provides end-to-end encryption, password protection, and options to store your notes either offline or on a cloud storage service of your preference. Apps like Evernote and Notion are quite limited here, and you should avoid them in favor of Obsidian, Joplin, and Standard Notes.

If this is important to you, then you should pick a tool that has a pristine record of keeping user notes and information safe.

1 Company track record and history

Before you invest time, money, and a lot of effort into using a note-taking tool, make sure to check the company history. Several note-taking apps frequently get bought out, discontinued, or shift focus with new ownership. For instance, Notion, which initially added many user-friendly features, has lately shifted its focus to businesses and enterprise users.

Clover Notes also seemed to be a promising tool at one point. Unfortunately, Figma acquired it and quickly discontinued it completely. Therefore, it's wise to choose a note-taking application that has a solid track record and provides various export options, allowing you to transfer your notes to another platform easily via export if the need arises.

Things your note-taking app needs

Picking a note-taking app for your workflow isn't rocket science. However, if you end up with the wrong tool, it can cause chaos, as switching hundreds of notes over to another platform is never seamless. Remember, the ‘best’ tool is always subjective, and in the end, it’s all about finding the one that aligns with your preferences and note-taking style. If you don't like it, you probably won't be motivated to use it. So even if it takes a few tries, it's worth getting the right one for you.

If you want to learn more about the differences between the two note-taking giants, OneNote and Evernote, check out our comparison guide to find all the differences between the two.