By 2031, the note-taking app market is expected to touch USD 2748.99. This is great news because it implies there’s an application for everyone. But the drawback is – there’s a new note-taking tool popping up every week, making it challenging to decide which app is right for your use case.
So, if you ask, what is the best way to take notes on Mac? There’s no one answer because there’s NotePlan, Craft, SideNotes, Ulysses, Apple Notes, and hundreds of other options. Besides Mac users, the others are also facing the same challenge.
This guide has been put together to put you out of the misery of feeling overwhelmed whenever you need to choose a note-taking application. Continue reading to know the features you must look for to make an informed decision.
Must-have Features
The following features are non-negotiable in a note-taking application:
- Seamless syncing: Don’t you want to be able to access your notes across devices? Nobody wants their notes to be restricted to a single device. For instance, if you have created the note on your Mac, you should be able to view it on your iPhone and vice versa. So, the note-taking application must offer built-in synchronization, or you will have to go through the trouble of using separate apps on separate devices. Also, it is expected that the application will offer some kind of integration with services like Dropbox or Git. After all, people want to simplify the note-taking process and don’t want to think of moving their notes between devices.
- Offline access: The ubiquitousness of the Internet is a blessing, but unfortunately, there are times when you may not have access to Wi-Fi. The server might be down, or your data plan has run out. Or there might be some temporary glitch causing network issues. You must prepare for such situations by using a note-taking application that allows for offline access to your notes. This will allow you to capture ideas and also access information even when you are disconnected.
- Sharing/collaboration/publishing: Being able to share your notes is essential because you may want to show your notes to others. You may need to share it with your team members so you can collaborate with them. Hence, the application must offer some kind of feature that allows you to share the notes with others in the form of a link and even allows you to set permissions. Some kind of collaboration feature is a good addition as it allows multiple people to take part in the editing process. Some of these apps offering collaboration are Craft, Notion, and Evernote.
- Robust search capability: If you are simply writing things down but cannot find them when you need them, it means the note-taking app is not doing its job. The whole point of using these apps is so you can access your thoughts and ideas whenever required. Therefore, the note-taking app must have a full-featured search function, allowing you to locate the notes without much fuss.
- Organizational capability: You don’t want chaos with your notes. Hence, it would be better if the app came with features like tags or folders so you could easily organize the notes.
- Security and privacy: Protecting your notes is as important as protecting your device and other confidential data. Your notes may contain information you wouldn’t want anybody else to know. So, you must look for applications providing password protection, 2FA, and encryption.
- Text formatting: Headings, italics, and bold are basic formatting options for clarity and structure. The apps can also have additional formatting options like text indentation, tables, and numbered lists.
Optional Features
Besides the non-negotiable features, you can look for these optional features in a note-taking application to streamline your workflow:
- Multimedia integration: It helps to enhance your notes with audio recordings, video clips, or images. This is helpful for brainstorming or capturing visual information.
- Templates: Pre-designed templates are a blessing as they help to streamline workflow. You can simply choose pre-designed templates for project planning or meeting minutes and don’t have to think about the formatting.
- Integration with tools: A note-taking application that seamlessly integrates with other project management and productivity tools is much better than a standalone application. So, if the app integrates with other tools, it will augment your workflow and decrease data silos.
So, there you have it. These are the features you must look for in note-taking applications. However, remember that the perfect note-taking application does not exist. It all depends on the specific preferences and needs of the users. You must have clarity on your requirements and then accordingly look for note-taking apps. Ensure the apps align with your needs and seamlessly fit into your work ecosystem.
Additionally, you can consider things like paid apps with free trials or limited versions, online reviews, and so on.
Do you have a favorite note-taking app? Tell us which one and why.