Top pick
Microsoft Corporation
View on the App Store ›Free·4.7★ (1,062,957)·Updated Sep 14, 2026unverified
Verdict
OneNote has deep organizational features (notebooks, tabs, media import) that people rely on for years of archiving, but a recurring chunk of reviewers hit sync failures and crashes across Apple devices.
Best for
Someone already inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem who needs a note archive that imports varied media and doesn't mind troubleshooting sync occasionally.
The catch
Sync between Apple devices is repeatedly reported as broken or glitchy, and a notable share of reviewers describe outright crashes with no warning.
Native app
Free·4.8★ (640,678)·Updated Dec 12, 2025unverified
Verdict
Notes is free, built into iOS, and handles basic text, checklists, and handwriting-to-text conversion well, but a meaningful slice of reviewers report crashes (especially when drawing) and sync problems that have cost them saved notes.
Best for
Someone who already lives in the Apple ecosystem and wants a free, no-frills place for quick lists and reminders without installing anything extra.
The catch
Reviewers report the app crashing mid-edit (particularly with drawings) and iCloud sync occasionally wiping or failing to sync notes across devices, so it's a risky primary home for anything you can't afford to lose.
Native app
Free·4.8★ (456,039)·Updated Sep 14, 2026unverified
Verdict
Notability has a clean, well-liked interface, but a large share of recent reviews describe lost notes after sync failures, paywalled features that were previously purchased, and iCloud backup silently breaking. That's a heavy risk for an app whose whole job is storing your notes.
Best for
A student or professional who wants a polished handwriting and PDF markup tool for a single device and keeps separate backups of anything important, rather than relying on Notability's sync to hold their only copy.
The catch
Multiple reviewers report Notability stopped syncing to iCloud without warning and lost their notes, and others say features they'd already paid for were moved behind a new subscription paywall.
Native app
Free·4.7★ (452,823)·Updated Sep 4, 2026unverified
Verdict
Goodnotes is a capable handwriting and PDF note app, but a sizable share of recent reviewers describe sync failures, paywall confusion, and unresponsive support alongside the praise for its interface.
Best for
A student who annotates PDFs and handwrites notes with an Apple Pencil on a single device and doesn't rely on cross-device syncing to work flawlessly.
The catch
Sync between iPad, iPhone, and Mac is repeatedly reported as unreliable, with some users saying notes went missing after a reset, and the subscription/paywall system has locked out people who already paid.
Native app
Free·4.6★ (565,938)·Updated Jun 30, 2026unverified
Verdict
Pages is a document editor, not a note-taking app, though it's easy to use and exports cleanly to Word. Recent updates have pushed some formerly free features like iCloud Drive shared folders and new themes behind an Apple Creator Studio subscription.
Best for
Someone who already writes formatted documents and letters on an iPhone or iPad and wants to hand them off as .doc files to Word users.
The catch
Some features that used to work for free, like updating files in shared iCloud Drive folders and getting new themes, now require a Creator Studio subscription, and a few reviewers report random save locations and slow load times.
Native app