Expert Guide

The Best Free Note-Taking Apps in 2026

Eight free note apps compared on what the free plan caps, what sync costs, and the cheapest step up in US dollars.

Louis CorneloupFounder, Dupple · 930,000+ readers · Updated Oct 2026

Product links may be affiliate links. How we rate 8 tools compared

TL;DR

Apple Notes is the best free note app if you already own an iPhone or Mac: it is built in, syncs through iCloud, and comes with 5 GB of free iCloud storage. Google Keep does the same job on Android and the web, and its page states no note or storage cap. For free apps that state no limits at all, Joplin and Simplenote are the two to try. Obsidian is also free without limits, but its sync costs extra.

The caps that bite sit in the fine print. Evernote's free plan stops at 50 notes, one notebook and one device. Notion's free plan caps each file upload at 5 MB and gives a multi-member workspace only a limited number of blocks. Microsoft limits OneNote notebooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint to 2 GB. We checked each vendor's own page on 10 October 2026.

Key facts8 tools compared: Apple Notes, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote, Notion, Obsidian, Evernote…

Updated: October 12, 2026
Top pick: Apple Notes (best for: Anyone with an iPhone or Mac who wants notes on every Apple device at no cost)
Top pick price as of October 12, 2026: Apple Notes: Free on iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud includes 5 GB free; 50 GB is $0.99 a month.

8 tools compared: Apple Notes, Google Keep, Microsoft OneNote, Notion, Obsidian, Evernote, Joplin, Simplenote
Google Keep (best for: Android users and anyone who keeps quick lists, checklists and photo notes across a phone and a laptop): Free with a Google account; the page states no note or storage cap. Google One 100 GB is $1.99 a month.
Microsoft OneNote (best for: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who organize notes in notebooks, sections and pages at no cost): Free with a Microsoft account, which includes 5 GB of OneDrive; notebooks saved in OneDrive cap at 2 GB.
Notion (best for: Solo users building a personal wiki or planner who stay under the Free plan's file and guest limits): Free for one member: unlimited blocks, 5 MB per file upload. Plus is $10 per member a month.

On a pricing page, free note apps look identical. They split the day your notes outgrow the free plan. A free plan can mean unlimited notes with no sync, or 50 notes on one device.

Toolradar data: Toolradar tracks 192 note-taking tools as of October 10, 2026, and 83% of them are free, freemium or open source, so the free tier is the crowded part of this category.

We wrote this for people who want to pay nothing for now and know the price of the day they stop. The tools that charge for AI features sit in our AI note-taking ranking, and this page leaves them out.

Top Picks

Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.

Best Free Note-Taking Apps in 2026: Storage, Sync and Note Limits Compared: 8 tools compared, updated Oct 2026
Tool	Pricing	Best for
Apple Notes	Free on iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud includes 5 GB free; 50 GB is $0.99 a month.	Anyone with an iPhone or Mac who wants notes on every Apple device at no cost
Google Keep	Free with a Google account; the page states no note or storage cap. Google One 100 GB is $1.99 a month.	Android users and anyone who keeps quick lists, checklists and photo notes across a phone and a laptop
Microsoft OneNote	Free with a Microsoft account, which includes 5 GB of OneDrive; notebooks saved in OneDrive cap at 2 GB.	Windows and Microsoft 365 users who organize notes in notebooks, sections and pages at no cost
Notion	Free for one member: unlimited blocks, 5 MB per file upload. Plus is $10 per member a month.	Solo users building a personal wiki or planner who stay under the Free plan's file and guest limits
Obsidian	Free without limits, and no sign-up is required. Sync is $4 a user a month billed yearly, or $5 billed monthly.	Writers and developers who want notes as files they control, with paid sync between devices only if they need it
Evernote	Free plan: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device and 1 GB. Starter raises those caps to 1,000 notes and 3 devices.	Light users with under 50 notes on one device who are ready to pay once the free caps bite
Joplin	Free and open source on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Joplin Cloud is an optional sync plan.	Users who want open-source software and to choose their own sync target, such as Dropbox or OneDrive
Simplenote	Free: apps, backups, syncing and sharing on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web. No paid tier listed.	Anyone who wants fast, plain notes on every device at no cost, with no need for databases or AI

Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Oct 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.

Apple Notes

Top Pick

Best for: Anyone with an iPhone or Mac who wants notes on every Apple device at no cost

PricingFree on iPhone, iPad and Mac. iCloud includes 5 GB free; 50 GB is $0.99 a month.

+Built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, so there is nothing to install

+Notes appear on every device set up for iCloud and Notes, per Apple's guide

+Share a note or folder with edit or view-only rights, and see changes live

−Sync stays inside Apple devices, and iCloud.com reaches only notes stored in iCloud

−The 5 GB is the free iCloud allowance for the whole Apple Account, not a notes-only quota

Visit Apple Notes →

Google Keep

Best for: Android users and anyone who keeps quick lists, checklists and photo notes across a phone and a laptop

PricingFree with a Google account; the page states no note or storage cap. Google One 100 GB is $1.99 a month.

+Syncs in real time across phone, computer and smartwatch, per Google's page

+Works offline, and changes go out when you reconnect

+Exports to Google Docs, and shared notes can be edited by several people at once

−Needs a Google account, and the 15 GB free allowance is shared with Drive, Gmail and Photos

−Organization is labels, colors and pins; the page shows no folders

Visit Google Keep →

Microsoft OneNote

Best for: Windows and Microsoft 365 users who organize notes in notebooks, sections and pages at no cost

PricingFree with a Microsoft account, which includes 5 GB of OneDrive; notebooks saved in OneDrive cap at 2 GB.

+Microsoft's own page leads with 'Take notes anywhere for free'

+Notebooks sync through OneDrive to every device signed in with the same account

+Fits teams already on Microsoft 365, with one sign-in across the Office apps

−The 5 GB free allowance is shared with OneDrive photos, Outlook attachments and Microsoft 365 files

−Notebooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint stop at 2 GB, which a long-running project can reach

Visit Microsoft OneNote →

Notion

Best for: Solo users building a personal wiki or planner who stay under the Free plan's file and guest limits

PricingFree for one member: unlimited blocks, 5 MB per file upload. Plus is $10 per member a month.

+Single-member workspaces have unlimited blocks on the Free plan

+Free allows up to 10 external guests, enough to share a page with a small group

+The pricing page says yearly billing saves up to 20% on the paid plans

−Multi-member workspaces get only a limited number of blocks on Free

−Page history stops at 7 days, and each uploaded file stops at 5 MB

Visit Notion →

Obsidian

Best for: Writers and developers who want notes as files they control, with paid sync between devices only if they need it

PricingFree without limits, and no sign-up is required. Sync is $4 a user a month billed yearly, or $5 billed monthly.

+Free without limits, and the pricing page says no sign-up is required

+The FAQ says you are not required to pay for a commercial license, so a business can start free

+Sync and the commercial license are both optional, so you pay only for what you use

−Sync between devices is a paid add-on billed per user, so a team pays for every member who needs it

−Without Sync, a note written on one device does not reach your other devices by default

Visit Obsidian →

Evernote

Best for: Light users with under 50 notes on one device who are ready to pay once the free caps bite

PricingFree plan: 50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device and 1 GB. Starter raises those caps to 1,000 notes and 3 devices.

+Starter gives 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks and 3 devices

+Advanced removes the note, notebook and device caps, subject to safeguard limits

+The free plan includes 200 attachments, enough for a few scanned receipts

−50 notes is the cap a daily note-taker hits first

−The 1 GB free storage sits well below the 5 GB that Apple and Microsoft give every account

Visit Evernote →

Joplin

Best for: Users who want open-source software and to choose their own sync target, such as Dropbox or OneDrive

PricingFree and open source on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Joplin Cloud is an optional sync plan.

+Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, plus a terminal app

+You choose the sync target: Joplin Cloud, Dropbox or OneDrive

+Open source, so the code is public and the app costs nothing to start

−Setup takes more work, since you pick and connect a sync target yourself

−The home page names no caps and gives no price for Joplin Cloud, so check its documentation first

Visit Joplin →

Simplenote

Best for: Anyone who wants fast, plain notes on every device at no cost, with no need for databases or AI

PricingFree: apps, backups, syncing and sharing on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web. No paid tier listed.

+Sync, backups and sharing are all free, per Simplenote's own home page

+Covers iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web

+No limits on notes, storage or devices are stated on the page

−The home page lists no paid tier, so there is no stated price if you need more

−Few organization features are listed, so heavier users will switch

Visit Simplenote →

What it is

A free note-taking app stores typed or clipped notes, syncs them to your other devices and lets you search them. The free tiers differ on four things: how many notes or notebooks they allow, how much storage sits behind sync, how many devices they sync to, and what the next paid step buys.

Scanned documents need a different tool, so for those see our free PDF editors ranking.

Why it matters

Free is a trial of a habit, and the first paid step is what you will actually pay. One person who outgrows 5 GB of iCloud storage pays $11.88 a year for 50 GB at $0.99 a month. A solo user who wants sync between two devices in Obsidian pays $48 a year on yearly billing, against $60 billed monthly.

Five people on Notion Plus at $10 a member a month pay $600 a year, which is why a team should check the free plan's block limit before it starts. Storage pools behind free accounts are covered in our free cloud storage ranking.

Teams deciding on shared notes should also look at our knowledge base software ranking, and at project management software if the notes are tied to tasks.

Key features to look for

The cap that bites first

The free plan limit a buyer reaches first decides whether the app still fits in month three. Evernote caps notes, Notion caps file size, and Microsoft caps notebook size.

Where the free storage comes from

Apple gives every Apple Account 5 GB of iCloud storage. Google gives up to 15 GB shared with Drive, Gmail and Photos. Microsoft gives 5 GB shared with OneDrive files and photos, Outlook attachments and Microsoft 365 content.

Devices and sync

Apple and Google say notes appear on every signed-in device. Evernote's free plan syncs to one device, and Obsidian leaves sync as a paid add-on.

Sharing

Apple Notes shares with edit or view-only rights. Google Keep supports real-time collaboration on shared notes and export to Google Docs. Simplenote lists sharing among its free features.

Pricing

How we chose and checked: we took eight free note apps that a buyer can start on a free plan, checked each vendor's own page on 10 October 2026, and quoted only the figures those pages state.

Apple prices come from Apple iCloud, and Google storage prices from Google One plans. Notion's figures come from Notion pricing, and Obsidian's from Obsidian pricing.

Evernote's caps come from Evernote plans, and Microsoft's 5 GB and 2 GB figures from its storage FAQ and OneDrive restrictions page.

Google's Keep page describes the app as a free note-taking app for personal use, and Simplenote's home page says its apps, backups, syncing and sharing are completely free.

Evernote's paid tiers appear here by their caps only. Joplin Cloud is an optional sync plan, and its price is not on the home page. All prices are in US dollars. Where a page shows a yearly rate, we quote it as a monthly figure and say so.

Plan	Price	Best for
Apple Notes	Free	Built into iPhone, iPad and Mac, synced through iCloud
iCloud+ 50 GB	$0.99/mo	Adds 50 GB of iCloud storage on top of the free 5 GB
Google Keep	Free	Needs a Google account; no note or storage cap stated
Google One Basic	$1.99/mo	100 GB shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos
Microsoft OneNote	Free	Free with a Microsoft account; notebooks sit in OneDrive
Notion Free	Free	Unlimited blocks for one member; 5 MB per file upload
Notion Plus	$10/member/mo	Unlimited file uploads and basic connections to other tools
Obsidian	Free	Free without limits and no sign-up required
Obsidian Sync	$4/user/mo	Billed yearly; the monthly billing option is higher
Obsidian Commercial	$50/user/yr	Optional license for business use
Evernote Free	Free	50 notes, 1 notebook, 1 device, 1 GB, 200 attachments
Joplin	Free	Open source; sync to Joplin Cloud, Dropbox or OneDrive
Simplenote	Free	Syncing, backups and sharing included; no paid tier listed

Mistakes to avoid

×Picking Notion's free plan for a team of several people. A multi-member workspace gets only a limited number of blocks on Free, and Plus starts at $10 a member a month.

×Choosing by the word free. Evernote's free plan stops at 50 notes and one device, so the first busy month can end it.

×Buying sync before you need it. Obsidian works on one device without Sync, so pay for the add-on only when a second device needs the same notes.

×Trusting a single notebook to hold a whole archive. Microsoft caps OneNote notebooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint at 2 GB, so split a long-running project into several notebooks.

Expert tips

→Start in the app your phone already ships with, and add a second app only for a job it cannot do.

→Read the storage bar before you import scans. Google's 15 GB and Microsoft's 5 GB are shared with mail and files, so a large inbox can leave little room for notes.

→Pay yearly once a tool sticks. Obsidian Sync is $48 a year billed yearly against $60 billed monthly, and Notion says yearly saves up to 20%.

→Export a copy of anything you cannot lose before you change plan or app.

The bottom line

Pick Apple Notes if your phone and laptop are both Apple. Pick Google Keep if the phone runs Android. Pick Simplenote or Joplin if you want no stated cap at all.

Use Obsidian when the notes are the product and you accept paying for sync between devices. Keep Evernote's free plan for occasional notes, because the 50-note cap runs out quickly.

Notion works as a single-person tool on the free plan; for several people, our Notion review covers the paid tiers in more detail.

Tool profiles for Notion, Obsidian and Joplin sit on Toolradar if you want the full feature list.

For the account storage behind these apps, see our free cloud storage ranking, and for a note app that adds AI features, our AI note-taking ranking.

Cite this: Techpresso, "Best Free Note-Taking Apps in 2026", October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free note-taking app in 2026?

Apple Notes, if you use an iPhone or Mac: it costs nothing, syncs through iCloud, and comes with 5 GB of free iCloud storage. Google Keep is the equivalent on Android and the web. For apps that state no limits at all, Joplin and Simplenote are free and list no caps on their home pages. Obsidian is also free without limits, but its sync is paid.

Which free note app has a hard limit on notes?

Evernote's free plan stops at 50 notes, one notebook, one device and 1 GB of storage. Its Starter tier raises those caps to 1,000 notes, 20 notebooks and 3 devices.

Is Notion free for a team?

Not for most teams. Notion's free plan gives a multi-member workspace a limited number of blocks and caps each file upload at 5 MB. Plus is $10 a member a month, and the page says yearly billing saves up to 20%.

Can a business use Obsidian for free?

Yes. Obsidian's pricing page says the app is free without limits, and its FAQ says you are not required to pay for a commercial license. The commercial license is $50 a user a year and is optional. Sync is a separate $4 a user a month billed yearly.

What is the cheapest upgrade when a free note app runs out?

For storage, iCloud+ 50 GB is $0.99 a month and Google One's 100 GB plan is $1.99 a month. For sync between devices, Obsidian Sync is $4 a user a month billed yearly. None of these lifts a note count; they add storage or sync.

Does OneNote have a storage limit?

A free Microsoft account has 5 GB of OneDrive storage shared with photos, Outlook attachments and Microsoft 365 files. Microsoft also limits OneNote notebooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint to 2 GB, so a very large notebook needs splitting.

Sources

Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.